I have been sewing for over 35 years but just started quilting about 7 years ago. I loved all parts of making a a quilt but the quilting I dreaded. I have a Janome DC2008 ( older version of DC2014). It sews great but FMQ was another story. I only did stitch in the ditch or straight line quilting. I did have a few quilts done by a long armer, but just couldn't afford it anymore.
I wanted to learn to do FMQ and so I bought another machine. I bought a Brother PQ1500S about a year and a half ago. It is a straight stitch machine only with a nice sized throat area. I just recently started doing FMQ on it and I LOVE IT!!! I have done several small quilts and one good sized quilt. They are not perfect and even have a few wrinkles on the back. But I am learning and enjoying it at the same time. The bigger machine made a world of difference for me.