And thank you to everyone for all the great ideas, I just need to explore a little bit more. Thanks!

When I am piecing you can't see the stitching in the finished quilts. But when I do the quilting, you see EVERYTHING. And I feel like I need to make my first machine purchase to start getting a feel for the market for web I eventually do step up and spend good money on a machine.

your machine may just need to be tuned up. think about what and how you use your machine before you purchase anything really cheap. i got one of those cheap computerized brothers (around $200) that are sold on amazon and walmart and did not have the best experience with mine. it came to a grinding halt and the brother repair shop told me it would be cheaper to get another machine than to have it fixed. so goes my venture into cheap machines. i purchased my machine from a wholesale auction house which sells clearanced merchandise from amazon, shop nbc, wal mart, etc.

but you can also get some great buys from craigslist. i got a free one the other day and there are 2 free one's on cl today but they are in cabinets and i do not have the space. however if you do decide to spring for a new machine, buy the best that you can afford now. spend you dollars wisely and do your research. you can also get good used machines (trade-ins) from your lqs or a dealer. just do the research and buy what you can afford.

my free cl machine. i haven't had time yet to tinker around with it.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]349486[/ATTACH]

I agree with everyone who said see if your machine can be tuned to perfection, and I also agree with those who praised a lower end Brother. I sew on three different versions of lower end mechanical Brothers and they are great machines. Not fussy about thread, fabric, etc. None of them has ever gone out of tension.

Ditto!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brother Machines are wonderful. Walmart has them. Kenssewingcenter.com has nice refurbished machines, many brands. I've purchased 3 machines from that site. Sometimes he has free shipping.

I don't know what you want your machine to do, but I purchased a Brother Project Runway Limited Edition CE8080PRW at Walmart for my future daughter in law and liked it so much that I bought one for myself. It was well under $200.

I recently bought the Singer 401. It's over 50 years old but is a workhorse. I just love it. I also have a Bernina1008 but I still favor my Singer. I was able to purchase it on EBay, no extras, for $120.00 total.

I am not a big fan of the new machines; like many others, I vastly prefer the older mechanical workhorses. Whenever I have a machine serviced or when I'm talking to an OSMG, I ask them what their favorite models are. The Kenmore 158 always comes up along with the Singer Slant-o-Matics (301, 401, 500). I love the vintage Vikings of the 6000 series. I hear the old Pfaff 130s are good and I recently scored a Pfaff 1222e for $200. If you want to do FMQ, look for a vertical bobbin. You won't need fancy embroidery stitches.

Where to find them? I would most certainly start at a dealership for a good brand and look at the machines they have taken in on trade. I got my wonderful Pfaff 1222e at a Bernina dealer. It came completely tuned up, with accessories, and included the dual feed system that does not require a walking foot. But you have to be firm and look only at their used machines. Perhaps someone else can check them out while you study. ;-) Craigslist can be good but you'll need to have a SMG lined up and if you do, you should enlist him to help you with your research and search. They often have trade-ins available for sale too. Items from CL often must be serviced and you may have to pay for shipping if it's far away. I'd still prefer a nearby dealer anyday.

However, before I do anything at all, I would find out what model Singer you have, come back here and tell us what's going wrong. There are MANY people here who can help you solve your problem(s), and the older Singers were made to last and were easy to maintain. As an alternative, you can always take it to a repair guy, but he'll charge you for the service, of course. But it will certainly be cheaper than buying another machine ... and probably faster too.

Just my 2¢.

You might also check your local sewing machine stores for a nice trade in. You can sometimes get a very nice machine that way. Also they will be there to help you learn to use it. Good luck in your search.