Actually, I have the Brother Quattro. It is WAY out of your desired price range. (I got an excellent 'buy' on it while it was on sale) It does everything but clean my house!! The problem is, it is taking me a long time to learn how to do all the things the machine can do! I can pull up a design & embroider it & do a few semi-complicated things with it but I did have 5 lessons with a sales person/teacher from the store where I bought it, All the stores offer lessons with a purchase, as far as I know? Most machines come with 3-4 hoops. This one has 5! But they are all sizes. Husquavarna Viking has the biggest hoop I know of right now. Your best bet is to look online for a used machine. You can get them for a few hundred dollars or less! it's a good place to start! But then, you don't get lessons. Unless you know someone who can help you get started, it's tough by yourself. As far as the design size is concerned, it depends on what you buy! On Thimbleberries & EM, they have quilt designs that are just outlines. Sometimes you can buy one of several different sizes of a design & you can change the size on the machine, too! I have several & they work quite well on quilts. No stabilizer is needed with quilts! good luck & have fun! :lol: