I’ve had good luck with the inexpensive Brother PC420PRW machines from Amazon and Home Depot (these are also sold at Walmart (yes, I have 2 of them). Throat is nice and big At 7.5” to right of needle- I've quilted a large double bed sized quilt in it no problem. It has adjustable needle positions- very handy for getting the perfect seam allowance for precision piecing; adjustable presser foot pressure- good feeding of very thin and also very thick fabrics; needle up/down- handy for quilting; speed control- also handy for quilting; a number of beautiful decorative stitches (including serpentine stitch, quilting stitches and heirloom stitches) and useful utility stitches that stitch out beautifully. You can adjust length and width of all stitches
It also comes with a bunch of useful feet including a walking foot, fmq foot, overcasting foot, teflon foot, open toe satin stitch feet, etc. (there were 13 or 14 included) and a knee lift. The owners manual that comes with it is like having a sewing class in book form - very extensive at over a hundred pages and has excellent instructions for how to use all the machine’s features as well as what they are used for in sewing. It’s also incredibly quiet unless you are sewing at top speed.
I paid $390 and free shipping for the first one from Amazon 7 years ago. The second one I bought last year from Home depot for $320 + shipping (the total came to around $336).
It’s heavy enough not to dance around on the table, no matter how fast you go, but is light enough to carry to classes etc.
I've also heard good things about the Eversewn and Janomes in that price range, though I haven’t sewn on them.
PM me if you want more info.
Rob
Last edited by rryder; 09-06-2018 at 03:05 AM.