I started my 9-year old granddaughter on one of my old sewing machines last year and she began by making a pair of pajama bottoms. We bought an inexpensive t-shirt for the top. This summer, she is working a simple quilt--red, white and blue 5-inch squares. She has done a very nice job and plans to donate the quilt to a local drive for quilts for vets. In the past, I've bought "beginner" machines for my girls but they have turned out to be too frustrating to work with. Chloe, at 10, is now able to use my Pfaff with no trouble at all. She hasn't really begun to explore all the things the machine can do but has her 1/4 seam down pretty solid.