Start slow! And you know my kenmore lasted me 20 yrs and I now have a new kenmore. You dont need a big fancy machine. Just know your limited a bit or at least I am to a full size quilt at the largest. Twins ideal. Start on something simple say a pot holder. You can practice. Use some scraps and make a nine patch. Practice in the ditch (along the seams) its my favorite still today though many here are not fond of it at all. I found it incredibly easy to do if you go slow. Then get a quilting washable pencil/marker and do a grid. Follow the markings with your needle and pretty soon your off and running. Its truly fun and know everyone makes errors. They are not mistakes just lessons to help us know what we dont want to be doing!

I'm partial to Kenmore. However, once you've gotten into quilting and know more about what you like to do there are many sewing stores that have demo machines you can see and try out to decide what would suit you best. Have fun.

I ordered feet for my kenmore. You should be able to look on the sears site for feet. the walking foot is great for straigt lines but darning foot works better for free motion quilting.

I've ordered my darning & walking foot though Sears for my Viking. If you go to the store and order it on their computer, shipping will be free and delivered to your home.

Thank you Ladies for all of the responses. I can't wait to go to Sears and order a foot for my machine. It will be a few days, because of the snow. BUT I will get there. The closest sears is about 60 miles away.

I would suggest getting the book GUIDE TO MACHINE QUILTING BY DAINE GAUDINSKI and HEIRLOOM QUILTING BY HARRIET HARGROVE. Both of these books are geared to free motion quilting on your domestic sewing machine. Absolutly PRICELESS information regarding needles, threads, machine set up, quilting sandwich and much more. You should be able to find these on ebay or Amazon. Trust me, it will be money VERY WELL SPENT.

I bought a Singer 7442 at Sears 2 months ago and I really like it. It was 200.00 not much these days compared to some others.

I am happy to report that I do my work on a 1968 Fleetwood sewing machine (my mom's machine that I learned to sew on as a kid) that only does straight stitching and zig zag. I have not ventured to free motion yet, but the machine can drop the feeders, so once I get a little more brave, I will try that. It works great on stitch in the ditch and cross hatch. I am contemplating getting a new machine, but my New England thriftiness is having a hard time, given the Fleetwood stll works great.

I'm so glad your are jumping into machine quilting. I love all aspects of quilt making, but my favorite is the quilting. Keep us posted on how you are doing.

While waiting, be sure to Google quilting. There is an amazing amount of information out there. By the time you get your foot and start quilting (boy doesn't that sound strange to someone who doesn't quilt!) you will feel a lot more confident about starting. Good luck and remember, the key is to practice, practice, practice. ;)