You can free-motion as long as your machine has the ability to drop the feed dogs-you will need a free motion foot (or darning foot). I have a Brother machine and had one before, and love them. Having said that, there was just a new thread in the last few days on this board discussing the Kenmore machines-people that have them love them. You should be able to pick up a good machine for only a couple hundred dollars-or less if you find one second-hand. Check with a local sewing machine shop and see if they have any re-conditioned machines for sale. Plenty of places to pick up a good machine. I got my machine (Brother PC420 Project Runway) thru Amazon--no shipping and no sales tax-and after hours of research, it was the best price. You can get "generic" feet for most machines-I found the brand "Alphasew" 1/4" foot with built in guide at a sewing shop here in the San Diego area for $14.99. If your machine is otherwise working well and it is just the foot, try getting this new foot before buying a new machine.