I haven't broken down yet, not even enough to use my DSM for anything larger than a table runner. It will take me along time to pay the wonderful person who long arms my quilts enough to pay for a quilting machine. I taught economics and spent a good bit of time teaching my students what "opportunity cost" means. What could I be doing with my time, with the resources going in to the project, etc., if I weren't quilting on my DSM or investing in a quilting machine. If you enjoy doing it, you figure that in, too, but I wouldn't and for me, that makes all the difference. froggyintexas