I also do machine embroidery I got a Pfaff 2170 for X-mas and I love doing embroidery on it.

It would be nice to see a board just for machine embroidery too. It is quite different from hand embroidery, and I don't feel it's any less important than any other craft on here. It's a lot more than just plop and drop. M E allows me too do things I could not have done otherwise creatively with my sewing projects. And as soon as I save up enough funds I'm buying thr 4-D suite so I can digitize my own designs

I really really want an embriodery macine as well, and I have been doing A LOT of reseach on them. The first thing is $600 is not going to get you anything except the brother that Wal-mart has. I don't mean to be a dream squisher but it's true.

The Brother machines I think are the best value for the money, and know they work very well. http://www.brother-usa.com/HomeSewing/ProductList.aspx?cat=combos

Janome machineshttp://janome.com/index.cfm/Machines/Embroidery were the first to come out with embroidery machines and have excellent stitch quality. The also have really nice software for digitizing that is compatible with every machine brand on the market, nice.

Pfaff http://www.pfaffusa.com/21.html has a very nice product as well and they have the dual feed dogs which can be very nice if you alos plan to do a lot of quilt related stuff.

Vikings http://www.husqvarnaviking.com/us/445.htm are very nice as well and are very easy to use.

I don't know much about Bernina's http://www.berninausa.com/browse.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302132740&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395181831&bmUID=1185323761287 they are next on my list to check out

Now what it seems like from your post is that you would like to be able to take your own designs and turn them into embroidery. That's is what I want to be able to do as well. For that you need digitizing software it runs right around $2000 dollars! I know it's alot. Most machines will come with some kind of software that will alow you to do some editing and whatnot.

These machines run from $1,500-$8,000 yikes. They are a huge investment but very very cool. And the cost of thread is another thing to think about and stabilizers like other's have said. It is really expensive. I've seen machines sell on e0bay for a lot cheaper but these machines are very complex and can do so many things buying from a licesend dealer is your best option you will get support and most dealers have free classes to learn how to use your machine, and then optional classes to learn the software side for a fee. Another thing to think about is if you want to take those classes they usual require a laptop as well. At my local shop they do always accept your machines for a trade in and in the first year if you want to trade up they will give 100% of the machine you buy from them. Look around and at they shops ask lots of questions, ask to see demos, sew for yourself and get all the answers you need. The people that work at the sewing shops are usually more that happy to share their knowledge with you as the love sewing as well

Oh my gosh was that long or what?!

Quickly I will share with you my current dream setup

Brother 4000D embroidery sewing combo  around $5,0000
Pfaff Quilting Expression 2048 around $2,000
Janome Digitizer Pro around $2,000

and a felting machine for fun $300

Wow only about the cost of my car

I hope if you are  interested you are able to find something for your budget, and let us know what you end up with

Awesome Awesome Awesome! I love it!  You did such a wonderful job!

I absolutley adore my brother NX-450. It is a wonderful machine.

Do not buy a machine from wal-mart! Purchase a machine form an authorized dealer and sew on each of the machines. Make the best choice for you and your budget.

I recently bought a Brother machine I have the Inovis NX-450 I love it. However befor I made that purchase I bought a CS 6000i from walmart and the tension on it was horrible. I thought maybe it was just a dud so I went and exchanged it for a different one and the same thing happened it was skipping stitches on the decoratives and the tension was off on the utility stitches. Feed up I went to a local machine dealer I looked at Pfaff's, vikings, and Brothers. I ended up going with a brother it seemed like the best bang for my buck and I love it. It has sewed perfect stitches for the day I took it out of the box. I bought it in April and I sew a lot more now that I have a good machine.
My advice is if it's giving you problems already return it and go to a reputable dealer and look at their machines. They should have something in your price range, and you will get support for your machine from tham as well

I have to add that I recently bought a brother and it's wonderful! It was expensive but it was time for me to upgrade, but I know they have inexpensive machines on the market and I've read good thigs about them. A really nice feature brothers have is the ability to sew w/o the pedal if you want to, think about someone who is in a wheelchair or who has problems with mobility in their legs. They have 3 speed chioces and they are some of the quietest machines on the market. Also I belive all the computerized ones have a one step buttonhole that is a dream to use. I hated doing buttonholes before and no I want to put them on everything

Awesome and the tute sounds and looks great!

that is lovely! I looked at your photo stream on flickr, you are so talented!

that is so cool! How long did it take?

those are great!