I would go vintage with a Singer 301A. It is a great machine and you can even lower the feed dogs and do free motion quilting on it. I have had 4 and have kept one and sold the others to fellow quilters. Every time I am visiting the kids in the city I look for them on Craigslist because I know they are sought after by quilters that know their machines. Another great feature of the machine is the ease of taking care of it yourself. Unless it has a mechanical issue (which mine never has) there is no need to take it to the service man. Very easy to lube, oil, and clean yourself and only takes a few minutes. Ann in TN