Micha

I look at these, they look like something that might work. Thanks!

Micha

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I saw something on allbrands that might work. Anyway, I still have about a month to decide on something, the auction is in May.

Shelia

I have two Brother machines. I use one for piecing, quilting and regular sewing and my second machine does all this, plus embroidery. I am really happy and satisfied with both of them and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone! Both of them were purchased from WalMart, because WalMart had the lowest price and I wanted $$ to purchase fabric, quilting supplies, embroidery patterns and thread!

My husband surprised me with the Brother 1/4" piecing foot for Christmas and it has made a tremendous difference in my piecing. He ordered it from Amazon.com for about $5.00.

patimint

I bought a singer for about 79.00 (about 15 years ago) but even then it was concidered a "cheap" machine. I used it for years and passed it on to my daughter who still uses it and it is still running great. My next sewing machine was a 89.00 singer from Walmart about 4 years ago. Still being used by my granddaughter.

Mad Mimm

According to my husband, he spent around $100 for the Viking Emerald 118 he gave me for Christmas four years ago. It has not caused me any trouble at all, runs like a champ, and handles bulkier seams with relative ease. It sounds like you have a ton of good suggestions here (I like the idea of introducing them to older machines or checking with a local guild) so I am sure you will figure it out. Good luck and what a great idea to auction off your knowledge. Way to pass the torch!