Keep your machines simple. The less complicated, the less there is to go wrong. I prefer separate simple machines to avoid costly set up times, but I have the space. The only machine, I found was a mistake, was the embroidery, I just never thought it was "fun" so I gave it to my daughter. The last machine to consider is the long arm. go to guilds, go to shows, talk and try things. but keep it simple. good luck