klue-
Thanks so much for the info. It's good to hear some general ideas. I won't have the room for a frame for a long time, but then again, I haven't done any freehand quilting and not sure I would enough to discount this machine.
It's funny to think of my older machine as having "fancy" stitches. :) But yes, I think I would need to keep it around for the zigzag stitch alone.
PS. I noticed that you work in the science field. I work at the publishing company Cell Press as an editorial assistant. Maybe your familiar with our journals?