Shaggy, Instead of a store gift certificate, you might want to consider giving her a homemade gift certificate that says "Can be redeemed for 1 new sewing machine of your choice"; then she can shop around and get the brand of machine she wants. A gift certificate from a store might restrict her to a specific brand. I have Janome and Bernina machines. I love them both, but if I had to pick only one it would definitely be the Bernina. Hope this helps. Please be sure and let us know what you decide.