I love my Janome 6600. Definitely under 2k. Janome now has a 7700 which is a step up. I also suggest that you invest in a good machine quilting book and machine quilting lessons. Its not always the machine but rather learning to tweek it. I took lessons from Harriet Hargrave and her book is priceless. She specializes in teaching beginners. You can probably find her Heirloom Machine Quilting book on Amazon.com. In looking for a machine, needle down is very helpful. A larger throat space. I love the auto thread cutter. 6600 has it all. There is a Janome 6500/6600 yahoo group you may find helpful.
Last edited by snipforfun; 12-21-2011 at 10:15 AM.