Janome Gem I have 14 children and about as many machines (many vintage) but this little machine is what I teach them on. I assume you are teaching them quilting. My youngest is currently just nine. The youngest I taught was 3 and she is now an excellent quilter at 13.

The Janome Gem is a 3/4 size machine but you can free motion on it, use a walking foot, piece with a quarter inch foot. I have 5 friends that use the Janome Gem as their main machine for quilting and they never bought a full size machine because they feel they do not need it. They made beautiful quilts on it up to Queen size.

WHAT you start her on really isn't that critical as long as it is simple and reliable. Nothing will turn her off faster than birds nests or machine problems when she is "getting into" it. I recommend a featherweight or other basic machine with simple forward/reverse. There is not much she can do wrong on a good OLD singer.

My 9 year old friend sews on my Brother Project Runway without any problems.

PLEASE LET US KNOW WHAT YOU DECIDE.
Diane/Wyoming

I would find a used decent machine for your gd to sew on. I bought a Singer 99 for $25.00 which had been a trade in. I made a stopper pad to keep the machine at a lower speed. (This machine was built in the 30's when there was no adjustable speed other than your foot.) Both of the girls are now married and have much newer faster machines. I keep the old Singer and teach girl scouts how to sew using the old machine. It has sure been a "Keeper"

My granddaughter, age 8, just finished her very first quilt, a one-patch, very simple. I taught her how to use my Janome Jem Platinum 760. I also have a Jem Gold which she has used. The reason I switched her to the 760 is that it has the speed control. Without that she has a bit of a problem controlling her speed, she says her foot is too heavy;). If you can get a machine that is uncomplicated and has a speed control, AND doesn't cost a whole lot, she'd be better off.

I have let my 7year old GD sew on an old Bernina sport that we bought at a school auction. It is a very simple, easy to use machine with only a few extra stitches. It was well made, easy to thread, and sews nicely. She is cautious about getting her fingers close to the needle, which is very important. I don't let her use the rotary cutter yet, I do all her cutting for the blocks. We started on pot holders, coasters, and lastly a doll quilt. She loved doing the machine quilting because she could go a little faster than I allowed on the quarter inch seams. If a child is interested, I'd let them do some sewing, with you very close and watching. Don't let them loose interest by putting them off for too long. My GD doesn't sew for a long period of time when she does sew, she says she get tired and needs a break, so it will take a while to complete a project, but I encourage her and she thinks she is great stuff! The young ones need a lot of patience and supervision from us, but they will carry on the art and pleasure of quilting.

You can buy the 'adult' version of the Hello Kitty machine and just put removable Hello Kitty stickers on it.

My SIL just got her daughter a Janome it has a daffadil on the front dont remember the #. She is twelve though but had never sewn before and is doing good.

One of the inexpensive Brothers from Walmart will be good and last her a while. I use one I bought to take to classes because they are light to tote around. It can be a good starter to keep for the up and coming new sewers.

My 4 yr old GGson is already interested in sewing. I plan to get him started on this one.

Well, I remember making my first dress when I was 8 years old - on a treadle machine - way back then. I don't recall when my daughters began sewing - but early in life. I dear lady gave me a great little machine - I have several others - like Bernina and others but this one is light and great to take to quilt guild. It's Kenmore, Mini Ultra - look for deals on the internet. I agree with you - don't buy a child's toy machine - but a REAL MACHINE that can be used and used.
Blessings, Dorothy

I think you are better off with an inexpensive full size sewing machine - I hopefully will have this problem in about 8-10 yrs when my granddaughter is this age. I hope, I hope

I bought a White at WalMart for $89.00. Does a great straight stitch and is very basic.

I started sewing when I was 8 on my mother's Singer. You do need to give instructions on cutting and the sewing machine needle, but if she is interest let her try. I didn't hurt myself sewing until I was 54. So age doesn't make a different. You can go to Harbor Freight and buy pane glass carrying suction cups for your rulers. This will be like a handle on the ruller that will keep her fingers way away from the blade. Rotary cutting would be the only thing I would worry about.

