Originally Posted by klswift

Just get a basic REAL machine. Watch the sales and you can find a Singer, Brother or White for between $80 and $110. Also, many of the repair shops have refurbished machines. And, ask your friends, many have an older machine that they no longer use. She is 9, this will be a great learning machine. As she gets better, she will decide what features are important for her and an upgrade will be a great future gift. This is also a smaller investment in case she is not careful about care or decides to go on to different things (upcoming teenager stuff!) and take a break from sewing.