[QUOTE=Stitchnripper;8014873]May I ask a question? Are those very expensive machines really worth that much money? I can afford a Bernina but don't see it as something I would put out that much money for. "
I think it just depends on what type of sewing you enjoy the most, what you are comfortable spending and stage of life. I love sewing machines & sew just so I can play with the sewing machine. I do have the Brother Dream machine & love it, I do use a good percentage of the features & stitches but impossible to use them all. I mostly make quilts & quilt my own quilts. To me it was worth the money, I'm nearly 80 years old, so don't know how long I'll have to enjoy my hobby. I worked for 50 years, we lived simply & frugally but put 4 children through school (a couple of them helped by winning awards & academic scholarships) so have totally no guilt about what I spend on my hobby. I enjoy more whimsical type quilts, crafts, etc so that is why the Brother machine with Disney called to me, I test drove the Bernina but they were too formal for me, I had more fun with Brother machines. Old ladies just wanna have fun-LOL