Somebody without brains...:)

my local quilt store is a viking dealer, and their classes are for all no matter what machine you use. I have attended classes from a bernina dealer and nothing I had was good enough, including thread , batting and of course my machine. If you like your machine like I like mine no not let it bother you.

YES!! Exactly! I cannot stand machine brand snobbery, burns me to no end! I made a point at my last quilt class to compliment a newbie quilter who was using a "mass market" machine - her piecing was much better than some of the seasoned quilters using Berninas! It is the HUMAN who makes the quilt, not the machine!

I've done instruction in heirloom type sewing. As long as a sewing machine had a basic zig-zag stitch, it was usable and welcome in class. I learned heirloom and cutwork before embroidery machines so older techniques could be applied. You can needle paint with a straight stitch machine, a hoop, and some patience.

I would assume that anyone who learned to quilt before automated machines should be able to teach on any machine.
There are generic outlets for machine parts - so some machines might be able to be fitted with a special foot or single stitch plate if necessary. I remember reading about those with zig-zag plates and nothing else, blocking off part of the needle opening on the plate with tape! Where there's a will, there's a way.

If the store also sells fabric, the store is doing themselves a disservice by limiting machines for quilting. I've hauled my Pfaff 2170 to stores that sell other machines.

FYI - I have an old book on machine embroidery done with the first non-treadle Singers! The stuff is fantastic. All kinds of lace.

I love this thread, and didn't read all the posts, and may have already put my two cents in, but even though I have a Featherweight, treadle, and Singer 66 electric, plus another vintage singer (turquoise) and a vintage Elnita, my "go to" machine is my Walmart Variety Brother - it sews through anything, will take any kind of thread, needle, plastic or metal bobbin, etc. It is about 10 years old and other than when the needle holder fell off, has never been to the shop. They say it doesn't need to be oiled, but every once in a while I take the cover off and put a drop or two of sewing machine oil on the moving parts. I also clean it regularly. I am guessing there must be the dreaded plastic in there somewhere, but I can't see it. I also have two other basic Brothers, one at each of my sons' houses and they both sew like a charm. I can even do FMQ on the Brother. It is getting better with practice, but not because of the machine, but because of me. It always hurts my feelings a little (well, okay, a lot) when people say "Stay away from the Walmart variety Brothers". I am glad we can all have the machines we want and like. I want and like my dinky mechanical Brother. End of vent. Thanks for listening!!!!

This is a expensive hobby so always start out with what you can afford I started with the Walmart Embroidery machine 4X4 hoop Brother PE150 there were no classes near for me lucky I had the internet and joined some groups learned a lot and after 2 or 3 yrs Husband got me the Brother 2003D ULT in 2004 Love this machine bought from dealer but they were too far to take lessons again I taught my self the only Software I had purchased was Embird and I love it for edits and Merging designs now I have a Janome 11000SE and a MB4 so I am hooked just search Internet and try out all the techniques they show you you will be amazed

Hmm I wonder if that womans big mouth would fit under your presser foot so you can stitch up her mouth, that was very rude and insulting not to mention unprofessional of her to make those types of comments. I would go somewhere else next time. A shop owner is there to cater to the customers and their needs, she should keep her opinion to herself and bend over backwards for the customer, you are her bread and butter.

My local repair shop, looks down their noses because I bring in my singer for tune ups. Mine didn't cost a fortune but it works well and has been working for 15 years. They sold me a viking, and it was trash. I don't have to bring my machine in for repairs like the more expensive ones. I am sewing while they wait for their machine to be fixed.

I had the same thing happen to me when i was researching what to buy

I purchased a Babylock Ellure Plus at a local sewing shop. When I took the class to learn more about my machine, one other lady and myself had a Babylock, the rest of the girls had Huskyvarnas (sp) which is their main seller. The lady was not the most helpful, she really focused on the other ladies. Funny thing though, they had alot more trouble working with their machine than I did. The Baby is very user friendly, which I am told so about the Brother. I also seem to learn much better with trial and error by myself. There are some great books on the market, one of my favourites is Nancy Ziemans Machine Embroidery With Confidence.