Are there any "regular" sewing machines that are larger in the open area (I'm sorry, I don't know the technical term) so they'd be easier to use for quilting? I mean easier in that they allow more room for the rolled up quilt as you do the quilting.

I'm not sure. I know if you want a TOL Brother, they say it has a 10" throat, but that's the only one I know of.

yes, and I think the terms you might be looking for are "domestic machine" and "throat area". That will help if you search on the Internet or otherwise. You didn't mention larger than what.

Bernina's new outrageously expensive 800 series has a 12 inches to the right of the needle (the throat or harp of the machine), a much less expensive Juki has 9", and I think the Pfaff Grand Quilter has a larger harp, but not sure of the dimensions. I think the new Janome Horizon is 10 or 11"

Not dumb at all!

The area under the arm of the machine is called the "harp". Aside from the other machines mentioned, I believe the Janome 6600 is a domestic machine that has a larger-than-usual harp.

The Janome Horizon has an 11" opening. The 6600 has a 9".

My Riccar measures 6 3/4" from the needle to the whatever it is/rest of the machine. Several more inches would be great! I was hoping for "old Singers" or something I could easily find cheaply on craigslist! lol!

My Pfaff has over 9.5 inches. It is an Expression 3

Wow. It seems like mine is exceptionally small.

yes, harp. I forget ;-)