my dd started sewing scraps into pillows when she was 4 1/2, then stuffed them with more scraps. What I've found with her is it's easiest for her to sew short seams - she started sewing a quilt with big framed cattywompus squares earlier this year (at 6) my though process being the big squares would be easier for her to handle, but it's put away and she made a 4 patch posy with smaller squares and much less frustration until it came time to sew the rows together (long seams again). As for the machine... be expecting some calls for help -- dd got a childs machine for christmas a couple years ago-- I could not get it to work right