The extra stitches can be nice but you need to decide what you want to do. You mentioned blanket stitch for appliqué. Don't take the dealers word for it ask for or take a background, a sample shape and stabalizer. Try all the levels of machines in each brand that have the features you want most. Try some fmq on them. Who cares what it looks like, just try to get a feel for the machine. You may find the higher end machine does not produce as nice a stitch as a lower model, or maybe you find one or the other easier to use. I did not buy a top of the line Bernina and am very happy with the model I chose. I love it for binding and clothing construction but I like to piece with vintage machines. Just make sure what you chose fits you at this point in time and what you might like to try in the near future. No one can predict what kind of sewing they will want to do 15 or 20 years out.