I started my free motion frame journey with a Juki TL98. while the machine is a workhorse, the throat area is VERY limited. You will start with about 3-4 inches MAX of quilting area to start with. As the finished quilt rolls up, it rolls up IN the throat area. That means you will lose quilting area with every roll of the completed quilt. If you are looking for an economical option, I would look for a HandiQuilter. I purchased a used sit down one that I used on a table top frame. When I upgraded to a true long arm, I sold it to my friend. She quilts on it DAILY!