Originally Posted by
kristakz
Other than the larger throat, quilting doesn't need fancy stitches. Straight stitch for piecing. Free motion capability (drop feed dogs) for quilting. You already know you want a few fancy stitches - that's still not a high end machine, and I don't think one is necessary. My old Kenmore, which I bought for about $300 does a blanket stitch.
The throat size - after quilting for 7 years I would definitely pay for a decent throat. I have about 7-8" on my machine, and it is a pain in the neck to do anything much bigger than a baby quilt. I have done it however - all the way up to king size. If you can get a larger throat without breaking your budget, I say go for it. But don't let them push you into fancy embroidery stitches and what-not. And it's possible to do a lot with a smaller throat, with a little bit of creativity and perseverance, if you can't afford the big throat now. After 7 years, I'm splurging on a long-arm machine (which arrives tomorrow)
I like to do most of my work on a vintage Featherweight. I FMQ on it too, and even thought the harp is not huge, I have done king sized quilts on it. Most of my quilts are smaller than that, and a larger harp is the one thing I'd love to have on that machine.
For appliques, I use an old Kenmore that has a blind hem stitch that I can adjust to make a blanket stitch.
A couple of weeks ago I started (and had to finish) a quilt top on a more modern machine. I had it out to make a label for another quilt, and without thinking, started piecing on it. Never again. I had more problems with that than I ever have on my older machines. Vintage is the way to go IMHO.