Originally Posted by
Dolphyngyrl
Simply tell her that if everyone needed a fancy machine to quilt the world would be a very cold place because there would be a lot less quilts. Fancy machines while nice are not necessary. Tell her you'll never be able to drive a car unless you have a ferarri and she will see how silly it sounds. Also tell her there are nice machines that don't cost thousands of dollars. Also most people start out with the low end machines. I did for 10 years before i got my nice machine.
I agree with Dolphyngyrl. I'd love to have a Porsche . . . but my little Civic will take me anywhere a Porsche would.
I've been sewing, for over 50 years (started as a young child) and most of my adult life, sewed on a Sears Kenmore. I made my first quilt on that machine, as well as clothing and hundreds of craft items. A few years ago, after my trusty Kenmore developed problems, I finally decided to upgrade to a new Janome (by that time, it was within our budget). I have to admit I love that machine and it's more 'fun' to sew on it . . . BUT it hasn't improved my actual skills. Whether or not I sew a straight line is up to me, not the machine.
My advice is to just have a heart-to-heart talk with your wife. If the machine of her dreams is not in the budget, then encourage her to cut back on something else and start saving for her dream machine. If she doesn't want to quilt until she has that machine, then she doesn't really want to quilt.