Hi, I'm Lisa and this is my first post on these boards but I've read a Lot and done a lot of searching for specific info. I've only been sewing and quilting for a few months but I'm quite addicted and want to invest in my equipment and my space. I have made 3 (plus one in progress) baby/crib size and one throw size quilt as well as several other small projects. All of these have been pieced and straight line quilted on my Brother CS6000i, which actually does a decent job of it, but the throat space is way too small to manage anything larger. So now I am in the market for a machine that can handle larger projects and that I can hopefully also learn FMQ on eventually. I am also turning half of a bedroom into my sewing space (other half reserved for grandchildren visits and sleepovers) and would like to be able to have both machines "ready to go" at the same time, likely one more for piecing and small projects, one for mostly quilting.
Oh, one more tidbit - I don't really live close to any local quilt shops where I can go test drive machines or build a support system. Whatever I get will likely be from Amazon and or bought online.
My questions are:
1. I'm looking at Juki TL2010q vs. Brother PQ1500SL - is the speed control and other differences really worth the price difference of $460? Is the foot thread cutter on the Juki hard to manage?
2. Are there other machines I should consider that would give me comparable features at a better value?
3. I'm looking at SewEzi tables, possibly the portable for my small CS6000i and the grande for whichever "quilting" machine I get. I think these would work great in my space, and I have height adjustable folding tables I can use as extended surface area when actually quilting anything large. Are they worth the cost? Are they sturdy and also good ergonomically for these machines?
I apologize for all the questions, but it's so hard to know what to decide on first to move forward. Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!