Originally Posted by butterflywing

go to the next, biggest show you can get to. all the machines are there for your quilting pleasure. test drive every one of them. see what you like and don't like. decide how much you want to spend. some of the prices may astound you. if you want to make large quilts, queen to king, imo you need something bigger than a 6" throat. it's just frustrating otherwise. not to mention the strain on your shoulders and arms. if you use a 6"er on a frame, your work area becomes very small as you roll up your finished work under the throat of your machine, because the roll prevents the machine from going forward enough to make any headway.
i don't know if i explained it right. i had the brother 1600s, bigger than a regular home sewer, and i ended up selling it. it drove me nuts because it was so hard to make big quilts. after all, that was why i got it. i ended up only making 2 quilts, injuring myself and staying as far away from it as possible until i sold it. now i have an 18"er, the tin lizzie. very basic by choice and price., but works just fine. i tried everything, but everything. and then i felt i could make my decision and the best deal.