In 2016, I asked for a fancy sewing machine for a holiday and my husband took me shopping (awww, isn’t he sweet?). I figured that because I used my sewing machine so much, I should invest in an expensive machine. I purchased a fancy Husqvarna Opal 690Q. I took the classes that came with it. It had lots of fancy stitches and all the bells and whistles. I hated it. If only someone had explained to me how to choose a sewing machine that met my needs– not theirs. Buying the most expensive sewing machine with new-fangled features is not necessarily the best move you can make. Before buying a machine, always ask yourself what you’re going to use it for, whether or not you need all the extra features or if they are something you can live without, given the kind of tasks you intend to do with your machine. Also consider what future use you may have for the sewing machine. For instance, if you aren’t doing embroidery stitches now but you are planning to do so in the near future, then getting in a machine that can handle embroidery might be a good idea. The best advice I can give is to look on Amazon (I know I know...local dealers are great too but the choice between machines is not the same). On Amazon you can kind read the reviews, and even test the machine during an entire month. Look atthe ones I've selected for you on Amazon

I never thought of making the table slick! Duh!! I have some silicone spray I use for my embroidery that I bet will work like a charm. Thank you for the light bulb :-) Robbi

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and support. Looking for a refurbished, gently used machine is a great idea. There are several different shops in our area to look. I shop around a lot before investing in something like this, so I'm sure we'll go from store to store and look more closely at what today's machines can do before I sink any money into one. I recovered from last night's meltdown and decided to continue with my VW quilt. But first, I reattached the walking foot (which saved my sanity more than once with the nightmare strippy quilt), and used the sticky pad lined up at the 1/4" point. That did the trick! I may have already said this, but that walking foot is one of the best investments I've ever made. Yes, sewing near the edge seems to be more of a problem. Thinking the cause may be the feed dogs, I switched to the walking foot to help control the fabric better. What a breeze that made sewing the remaining blocks. All 9 blocks are pieced (just 2 pieces each) and pressed. Now I'm beginning to apply the cars and wheels with the Steam-A-Seam 2 Lite (so far, I love it). So, I'm back in the saddle again, singing as I go..... Rollin', rollin', rollin' Though my eyes are swollen Keep them V-Dubs rollin' Rawhide! Cut 'em up, stick 'em on, iron on, sew it up, Keep a goin', don't give up Rawhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide! (I'm tired and it's way past my bedtime.....)

Oh dear, you had to mention the Brother PC 420... don't get me started, please :o) I just measured mine and it IS 7.5 inches from the needle to the right inside part of the harp area... and 4.5 inches tall. Below is a picture of my Brother side by side with my Bernina so that you can see the size difference of the harps (I call it the arm pit LOL)... can you see how much more open the Brother is? The Brother PC 420 is the one on the right... Anyway, I've had this machine since 2009... I got it as a 26th birthday present to myself and I've loved it since day one... And I paid 500 dollars on Amazon for mine, the price has gone down 100 dollars. It's one of the few machines in the price range that gives you knee lifter, automatic thread slicer, and adjustable presser foot pressure. It comes with a walking foot, zipper foot, button attaching foot, one step button hole foot, teflon foot, patchwork foot, zig zag foot, open toe foot, free motion foot... it has drop feed and a perfect needle threader that works with one finger, the first time, every time. The bobbin thread doesn't have to be drawn up to start sewing, it has stop start, needle up down, sliding speed control that can also be set to be the stitch width control... It never gets a bird's nest or has messed up tension at all... truly a remarkable machine for the money! The only things I had to buy for it were a quilting guide bar for the walking foot (but it came with the walking foot), and a quarter inch foot with a guide, and extra bobbins. I tried to quilt something just the other day on my Bernina and I had to revert back to the Brother because it had a bigger harp, so that is definitely something to consider... not only the width, but also the height makes such a difference... the height of the Bernina is a full half inch smaller than the Brother and it may not sound like much, but in practice, it makes a pretty big difference. There's even attention to detail on this machine... there's a ridge on the top of the hand wheel so you can always tell when the needle is in the highest position just by looking at or feeling that ridge. There's also a clear coating on all the buttons on the right side so the graphic doesn't wear off over time. I lent it to someone at a retreat a few weeks ago and 3 people commented on how smooth and quiet it ran.. they couldn't believe Brother made such a lovely machine and these were people who had Vikings and Janomes! OK, I think I'm done with my plug... I just wanted to extol the virtues of this wonderful and underrated machine since I've had and loved mine for so many years. You can get all the same features in other brands, but you'll pay a lot more for them, and there's nothing wrong with this machine! The only thing I don't like is that the needle defaults to the left position, so if you're using a quarter inch foot with a single hole, the needle must be centered first... I've broken more than I care to admit by forgetting that step. Good luck with whatever you decide (let us know!)... If you have any specific questions about the PC 420, let me know.