Embroidery Design Software - Ouch!

One of the areas that I purchased the embroidery machine for was to be able to make my own embroidered fabric. The problem was that it was not as simple as just hooping up the fabric. I wanted to be able to embroider repeating motifs or even a repeating border print onto fabric, but was not sure how to do it with this machine. It seemed quite complicated.

One of the ladies mentioned that it is possible to do it manually if I made a template. I need to ask her more about it.   There seems to be tutorials on line for it too.
Multi hooping
Digimad who posts often on the Janome forums also has a fascinating video on split designs here

There's also a few threads on Janome about it.
No hooping for large fabric embroider

Anyway, the owner had just gone to Janome Institute. This is apparently a yearly event for machine dealers to learn about their machines. She mentioned that I needed to order software to do what I was suggesting.

I had done some research and then someone asked exactly the same question I did on the Janome forum and even posted a video for how to do multiple hoops. Then I found out that the application can cost up to $1500. Ouch!.

The owner has offered to let me try it out in the shop. I'll do that, but boy, I'm going to have to think long and hard whether I want to spend that kind of money. . .