Almost everyone says to stay away from Singers these days. On the other hand, almost everyone likes their Brothers. I have a Brother SQ9000 that I got from Wal*Mart. It's very nice and light - I like to take that one to classes.

I would take the Brother, Singers are not what they use to be. In our ladies sewing/quilting group, 4 of us have bought Brothers for our class machines. Pretty good.

Singer used to be the leader in machines, but not so much anymore. I will always take a Brother over other brands, but only because I can work them without a techie helper, and they are very durable. -owner of two Bothers one inexpensive, and one not so inexpensive.

I have the Brother machine and I really like it, especially for going to classes or traveling. The only negative is the space between the needle and the right side of the machine is too small to quilt larger projects without a lot of effort and finagling. It has needle down, start stop and speed control.

I have one of the brother machines and use it to take to classes because it is so light weight and sews very nicely. If you are planning to do FMQ on your machine, I would go for a heavier machine that would not "walk" around on the table when stitching through several layers and manipulating the quilt through the harp.

The Brother machines are great and I agree with others have said about the Singers.
I have the CS6000i and love it for travel & classes but I don't feel it is heavy enough for what you want to do.
I would suggest you save up & wait til you could get maybe the Brother 1500 straight stitch only machine-a very heavy duty machine, great for FMQ & heavier fabrics.
The other choice would be some of the vintage machines that were top of their line in their day-some are still working wonders, check estate sales, dealers used machines, etc.

I have a Brother CS9500 I got from Sears. I have been very pleased with it. I do piecing and quilting on it. I think it goes by a new number now.

I can't speak for the Singer but both my daughter and I have the Brother CS6000i and love it. We have used them on garments, quilts, dolls and my daughter just upholstered a bench. It's very lightweight and this is the reason I bought it. Easy to carry to classes and retreats.

I would get the Brother. I love my brothers and one is an inexpensive machine. It did travel, and the foot pedal did also. I got some of the rubbery shelf liner and put under the machine and under the foot pedal. It helps with vibrations also. I used 2 pieces.

As a collector of vintage Singer machines I can agree with all the above about the Singer sewing machines starting from the 1970's and just getting progressively worse. Plastic gears break, don't have the power, etc... I have read all here who say they love their Brother and I did a fair bit of research on the Brothers and there are many, many complaints about the brothers as well. Basically if you really have to have a newer machine with bells and whistles, then you should wait and buy a Bernina, or Babylock, but plan on spending at least a couple of thousand for a better machine.

BUT, the recommendation I have is to buy a vintage singer that is ALL metal geared, powerful and reliable! The best machines loved by quilters for FMQ are the Singer 15-91 (I own 3), the Singer 301 (I own 6) and the Singer 401 (I own 4) and I vouch for everyone of these models for quilting as I use them regularly!
the Singer 301 and 401 are much lighter and more portable than the 15-91 the main difference between the two is the 301 only sews a straight stitch (beautiful straight stitch) and the 401 has 24 or so built in decorative stitches. Both of these machines are known as slant needle machines and quilters love them because the slant angle of the needle allows a better view of what you are sewing. The 401 does have a drop in bobbin compared to the vertical bobbin of the 301 (uses same bobbins as a featherweight).
The 15-91 is also a straight stitch machine and with its vertical bobbin is prized by quilters for the beautiful stitch it makes and ease of quilting...this machine is quite a bit heavier (that's what you get with all metal gears and cast iron body!) but also sews some pretty heavy duty fabrics...it will take the larger needles needed for canvas sewing, etc.
the beauty of these machines? They are next to impossible to "break!" And if you should need some sort of part, they are easily available. The biggest issue to look for when buying is to be sure the wiring is still in good shape. Some of these machines may need to be re-wired because after 50+ years...but even that is cheaper than buying a new cheap plastic machine. You can most likely find one of these models locally...watch Craigslist...for $25-75 depending on condition and model. That's my 50 cents worth! :)