Thank you for your responses. I have a guard on my Viking, which I purchased a few years ago for my older granddaughter. (I don't have it on all of the time, of course -- just when they sew). It is a clear plastic shield that fits on the shaft that holds the foot and it pivots toward the side/back of the machine to expose the needle so it can be threaded and then swings back in front of the needle so one won't sew their finger. It was $25. I was hoping to find one a little cheaper. I sewed my finger when I was 8 on my grandmother's treadle machine, so I am paranoid about my granddaughters.