I always recommend a nice, inexpensive ($139-$179) Brother from Walmart. User friendly, have speed control and features that come in handy, plenty of stitches to play with and will hold up for years giving your friend time to decide if she will continue sewing and wants to upgrade. ( I've had plenty of friends who lost interest 2-3 years down the road & were happy to not have an expensive machine taking up space. ) one of my aunts spent $500+ on a Janome, made one quilt, hemmed 3 pairs of pants & never used it again-- it sat in the corner for over 10 years until she passed away & I inherited it. There is no reason to spend big bucks until you are ready to make an upgrade, know you will get the use out of it.