I bought one of the mini sewing machine and threw it out. Too frustrating for any one to mess with. I bought my DGD the Hello Kitty, 3/4 size machine by Janome. She loves it. The 1/2 size Hello Kitty is a toy don't buy that one. Also Sears has a 3/4 portable model only not Hello Kitty color or as cute but very nice.