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Kid friendly Machine???

Kid friendly Machine???

Old 02-14-2011, 09:01 AM
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My eldest daughter(Anna 13) uses my maching an ellure plus.
I have a soon to be 8 yr old (Eimly) that is interested in what Im doing. I waited till Anna was 12 before I let her sew, and it was on a Singer from the 70's.

My old Singer, has issues.
I have read on here about how some of you are letting your girls about Emilys age sew already and that they do well.
She wants to sew, and I am attaching her "quilt" that she taped together from my scraps.
My question is there a kid friendly machine that works well?
I have seen the Hello Kitty ones, but I worry that I am paying for the license on the character and not getting a quality machine.
Part of me is scared to death to let her quilt. What if she loses a finger! LOL I know, overbearing. But I don't want to miss this oppurtunity to catch her while she is really interested in this hobby.
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Old 02-14-2011, 09:07 AM
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I would go for an inexpensive brother I bought my granddaughter age 7 a Jamome Jem and she does so much better on the full size machine
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Old 02-14-2011, 09:10 AM
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The Hello Kitty is the same as the Janome Jem that is sold by Sears Kenmore. There isn't much difference in price, but the Sears machine is probably a little cheaper and of course will remain a "grownup"-looking machine forever! I would say make a note of the features on the Hello Kitty, maybe print out a picture of it, and take it to Sears to get the equivalent machine there. If you can't get the Sears Kenmore version, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase the Hello Kitty version.

Have you checked the reviews on the Hello Kitty? They are uniformly good. Try Amazon and Overstock.com, or just Google "Hello Kitty" reviews.
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Old 02-14-2011, 09:13 AM
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For my boys, ages 7 & 9, I have a Brother HS 2000, which is actually fabulous for $200. Only caveat is that the needle is off- center when I starts, so they have to remember to set the right stitch for straight stitching with the patchwork foot. I bought a Kenmore Mini Ultra for $50 from Sears on the advice of others, but haven't tried it yet. I also let them use a featherweight. On the vertical bobbin machines, I load the bobbin for them to avoid problems. So far, no thread nests or hurt fingers, and these are wild and crazy BOYS, so I think a girl that age ought to be fine.
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Old 02-14-2011, 09:17 AM
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My 8 yr old DGD loved my Janome 3128. It is the right size and does not intimidate a child. if she wANTS TO SEW and sees you sewing your machine would be fine. Most here learned on mother or grandmothers machine. Like many things I came from a one machine household.
By the way Hancocks puts this machine on sale regularly for less then $100.00.
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Old 02-14-2011, 09:18 AM
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I have see some machines in Pawn shops, Of cource we live close to Fort Hood, a lot of families that move in and out of the area.
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Old 02-14-2011, 09:19 AM
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Yes, I definitely would let her sew. My almost 4 year old grandson sews on my lap and he has learned to pin and use scissors. I keep my rotary cutters and seam rippers on a skyhook, but he does enjoy playing with my older ruler. His favorite thing to do when he comes over is sew. I guide the fabric through the machine and he rests his little hands on top of mine. He loves fabric and sewing machines. I set him up with some fabric in a hoop and he practices hand sewing that I later take out and replace with another piece. Have fun and enjoy each others company and closeness.
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Old 02-14-2011, 09:44 AM
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Since she is 8, I would start her on a full-size machine. It won't be long and she'll out grow the little one. Since she is enthusiastic about it, she should catch on quickly.
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Old 02-14-2011, 09:49 AM
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I just bought a Janome Mini from Home Depot for $70.00 for my 5yo Granddaughter. It goes slow so I don't worry so much about her sewing a finger. The only problem I had with it was getting the tension right, lot of playing with tension and different threads but it works great, I have even used it myself a couple of times.
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Old 02-14-2011, 10:09 AM
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Some of the less expensive Brother's have a speed control. My daughter lets her sixth graders sew on this type and they are able to use it with little instruction. Every year her class makes donation quilts. I think an 8 yr old would be able to use this quite easily too.
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