I would stay away from the Singer machines available at Walmart JoAnn's etc. I know several people that have gone that route and the machines ran poorly or broke all together. The warranty is minimal and it costs more to fix them than what they cost in the first place. I don't know about the Brother. I would scour for a good used machine if you want to replace your machine. I currently have two 1970's era Vikings and they are going strong. One I've had since it was new and the other I bought used. We got a used Necchi for our daughter-in-law to replace the cheap Singer she had that wouldn't sew right. Paid $200 for a nearly new machine that runs like a dream.

I have not found a machine that I haven't been able to get a walking foot for. I have purchased them for my self and picked them up for friends most of who have older machines. They even make one for Singer Slat machines. Nifty Notions is the brand I've purchased most often and it's called and "Even Feed" foot. Runs around $25. They make different ones depending on length and size of the shank of your machine. Check on-line or at sewing machine stores for availability. I have them even for my 1930's era Featherweights.

I have the Brother CS 6000 and it is a great little machine. I've been using mine for seven years. It has a nice variety of stitches and is easy to use. I like it for piecing my blocks (makes a very nice stitch), applique, and the buttonholer is easy peasy. It's lightweight and portable, this is the one I take with me on trips. Do a search here on the Quilting Board and read the Amazon reveiws.

That said, the throat is very small and it's not great for quilting larger items. I also use a 1982 Kenmore and a vintage Singer 301 -- great machines and very sturdy. But I have just ordered a Brother 1500 in hopes the larger 9-inch harp will make the quilting part of a project more enjoyable rather than a chore I dread. My experience with the entry-level Brother CS6000 has been so good that I'm willing to invest in another Brother (and the 1500 also gets rave reveiws).

I have a Janome and love it, but have also thought about the Brother CS6000i as a back up machine. It also has a few more decorative stitches that would be wonderful for baby clothes etc. Good luck in your choice,

I had a brother from Costco. I literally wore it out in about 18 months. Even with regularly cleaning out the bobbin casing area, it eventually just stopped. When I brought it in to have it cleaned and serviced, (which cost about 1/2 what I paid for the machine), the technician explained that all the parts inside the brother were plastic. While I had the brother in the 'shop,' they gave me a very low end mechanical Janome for a loaner. I couldn't believe how much better the feed dogs worked on that little machine (I think it was a $300 price point.)

In the end, I ended up trading it in for a used Janome 6600 and am SO very happy with it. The main selling point for me was the larger harp( 9x5) on the 6600. I knew I wanted to quilt on my DSM and it has been wonderful.

I have the Brother CS6000si and it stopped working in less than a year. I got some error message, took it to a Brother repair shop and the technician told me to ditch it and buy another machine. He said it wasn't worth fixing. It is a very lightweight machine and not for heavy sewing.

I use my vintage machines to quilt with and they sew all types of fabric. The vintage machines have metal parts that make them more heavy duty. I have a Singer 15-91 and a 301. I love them both.

Check Craigslist, estate sales and your local thrift shops for a good machine at a reasonable price. Recently on my local Craigslist someone is selling a vintage Kenmore with a host of cams for all sorts of decorative stitches for $145.00. I am thinking about purchasing it. From Craigslist I just purchased a Singer HD 110 heavy duty machine for $30.00. Good luck on your machine hunt.

The choice is yours but I love my brother machines.

The newer Singers don't seem to be what they are cracked up to be. Brother has become much better than they once were. I would probably keep using the one you have for now and save up for a used high end Babylock or Bernina or Pfaff. I have both Babylock and Pfaff machines and they are wonderful, but are high end machines too.

I agree about the newer Singers. As I understand it, somebody bought the name. I love my Brothers (I have a4 now). If you have a dealer nearby, check out their used machines. You can get a lot more bang for the buck.

Also, check estate sales and newspaper. Sometime people will buy an nice high end machine and find they do not want to sew after all and want it gone at a reasonable price. And by all means, look for an all metal older machine vs the plastic ones made today. I don't see any of them being around 75-100 years from now and still sewing like a champ. You should be able to find a walking foot for your machine so do a computer search for one, might make all the difference with some adjustments to your present machine.

Personally I wouldn't buy any kind of new Singer. The Brother and Janome brand though do have a fairly good reputation. I also prefer my old machines.