New sewing machine? Enable me!
My birthday is coming up in July and I'm thinking it might be time for a new sewing machine. I have a Brother XL5600 I've used on and off for about 10 years and made this couch quilt and various smaller projects. Quilting this was a real bear--very hard to shove the rolled up quilt through the machine--so I'd be looking for a larger harp and probably an extension table. I'd also like to be able to drop or adjust feed dogs when I get up the nerve to try FMQ. I think I'd prefer a mechanical machine because it could get serviced near me (I live in Brooklyn and don't own a car), but maybe automatic tension control and needle up/down stop would be worth going computerized. Finally, since I only sew on weekends, i think it would be hard to justify spending more than $1500 (and even that seems like a lot).
So far, I'm considering the Brother PQ1500SL and the Juki TL2000QI. Since getting to a dealer to try machines in person will be a pain, I'm trying to narrow down likely candidates online in advance. Thanks for any thoughts / advice / experience!