Okay, I am a newbie and I have one machine that I bought about two years ago because I was determined to teach myself how to sew. With that being said, I went to Walmart and picked the first machine I found: a Singer Simple. I read the instruction manual from cover to cover. It is THE most basic machine ever and it is what I use. After reading this you are probably wondering how in the world can I quilt but I've had no problem so far HOWEVER, I've only completed one quilting project, a table topper. I completed a large lap quilt top way back when I first bought it and attempted to quilt it but gave up. I'm going to drag it out and finish it. So that is what I have. I took my mom's basic Brother as a backup but I've never used it (she hasn't either for that matter). I just wanted to make a post in case there is anyone out there who is truly a beginner also and has a basic machine too.