It really came in handy when the munchkin (6 year old) next door wanted to learn to sew. She was too little to reach the foot pedal, but could sew a nice straight seam. We started with dog beds for the shelter and now she can do tote bags with ease. My one rule was "Thou shalt not touch the rotary cutter!" I do the cutting and she does all of the stitching for her projects - so far that includes dog beds, tote bags, placemats (using selvages), pillow cases, and a skirt for herself. Now that she is 7 and taller, she uses the start/stop button on my Elna, but uses the foot pedal on the serger. Her mother just shakes her head in dismay - she doesn't sew anything.