I bought a small Disney brother embroidery machine at Walmart 8 years ago. I take it in my RV. Have taken it to classes and all day sews. I love this little machine. I use it for piecing. The harp is way too small for me to consider quilting on it. It was $500. I bet you can get a Brother without the embroidery feature for a lot less. I think that some of the lower price machines may have a limited lifespan.....but when you use for backup...should last a long time!