Betsy is a serious quilter, belongs to a couple of quilt guilds and has taken quilting classes at Appalachian University in Boone, NC every year for the past 17 years. So, I hear about most of the machines.
She does all her work on an ancient Singer portable. She also has a newer Brother that she won, worth about $300, which is lighter weight to take to classes. She also has a fancy serger I bought her a few years ago for about $1,000; she almost never uses it.
But, she is going against the grain. Most of her peers have at least a $2,500 Pfaff; many have the more expensive machines. The primary difference is computer design and computer control. If the logos Mrs. Dargo will be applying to the caps and shirts, etc. are custom, she will appreciate, and probably need, the computer capabilities. Imagine turning a digital drawing of a logo into an embroidered logo without human intervention...
...If the idea is that she's going to do some shirts and hats for one of your kids' teams or for your company softball team, tell her to sneak out your back door and into the back door of a tee shirt company, pay them to do the work, sneak them back in your back door, then walk out the front and donate her "handywork". It will be a lot cheaper. If she's thinking she's going to have a little side business, just don't burden her with things like break-even analysis -- it will take a LOT of hats and shirts to break even. Just buy her the most expensive machine as your "contribution" to the endeavor and don't mention what it cost.
Back to Betsy; while all the other women in her quilt guilds are playing one-upsmanship and "can you top this" with their expensive machines, she's usually the center of attention while she turns out beautiful work on a machine you could probably pick up in a pawn shop for $50. Kind of reverse snobbism. Must run in the family -- I'm enjoying all the attention my little Mercedes-based Sprinter RV is attracting from all the "keep up with the Jones's" diesel pusher types.