Ditto, except I have an embroidery/sewing model that I bought from a sewing center -- read expensive here -- and the little CS-770 that I bought from Hancock's Fabrics sews a better straight stitch than the expensive one (so I just use that one for the embroidery that I do quite a bit of).

No time to read the whole thread sorry, so apologies if I double up on previous comments.
I used to sell Brother machines and they're fantastic. I will always recommend a Janome or Brother for the lower price models. The Elna Jeans machine is also a beauty. Stay well away from Singer. My highest recommendation is the Brother NS 30. That machine is an absolute GEM!!

Oh, wanted to add, the NS 30 has a mock hand quilting stitch to die for!! I'm in Australia and its about $550 here, so I'm guessing it would be under $350 there.

I have 23 brother machines one is a cheaper model that I got after my house burnt down I bought it as a fill in till the insurance came thru, I find the cheaper one is a bit slow but never misses a beat, the other is a 1500D embroidery machine I love it dearly but it is fussy on the cottons I use. I use the cheaper one when my embroidery machine is in use.
the other brother I have is a 4 thread overlocker or serger I think you call it in the USA it neads a service at the moment someone played with the tension dials and I've not been able to use it for a while. now it snaps the 4th thread all the time

Oh wow!!!! I luv it!!!!

I've been sewing/quilting for most of my life and I always recommend that you buy the best machine you can afford. If you enjoy sewing you will quickly outgrow the cheap basic machines. Most people really do not use the decorative stitches a lot, but the needle threader, thread cutter, and several more of the "deluxe" features quickly become a necessity. I think Brother had become a very good basic machine and seems to be improving with every new model. Shop around both locally and on the internet and get the best price you can find.

Love your daughters quilt. Creative and colorful. I have three brother machines, P1500 previously mentioned. It's basic straight stitch but it's great for free motion quilting with the 11" throat. I also have the brother LB6800 PRW regular stitches and Decorative stitches and small emroidery attachment. I never thought I'd care about embroidery but it's fun for quilt labels and embellishment and lastly my DH bought me the Brother Dream Creator XE. Each machine is reliable and extremely easy to learn. The manuals are clear and descriptive. There's a Brother machine for every price range!

I have the Brother PE700I that is sitting in the box in my garage. Had nothing but problems with this machine since the day I purchased it on line. Sent it to the local repair shop, they were not to helpful because I did not purcahse the machine from them. I sent it to their repair shop, I believe it was in TN, still not working. When I called their "Customer Support" several times, got tired of being asked the idiot questions, EG: is the machine turned on, is the machine plugged in, etc. Wrote several letters to their headquarters and got a form letter back - got no where with them. I would NOT buy another product from them.

I bought a Brother CS-6000i from Walmart for about $180. I sewed nearly 100 jeans quilts, 5 costumes, 3 crazy quilt blocks and turned them into throws for gifts plus basic cotton quilt blocks turned into charity quilts, on this machine. It has never disappointed me. It pieces, quilts and does fancy stitches. If the machine "dies" local service people will not touch it, however. I found a sewing machine repair place where I was told "Bring it in. The estimate is free." After a basic cleaning and tune up, it is back to sewing like it was new. When I thought the machine was "dead", and before I was able to get it serviced, I bought another identical machine, so now I have a "backup". I take the machine in for yearly service, just to keep it running as smoothly as possible.

you can find a brother or janome for $100. by the way brother has the best threading mechanism of "ALL'" the machines. just remember this hundred dollar machine will not last forever. you get what you pay for. hope she enjoys her new found hobby!