When I started quilting I owned a Pfaff expression 2.0 which I like, but didn't feel I could do as good a job of FMQ as I would like to. I purchased a Brother pq1500s that is straight stitch only but it does FMQ like a dream and is reasonably priced.

If you like your brother why not get the straight stitch PQ1500S and keep your other machine for the various other stitches. The PQ is good for piecing and quilting and has a decent harp without getting to fancy. If you have a big budget to me nothing comes close to the v-series brother machines and how they perform

The juki tl2010q, Brother PQ 1500s, and the Babylock Jane are all basically the same machine (although it sounds like the juki has a couple nice features that my Jane doesn't ). They are mechanical straight stitch only machines. The stitches are beautiful. I can't emphasize enough how much difference my Jane made to my FMQ. Right out of the box I saw massive improvement. Very rarely do I have to play with tension. No thread breaks. If my quilting looks like crap now, I only have myself to blame! You should be able to get any of these machines for about a $1000. I paid about $800 for my Jane in November. Keep your Brother for when you want to zig zag, blanket stitch, or other decorative stitch. Good luck and have fun shopping.

I have 7 machines so I've gone through this many times. Here are my suggestions 1. You should buy any machine only after fully testing it at the store. I would suggest you take your own scrap material and thread you usually use for this test 2. Only buy a machine from a dealer you like and trust and that you can visit by a reasonable drive. Things may happen even to a new machine 3. Be very clear what you want...throat size, type of stitches, and your main purpose for the machine ( I have a Janome with 11 inch throat for just free motion) 4. Don't just pay the price on the machine, negotiate. If they won't reduce the price, ask for accessory feet, thread or even small cabinet. 5. Do research on-line before you visit any dealer. You might even consider see if there is a Yahoo Group for the machine and see what owners are saying about the machine.
Two times I didn't do the able and one machine just doesn't work for me. It is a very noisy machine and I know that seems petty, but it drives me crazy and I don't use it. The other machine seemed fine but I had serious tension problems but the dealer finally discovered it had a damaged tension disk from the original shipping.
Since I attend many quilters "open sews" I now know I should have looked at the Juki machine for free motion. It is only a straight stitch but has a large throat and a great stitch.
Do your homework and you will LOVE your new machine. Good Luck..Let us know what you get

Consider a good used machine....I went to a janome dealer and bought a used 6600 for $1000....it included 3 different accufeed feet, unlimited free classes on the machine, unlimited free quilting classes given at the shop, plus a 10% coupon for total purchase (1 day)....the machine is great and the dealer has opened a satellite shop just a few miles from me ;) ...just doesn't get any better!

The most important thing is the repore between you and your dealer/service tech. You need to like and trust these people or you will get no where. Trust me....I have been down this road before. Sally J said it all very nicely. I agree 110% Good Luck, and have fun!!!

If you are happy with your Project Runway machine for piecing, have you thought about getting one of the sit-down FM machines like the HQ Sweet 16? I have a Sunshine 16 from Pennywinkle Valley Ranch (www.sunshine16.com). All of them work basically the same, and some have more bells and whistles than others.

I'm in the Brother 1500 club, too. Great machine. I bought mine off AllBrands for around $700 a couple of years ago. The throat space is wonderful.

I use to have a Brother, which pieces quilt tops just fine, but when it came to sandwiches or quilting through multiple layers, it had troubles - the stitching was inconsistent even with a walking foot (which was cumbersome to put on and take off). I was so frustrated and in tears and quite frankly hating my new hobby, so my quilting instructor let me use the store's Pfaff and I could not believe the difference. PFAFF HAS A BUILT-IN WALKING FOOT (easy to engage) and as such, I can also use the 1/4" Quilting Foot at the same time. sews through multiple layers easily and without hesitation - beautiful, even stitches. My new hobby is now FUN. I highly recommend to those who will be quilting to look at and try out Pfaff sewing machines. I have a Pfaff Ambition that I take to classes and just recently I purchased the Pfaff Performance 5.0 (bigger throat space, monogramming, built in stippling, able to design my own stitches).

For quilting the most important thing I was looking for in a machine was the harp space so concentrated on those machines with 10-11" harp area. I got a Janome 8900qcp and have been very pleased with it. I will never use all the stitches that it has but that was part of the package.