Denise,
I am also a relative "rank amateur" in that I've only done a couple of quilts. I have a 1963 Singer 328K, a 1954 Featherweight (great for piecing) and no room or money for a "long arm" machine. I do have a very large rectangular dining room table, but it's been stacked with so much stuff from my aunt's house, I can barely see the top of it! LOL.
I could not say it better -- necessity is the mother of invention. If you have the inclination and the desire to make quilts. you can do it.
Also, the "hand quilted quilts don't last" is just not true. It's much faster to machine quilt and I think that's largely why machines are used. I have hand quilted a couple of baby quilts, but had the one large quilt I made (a hand-embroidered whole cloth quilt) machine quilted by my cousin who has a quilt shop in Oklahoma! I am in the process of beginning a very large Log Cabin quilt (actually a spread for a queen-sized bed) and I will be hand-quilting it!
If you love quilts, you will succeed in making them. They are truly family treasures!
Jeanette Frantz