I would recommend visiting local dealers & trying out different machines- then when you find something you like you could always turn to amazon or an on-line source and look to purchase- at least then you would know what to expect in the machine. personally I don't recommend on-line purchases for machines- it is always nice to have local support/service. but many people do buy them on-line successfully so, just me. for a reasonable 'beginner' machine a Brother from Walmart would probably be just fine to get you going for a couple years- then as you progress you could look at upgrading. all of my kids, grandkids, nieces/nephews learned to sew on a Walmart Brother machine ($139) and love the machines. I still have one that is 8 years old we pull out when one of them visit & want to sew- or I need a backup.