I agree with all the above. An expensive machine doesn't cause one to become a good/great quilter. I'm very happy with my two straight stitch only machines that I use for quilting also.

That's like saying I can't go to the grocery store because I can't drive a Mercedes or I can't bake cookies because I don't have a stand mixer. Many of us started with a lower end machine and got our bearings on that. As our skill level progressed and the pocket book allowed, we bought a higner end machine. There are MANY great machines that won't break the bank.

Or more like you can go to the grocery store without a Mercedes but you can only buy Wonder Bread Velveeta and Spam - no steak for you LOL

And Jingle is right too - an expensive machine won't make you a good quilter. Any more than $500 golf club will get you a hole in one! But a poor workman always blames his tools :)

I have been sewing for more than 40 years and have never had a machine that cost more than $200. My old kenmore from the 70's still works well, and right now I have a Brother that I bought off of Amazon for less than $150. I also have a Singer that works well that cost $199 on sale. I prefer the Brother only because it has a needle down option. Both my Singer and Brother have run well for several years with just basic cleaning. I do hope that your wife will not give up something she loves just because she doesn't have the very best. I have spent many happy hours with my machines, and do not feel deprived at all.

Please tell her not to feel discouraged! I have a ten year old $250 Janome from Sears that I do all my sewing on. It doesn't feed quite straight, it like to jam up at the most inopportune moment, the 1/4 inch measurement is off by at least an 1/8 of an inch, and just a few weeks ago it decided it was going to keep sewing when I released the presser foot.

I've learned to adapt to all its quirks and we have a love/hate relationship but I still love to quilt.

Oh hey, also thought to mention that high quality materials (good thread, sturdy fabrics) will get her much farther than a machine with all the bells and whistles. I hated FMQ because my thread kept breaking every few inches. I thought it was my machine but it turns out I just needed some good quilting thread. I now use Isacord for my quilting and it hasn't broken once.

I have one of the high end machines and piece on a featherweight at classes and a Phaff (old one) at home. Straight stitching is all she needs if she is only piecing.

I've been quilting for more than 40 years, with a 40 yo Singer sewing machine. While I paid $350 for it back then (and I can't believe that I paid that much when I was a college student), I've made a number of quilts with that machine. I like the space available in which to stuff the quilt (called the "harp") as you're quilting it. That's better than most of the machines today including the high end ones (<$5000).

All you really need for quilting is the ability to sew a straight stitch, and a zigzag if you want to machine applique. A decent sized harp is nice, too. (distance from needle to the closest side of the machine where you can stuff the quilt while quilting). Change the needle with every project.

I still piece with my old Kenmore and just bought a backup at a garage sale for $35.00
All she needs is a machine that will stitch a straight line along with a walking foot.... later on she can get something with a larger throat.

Perhaps it's because you cannot afford a more expensive one right now that makes her wish she had one. Sometimes we think people will think less of us if we don't have the best machine / tools / fabric. Please encourage her to see that her talent will make the beautiful quilts and that 99% of the quilters she surrounds herself with won't care what machine she has (if that is the issue)

You are a very good husband to encourage your wife to do something that she loves.

First: I am shocked and amazed by the advice and support I've been given. I never expected such a large volume of responses. Thank you.

Second: I am not entirely sure about what sort of quilting she's been doing. I've seen pictures and that's about it. Circumstances at the moment have required us to live separately until this upcoming spring when I finish school and get a job transfer. The long distance aspect of things is what is complicating this situation. I just hear the excitement in her voice and can tell it means a lot to her. She's been doing a lot at home by hand I can tell.

Third: I believe the discouragement stems from the fact that we've always had an ideology that if you do something, you should do it right the first time (if you can). That includes getting the right tools for the trade so that you don't get discouraged by mistakes that seem like beginner's errors to the inexperienced when it is in fact an equipment shortfall. I think she's worried that without the 'right' tool, she can't do a good job, which I know is false. There is a difference between the right/wrong tool and a basic/elaborate tool. I think she's confusing those two things at the moment.

I think I'll probably get her to really investigate what she's wanting to accomplish in the short term, and then evaluate what things she would need in a machine to achieve those goals. I have a feeling the list is shorter than she expects. Once a basic list is established we'll look into buying a machine that will fulfill those needs under the pretense that if she really enjoys it and she can upgrade when the finances are available in the future. I think that's a fair compromise.