Thanks for the machine ideas, sewbizgirl and Mariposa! Never even thought about a Singer, but now I will look at them too. And sewbizgirl, I've read about the Juki 2010 a little. Very much like everything about it, except no top-loading bobbin and straight-stitch only. Truth be told, I bet neither one of those features is really a huge deal. It's just that the visible top-loaded bobbin on my Magnolia is such a pleasure -- I'm comparing it to whatever thrashed classroom machines were used in my 7th grade Home Ec class (I'm old enough to have lived through the time when every girl was forced to take that class!); they were constantly snarling and nesting and generally making life unpleasant. Hence my lifelong disinterest in sewing, until now! Does the Juki 2010 thread/bobbin easily? Does it have a control that lets you see without using the foot pedal?