There is a learning curve to doing ME, but is well worth the effort. You do need stabilizer under the fabric and sometimes a topper if you are stitching on something like a bath towel. There are a lot of different kinds of these toppers and stabilizers available. The quilt ME designs you buy online designed for quilting (or maybe your machine has them?) are great. However, if you are stitching a dense filled design like a dog on quilting fabric, do a practice first on the fabric you are going to use so you can see if the outcome is satisfactory. I"ve seen quilts done with ME and they were all gorgeous. Also, the additional thread will add weight if the quilt has a lot of dense designs on it.
The place I bought my machine from helped me a lot!