I taught my niece and nephew to sew when they were about 8. They were well supervised and didn't lose any fingers. My nephew was actually better at it than my niece, so I think it really depends on how comfortable you will be letting her use your machine and spreading her wings. Good luck and have fun with your daughter doing something together you both enjoy.

One of my grandaughters started at about 2yrs old sewing on my lap. She loved it so much that she continued sewing on my lap until about 5yrs old. Then I sat next to her and controlled the foot pedal but she controlled the material. I taught her to use scissors, and little pieces of fabric to sew off onto to controlling the thread just as I do. Before long she wanted to use the foot pedal as well. Somewhere I read to roll up a sock and stuff in between the footpedal so she could press down very far, as well as taping the pedal to a small stool so she could reach it. She sewed that entire summer that way and when she turned 6 she was tall enough for me to take the pedal off the stool and also lose the sock controlling the amount she could press down. She did great ! She is very responsible and can't wait till we live closer so she can sew more often. I say as many have already done---buy her a full size machine--or let her use yours. My dear Emily has always sewn on my expensive Pfaff and I have never regretted letting her do so.

My daughter started at nine, and honestly I just let her sew on a regular machine with supervision, of course. I learned on a regular machine a d see no reason for a special one for kids.

Most of the Janome machines have a speed control that controls how fast you can go even with the "pedal to the metal".
I have 3 granddaughters that I have started on a full size machine. I set the control to "turtle" and they can't go too fast even if they press all the way down!
The oldest was about 8 when she started and her sister was 6. They both worked on a Janome Jem Gold that I had bought for their mom.
The youngest sister was 5 when I started her on my Janome 11000. (Get the feeling I like Janomes?) She just zipped along sewing strips together.
I wouldn't invest in a mini machine. They would outgrow it too fast.

I taught my daughter to sew on my regular Bernina (which has a slower-speed switch) when she was 5 years old. My mother taught me at 7 years (on doll clothes!) with a wood block in the foot pedal to keep the machine from going too fast, and her mother taught her when she was in kindergarten.
Guess it's just a family tradition!

I think the problem is more with the grandmother than the child. My DGD started sewing with her own machine when she was 5. It is a Viking Viva, an $800 machine I got for $500. She is now 12 and can do anything with it. My other DGDs are 10 and 6 and also sew. I even let them use my expensive machines with little worry that they can hurt themselves or the machine. You just have to show them how to "drive" it and not get their fingers under the presser foot.

My granddaughters all sewed on my Bernina when they were about eight years old. All they need is GOOD instruction. The main thing to tell them is to keep their fingers away from the needle and not to watch the needle as it will keep going up and down but watch the area about an inch in front of the needle. Let her sew with you watching and see if she is paying enough attention to your instructions. If so, get her busy sewing strips for a quilt.

Sorry, daughter not granddaughter.

BabyLock has some beginner level machines. Check with your dealer. And if you bought your Ellure from them you may get a deal.

Go yard saleing and find her a dependable old singer or brother or kenmore I try to keep an old brother around for my little girl friends to sew on ..... they love it ........

I know of no one who has lost a finger in a sewing machine. I, as well as every one I know have sewn my finger at least once. After the first time, it is usually not repeated! Get a basic, good quality machine that is easy to thread. A used singer or something refurbed off of Overstock.com would be affordable, and can be passed on or taken along when one of them leaves home. Encourage the arts at every age.

I just found MY Emily (8 yrs. old) a Brother LS2125, an inexpensive, very simple Brother model, at a yard sale for $25. Her older sister has one very similar Brother that her other grandmother bought for her a couple of Christmases ago for about $60 new. They are perfect for beginners.

