Originally Posted by
KwiltyKahy
Hancock Fabrics carries a Brother 9500 that is a good machine in your price range. In addition to being able to change the needle position it has variable speed, needle down, and built in monogram. Lots of stitches including stretch stitches. I love all my Brothers and this one looks very good.
I bought a refurbished Brother XR9500 (for a bit over $200) from the Internet 3 years ago after I decided I wanted to really learn to quilt. I recently upgraded to get a larger throat space, but this Brother has been a workhorse, and I sew 4-5 days a week. It's simple to use and has quite a few "fancy stitches" & you can lower the feed dogs for FMQ. It has never given me a minute's worth of problems. If I could have stretched the throat I would still be sewing with it.