Carollady, I recently purchased my Singer 401 and love it. Haven't tried for free motion but if you go to YouTube, there are several good sites that talk about this machine. The best site is the one where a gentleman is showing a lady all that can be done on this machine. Will try to send you the link. You do not need the cams to do a lot of the stitching. There is a free manual on line for this machine that is very helpful. Type in Singer 401 manuals. Hope this helps.