Originally Posted by np3
My granddaughter has been using the Janome Hello Kitty machine since she was 5 years old. It is a "real" machine and I am very impressed with how well it sews.
I bought my DGD a 3/4 size Hello Kitty Sewing Machine. When she was 8. Up until then she was using a Janome Gem I had for workshops. Janome makes the Hello Kitty and it's the same as the basic Gem machine only much cuter. She wanted the Hello Kitty and I think it will be a collector's item for her child to have one day along with my Featherweight. Her mom sews on it and it's held up for 5 years now with minimal maint. I gave my DD (mom) a new machine to use so the Hello Kitty could get a rest.
The 1/2 size Hello Kitty machine is a toy so don't buy that one. Any of the Janome portables are very good machines, also Kenmore portables are good and cost the same as the ones at Walmart for a much better machine.