I began learning to FMQ in order to save the money in order to be able to buy more and more fabric. I do most of my quilting on my little Brother 1500S because I never seem to have any trouble with thread tension on that machine. It was a struggle to begin with, but I feel a lot more confident now. Plus, I do like to be able to know that I did make and finish the entire quilt myself. I know there are some wonderful long armers out there and I will never be able to compare my work to theirs, but I am a control freak, I suppose, and if the quilting doesn't look right I have only myself to blame.