I recently was in need of another machine as well. I use my machine for the same kinds of things that you do. I made the mistake of buying a Brother cs6000i which needed to be sent to the factory after only 62 days and I was not happy. I then decided to try a heavier machine and bought a Janome HD3000 for around $349 on Amazon. I really love this machine. It has the strength for heavy duty sewing such as purses and quilts and works equally well for sewing clothing etc. I would highly endorse this machine. It reminds me of the Kenmore that I had for 27 reliable years of sewing. Hope that helps!