So glad to see your enthusiasm!!! Since you are new and s i i i i i n c e you plan to sew by hand (major, big, humongous, ginormous no-no) and since you don't have a sewing machine, you might want to consider going to a garage sale or Good Will or second-hand store and check for a sewing machine there. Take friend who knows something about sewing and when you find a machine be sure to try it out to see if it even sews. I've bought several machines at garage sales and I even bought one for $8 or $10 knowing it didn't work (I tried it out) but I figured for that kind of money if my DH couldn't get it work we weren't out much. Turns out all it needed was a switch which we found at Menard's for around $7. Once that machine was oiled it was off and running! As for a brand of machine...I think you might be better off 'testing out' your sewing adventure to see if you really like it because if you do... then buy all the bells and whistles you can!!! Good Luck. Let me know how things turn out for you.