It seems to me you say you have the time and room, but not the money. Why not start with a used short arm machine? I purchased mine for $1,500. It is a Pfaff Grandquilter with only a 9" throat on a 10' frame. I have had it for about 1.5 years and love being able to finish my own quilts. That said, I only do one or two pantos and no FMQ, and it will only handle about a lap quilt size before you run out of room on the take-up bar. I have found that my back cannot take standing for long periods of time. But it would give you the time to practice without the investment. And you would find out what it is like to load a quilt, clean out the machine while on the stand, change the bobbin, etc. And you can easily resell it and get a larger machine when you are ready.