I agree. I would have her look at Brother sewing machines at Walmart. Things she really wants for quilting would be needle down, ability to adjust stitch length and stitch width, ability to drop feed dogs, and the ability to do a reverse blind hem stitch (for applique). I'm pretty sure the Brother machine at Walmart that runs about $300 has all of those capabilities. Plus, if she doesn't like the machine she can return it within the return period. Many dealerships do not allow a return; all you can do is exchange.
Edit: Another good option is to buy a used machine at a dealership. When shopping for a machine, be sure to bring some fabrics of your own to try out with the machine. Places that sell machines typically have sample fabrics that are very stiffly starched because stitches look more perfect that way. You want to see how the machine sews on unstarched cottons and perhaps also on silky fabrics and knits. Also, pay attention to how much noise the machine makes. A noisy machine tends to indicate parts that are not machined as accurately as those in a quiet machine.
Last edited by Prism99; 07-20-2016 at 05:52 PM.