twinkie

GOD bless you for passing your talent on to your granddaughter. I agree with the Hello Kitty by Janome

jmoore

I have seen a lot of deals offered lately on both Brother and Janome...it seems to be a perfect time to purchase one.

nancyw

When my GD was eleven we took her my Singer I had bought in Japan. It had all the feet some extra bobbins and I took her a box Guterrman thread that I had bought on sale at Joanns.

Gee Hope

Is there a book you could recommend for a 9-year old and her first sewing machine?

fivepaws

I travel with a Janome Gem. It goes with me to classes.

tessagin

The manual and help her through it. May not be what you were thinking but the beginning sewer needs to know their machine so they can trouble shoot when some one isn't there. Nothing is more frustrating than having a problem situation come up and you're not sure how to fix it. Google may have a few books.

tessagin

http://www.target.com/p/the-best-of-...g+machine+book found these for the beginning sewer.

Maire

My granddaughters sew on my Brother TOL's when they are at my house but I bought them Janome Jem's for themselves, they like to go to sewing events, both love those machines to pieces. Sturdy, strong & easy to use & carry.
One was the older ASG anniversary model, the Platinum, same as the Jem Gold and the other a Necchi Travel Mate (made by Janome, and same as the Jem Gold, $199) I have the Necchi Travel mate for myself, love it!

thelazyquilter

Janome is actually a very large producer. They build for practically everybody, which is why you see all the similarities. Currently they also own Elna and Necchi and practically build all kenmores

thelazyquilter

I would avoid the toys. If it weighs nothing that means there is nothing inside of it. Although I like the Jem and hello kitty 3/4, they are meant for travel and classes. They are not full size machines. If you granddaughter really loves to sew then buy something that will last her through college. Avoid places like target and walmart. Buy from a dealer, someone who can get her parts in the future. I have a few suggestions. Elna’s Sew Green is a nice sturdy full size machine and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg. I also like the full size hello kitty by Janome. These two model have full castings inside of them which means they will not warp over time. They are also serviceable meaning if something does go wrong its worth it to fix and the repair person doesn’t have to worry about parts breaking easily. As a repair technician I see these problems in machines all of the time. Machines without full metal castings rely on the plastic cases to keep them in line. You’ll be spending between 150 to $250 but its very worth it even if all she does is alter her cloths with it. Give her a machine that constantly breaks and she’ll never sew.