you will quickly outgrow the 4x4 hoop. There are not many designs for 4x4 anymore. Go with at least a 5x7. I have the Brother Dream Machine and I cannot remember the last time I used the 4x4 hoop. This is the 3rd Brother machine I have gotten (I keep trading up) Brother is easy to use and I have never had to take any of the machines in except for its yearly cleaning. Brother always has something on sale so check with a dealer and they usually have financing of some sort. Enjoy whatever you buy.