Originally Posted by beautress

Welcome from the Great Piney Woods of Eastern Texas!

Get the best machine you can afford. They're now making quilt machines with 10-to-12-inch spaces so you can quilt a queen- or king-sized quilt with ease. Visit the local Pfaff, Bernina, Viking, Brother, Elna, and Singer in your area and look all of them over. Take a notebook with you and a 12" school ruler to measure and record measure from center needle position to left side of machine support located on the front right of your machine. That's all the space you get to roll a quilt under if you are making quilts for your family. You want a sturdy, hardworking machine that doesn't break down or worse yet, must be mailed in for repairs due to the lack of a nearby dealer. If you purchase a sophisticated machine with many features, be sure your dealer provides a good educational experience for you at a reasonable cost. Each machine has a language all its own, and the best place to learn the language of your particular choice is at an authorized dealer's store that has either a visiting instructor or provides training by the owner of the store.

If the owner or his teacher cannot or will not instruct you in quilting, find a business that sells machines and provides you with reasonably-priced instructions. Some stores provide free instructions; some provide instructors who charge a nominal fee for instructions, and some provide several options including the invitation of international instructors who provide instructions that may seem costly but are worth everything you pay and then some.

Best wishes, Tinabug from scenic Oceanside, California.