Uh Oh....sounds like the quilt police have been talking to you! LOLOLOL You can make a quilt with whatever machine you have, and with confidence! You can set up your machine wherever it works best for you....my machine is in a table directly beside a window, when I need support for the quilt, I move my ironing board to the left of the machine to hold its bulk. I piece and quilt both on my machine...no long arm needed once I learned how to fmq. Definitely give it a try....after my first "not so perfect" quilt, I was addicted. I would look into a basic beginners quilting class as there are many differences between piecing a quilt top and making a pair of pants.....but remember that all the rules out there have exceptions and new methods almost daily. Please come back to the board for any questions you might have...there are so many members here who willingly give advice. Have fun!