Machine for 11 yr-old
 

My 11 yr-old granddaughter has been sewing/quilting with me (during school breaks) for about 4 years. I am looking for suggestions for a easy-to-use, and reasonably priced machine to gift her.

Her mom knows nothing about sewing machines so I need something she can trouble-shoot also. This will be a change, since she has been sewing on my Babylocks (now a Unity) :)

Thanks!

I am still sewing on my old Bernina 1530 so you might want to check with used machines. It is a hard decision to make. The new ones are just made out of plastic now a days and are mostly computer driven.

How about a Janome "Hello Kitty" ? it is small, simple and a work horse. Know several who use it to travel with.

Vintage Singer: 15-91, 201, 301, or 401/403 which has zigzag and decorative stitches.

Have you been to a store that repairs sewing machines? A lot of them have used machines for sale at very reasonable prices. I would definitely start with a simple one as her mom does not sew. Let us know what you find.

My granddaughter has the 3/4 size Hello Kitty made by Janome. I bought it for her when she was 8 and she still uses it and she is 18 now. It's the same as the Janome Jem Gold.
The 1/2 size Hello Kitty is a toy, don't buy that one.
The full size Hello Kitty has all the bells and whistles. The Janome Jems are easy to operate and trouble free.

If she is comfortable with your Babylock, I would stick to Babylock, Brother or Juki. They are all made in the same factory. While they are not the same machine, they all "work" the same way. Adjusting tension, changing stitches, even button placements are all similar. I have all three brands. I can tell the differences in the quality of the machines, but their basic functions are the same. Watch Craigslist. I got my travel machine, a Babylock Decorators Choice, for $225 because the seller didn't like modern machines and wanted to stick to her vintage machines. It was barely used and runs perfectly.

I started sewing at 7. I used my moms machine. a low range Sears model.
At 8, I got my son a cheapo machine, He said it was garbage and to give him mine, and for me to go out and by the machine i really wanted. Smart kid, I took his advice, and got a combo emb machine. Kids don't want a piece of junk. Buy for the future for her. You won't regret it. Make sure it does buttonholes for cloths and has a handful of fancy stitches to play with. This will be the best toy you ever got her.

Any of the Brother/Babylock, Janome or Juki machines operate pretty much the same and have very similar bobbins, etc so are easy to move between. They all make quality machines that will last for years and provide trouble free sewing. I personally would avoid the very bottom of the market because they are basically 'disposable' machines made for very occasional light duty.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I didn't realize the connection with Babylock, Brother and Jukki.