I started sewing on a Singer treadle machine and could make anything. My father bought my mother a White electric machine and I ALWAYS had problems with that machine which turned me off of sewing until I was about 12 years old. At school we had really good machines (for that time) and I developed a love of sewing. All that is to say...junk machines kill the desire to sew. Buy something good, reliable and easy to use with options that can grow with the sewer's interests. Good Luck and RELAX when you are teaching her!

If you have a real (not toy) sewing machine that is simple, like a vintage Singer, that would be perfect for your kids to use. Let them sew! I taught my kids how to use my Bernina 830 Record when they were like 6 and 8. They loved to sew little squares and put rice in them to make some beanbags to play with. My daughter made little blankets for her Beanie Babies.

if you could get a machine with a second gear, it will slow machine down even if her foot stomps peddle ....

How about a Bernette? They are very basic Bernina's. I saw a couple of ladies using them in a class the other day and they were very nice. One of them was $150.00 and you get free classes with it for a year.

Since you're in Clarksville, can you catch the thrift shops around Ft Campbell? It's almost Army moving season and a lot of families don't small things like sewing machines with them. Just a thought. Also, if you're military, the PX/BX carries Brother's for under $100 that are nice machines for beginners.

I didn't even think about the PX. Trying to recall if ours carries machines. Some else suggest pawn shops, poking in there. I just don't know much of anything about machines. I had an old Singer from the 70's, and sewed on that till 2 yrs ago. I had a Brother for a brief, far be it brief time. Given to me broke, I fixed and gave it my sister, hated how the bobbin was sideways.
I havn't heard of most of these machines, I have been looking them up online as I go.

Emmah, love the sinking boat in your avatar!

My DGD (4-1/2) loves to work with fabric and uses my Janome. Our deal for now is she can either run the foot pedal, or feed the fabric through the machine, but not both at the same time, so I get to 'help' her with her projects. Once she's got a little more control of both we can change the arrangement.

Great thread, everyone has such good suggestions! I think this little girl of mine needs a machine for her next birthday....

You have a Class C PX. Yours carries machines. Ours at Ft Leavenworth does so will yours there. Good luck.

My step-granddaughters are 7 & 9 and are learning to sew with my Singer 201k handcrank. I started teaching my dd to sew when she was 10, used my Bernina 1031, she wasn't scared of it and liked that could she could sew with a real
machine.

What? they have classes?!!? LOL, been military wife for 16 yrs or so. I had no idea they had classes! How would you even know that? Is it listed somewhere? I am obviously not as involved with the military life as I should be. LOL
All I know about our PX is that we had 2 small ones, then a couple years back they built a Massive one that was supposed to rival Germany. Atleast that is what they told us for a year, during construction, with their pretty "coming soon" photos.
I can't recall ever seeing machines there, but it is not like I have ever looked either. guess that means a trip to the PX tomorrow :thumbup:

Yes, they have classes of PXs. I'm not sure what the class designates but Class C is pretty darn spiffy with lots of bells and whistles not to be found in the smaller PXs. I hope this helps. Also the local pawn shops perhaps, the base thift shop (if one exists) and the local thrift shops might be a place to look. Plus it will soon be moving season so there might be some good deals there. Happy hunting!

8-) 8-)

My GD is 8 and is learning to sew I found a New Home at thrift store for $40 I set her up next to me taught her how to run the machine and all the safety rules (I printed out a list of SAFETY RULES for Gramie's Craft room)I watch her closely. first day she learned how to sew a straight seam,(almost) by the end of the day she had made a pillow out of my scraps. Had to laugh She and her Mom stoped by yesterday, she disapered found her in the craft room with the machine cleaning out the bobbin area and checking it out.Said she wanted to make sure it would be ready to run when she came by next weekend. Wonder what she wants to make next?

My Babylock has a speed control and pushbutton operation (if you want to use it), thus making it handy for kids to use because their legs are so short. I would start them on a really good machine because nothing discourages a budding sewer like a machine that does not operate properly. I also have a Featherweight which I would be happy to allow the kids to use after a little experience on the Babylock to learn the basics.