If I had to do it over again I would start with a cheap Brother with the needle down function. Strait stitch machines run around six hundred or you can get a good basic Brother even cheaper but be sure to get needle down. My first machine is a Brother quilting machine that I bought new for $129 but it dosnt have needle down. It is a little workhorse for pieceing.
Then save up for a embroidery machine that has a large hoop. This way you can use it to quilt the blocks just like an expensive long armer would do. Ive seen the quilts done this way at shops and they are beautiful.
These machines cost as much as a long arm but dont take up the room needed by a big frame.