I got mine about a year and a half ago. Learning on my own. I absolutely love it. I can meander pretty good. I'm now trying to learn feathers. It just takes time. I saw a dealer at the quilt show and she helped me to figure out how to do the tension. That has been my worse problem. Also, I noticed the new bobbin winders are much better than mine. I just use my dining chairs on either side. I'm glad you got the side tables. I also think (at this point in my learning) that the stitch regulator would give me more trouble trying to keep the quilt and the stitch regulator in place. I'm not that coordinated. Lol. Happy for you. Enjoy