Ok - these are the facts:

- I already have a sewing machine that is in perfectly fine, working order and I know how to use it now, mostly, lol. It's a featherweight.

- I only have about 200 dollars to spend on a new one. Had a little surprise in my mailbox today, woot!

- The only reason I even want a new one is to learn machine quilting (since I've been told it's not suggested that you do that with a FW, and I don't have the feet for it anyway), *plus* I'd like to have extra stitch options, like decorative ones, or side to side ones (clearly, I'm still learning the lingo, too.) I am interested in sewing other things like aprons, bags, wallets, towels, etc. Not looking to be a fashion designer, but you know, gift-y type stuff.

- I'm learning to sew, so nothing too complicated, but it'd be a bonus if it came with extra feet like zipper foot, the free motion quilting foot, walking foot (?), etc. In other words, I'd like to get a little bang for my buck, hehe.

Know anything that might fit that bill? Did I leave any important info out?

Many like Brothers and you should be able to get a good one for that price. I would not get one with the embroidery, I made that mistake...and returned it,

Several department stores carry entry level machines with a few decorative stitches for around $150 to $200.

My "back-up" sewing machine is a Brother CE5000 Project Runway model. It came from Walmart and was very reasonable in price. (under $120). It has lots of decorative stitches. I enjoyed using it while I was waiting to get enough money for the BabyLock I wanted.

Yeah, that embroidery stuff looks neat, but I don't want to get too much on a machine. It's just more stuff I could break. I'm talented like that, lol.

Check out Kenmore machines. They have nice machines in that price range. And I think they are made by Janome.

Thanks! So what you're saying is, there will be money left over for some new fabric? I like the way you think! :)

You should check out your local Craigs List for a Singer 301, 401 etc. Those are great machines and won't cost a fortune. And are so much better built than the cheap, plastic ones you'd otherwise be looking at.

Good to know. Is that the Sears brand? I think I actually have a Sears gift card around here somewhere, too.

Kenmore is carried and sold by Sears. It is not made by Janome, but is made by Janome specifications.

I have a Kenmore bought it last year...it is really good but I wanted to upgrade (Janome) and give my daughter in-law mine which is not computerized, but a great machine to start on.

Depending on what stitches you want, either a vintage machine or a brother. If you want fancy deco stitches that the vintage machines don't have, a new brother is your best bet. The CS6000i has gotten good reviews, but I got my boys the HS2000, from a dealer, and I'm very pleased with it. No problems at all so far, easy to use, 20 sec buttonholes, and lots of fun stitches. And you have your featherweight for that perfect straight stitch.

Another place to look for a machine is www.allbrands.com. You can get a more expensive machine for your money since they almost always have machines on sale.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!

We're leaning toward the Brother cs6000i right now. Of course, nowhere local has them in stock, so I'll have to have it shipped. Over a weekend. A holiday weekend. That's ok, I'm just excited.

The smart side of me says to go for the singer 401, but I'm almost positive (from the pictures) that's the kind my grandfather has and he told me I could have it the next time we go up there (it's in a table.) No telling when that will be, but I kind of want to get something 'new' this time.

I would shop and determine the model I want. I looked on Joann's website and looked at reviews. However, find your machine and model and shop it at amazons. I saved a lot by using this process.

The Brother CS6000i is a good machine, a neighbor bought one for her daughter, got a great price on Amazon so I would check there. That machine came highly recommended to me by a gentleman who quilts who purchased one for himself, then a year later purchased one for his daughter, he liked it so much.

The Brother XR-9000 is almost identical to the CS6000i, it just has a few more stitches and the warranty is slightly different.

Janome, Kenmore and Brother all share the same manufacturer so you will find there is little difference between these machines and the stitches they offer.

The Shark EuroPro Model 9110 was also produced by the same manufacturer. This machine was sold at Target around 10 years ago. It's an excellent machine, I bought one used for my classroom. I would recommend it if you come across one, they are hard to find.

You can check reviews on various sewing machines on this website:

http://sewing.patternreview.com/

I bought a Janome 6000M 26 years ago for around $1200. It works like the day I bought it and has Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiles on it. I just bought my daughter a refurbished one at the local Janome shop for $200. Don't bypass a used one that has had an overhaul!!

I just bought a Brother for 250.00 and it goes thru many layers very easy and has about 70 decorative stitches. It comes with 7 different feet and a button holer. They took my old White for a trade in too. The only thing I bought was a 1/4 inch foot with a guide on it. HS 2000 is the model. It says Runway, Limited Edition.

good luck with your search