This made me laugh so hard, I showed it to my husband.(We have granddaughters this age I am encouraging to sew.)

He said, "Maybe we ought to be careful, or we'll create something we can't afford."

yes, nice for taking it with you

I recently bought a Janome Silver from Kens Sewing Center; so far, sew good (spelling intentional). ;)

The Silver is retired; same features as the basic Gold model. This is a mechanical machine rather than computerized; I think the Platinum is computerized.

As it isn't my "main machine," I didn't need a lot of features, fancy stitches, etc. What I was looking for was a machine that was easily transported (my Bernina, which I love, is 25 lbs. and is inserted in a table) and pieced well. I definitely feel I got what I needed with the Silver Gem.

I have a Janome Jem Gold. Nice compact machine.

Pros: Very light weight...only 12 lbs, which was a plus for portability purposes (especially when you have tons of other quilting gadgets you need to carry at the same time!). This machine doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles, but has a variety of stitches for basic sewing and quilting, and it also came with a "quilters kit" a variety of feet: walking, darning, 1/4" quilt and a few others as well as a soft cover. Its a nice little machine for piecing and small/medium size projects.

Cons: The internal light is not that strong, so an extra lighting source is needed. The foot pedal for me is a bit narrow and sometimes slips on carpeting, but if you put a non-skid gripper mat underneath or have it on a non slip surface it is fine. The power cord is not that long, so having it close to a power source is needed.

Good luck in your search!