Sewing machine for beginner?
 

My sister’s granddaughter wants to learn to sew... any recommendations for a machine an 8 year old can “grow into”? Thanks.

I did the same for my 8 yo GD years ago. I got her a used beautiful Elena with 16 built in stitches for $30. A woman on Craigslist got a new machine. It sewed perfectly. I would go that route because you don’t know how she’ll take to it and you want her to have a smooth working machine that she’ll enjoy not fight with. That’ll keep the price under a hundred. If you’re not comfortable with Craigslist the local dealers of all brands have trade ins they’re selling. I’d look at babylock, brother and Janome. Maybe Viking. If you go new babylock brother and Janome all have A line basic machines. Lastly check https://groups.io/g/SewItsForSale. It’s easy and free to join. I’ve bought and sold machines and accessories on this site. This is an “eBay” for and by sewists. Much better than eBay. They all take care of their stuff and are honest. Whew maybe TMI. Good luck. PM me if I can be of any help.

You might be tempted to buy a cheap, bottom-of-the-line machine. Don't! You get what you pay for. And.what you pay for is endless frustration when the machine doesn't work the way it's supposed to.

My mother hated to sew, but up until the 1970s, housewives were expected to sew house dresses and kid's clothes and the like. So she bought the cheapest machine she could find and fought with it constantly. It wouldn't hold tension, it kept breaking needles, and the bobbin thread constantly snarled. (In hindsight it was probably desperately in need of servicing, because all of that sounds like a timing problem.) Regardless, it was not the kind of machine to encourage anyone to enjoy sewing or quilting.

I'd take Mengler's advice and look for a good used machine.

When my 15 month old granddaughter is older I'm going to start her on my Featherweight. ( if she shows an interest of course)
I don't like the idea of a cheap machine because they don't always run well and it could be discouraging for a budding talent.

The new Hello Kitty machines are really nice. Not the toy one. The real Janome one. Starts about $150. My granddaughter loved Hello Kitty and that is what I got her and she is still using it now that she is in college. I would now get her the Eversewn. Excellent machine models for the beginner up to being great take to class machines.

one of the machines I recommend for beginners is the Janome 2222.

https://www.amazon.com/Janome-001222...0035995&sr=8-2

You get stretch stitch, adjustable stitch length and width and a one step automatic buttonhole. If you want to go cheaper there's the Janome 2212 but you have a 4 step buttonhole and you don't get to adjust the width of stitches, only the length. https://www.amazon.com/Janome-Sewing...xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

I've sewn on both machines quite a lot, the 2222 is well worth the extra $30

Do not purchase a cheap small machine. Purchase one that she can learn "big girl" sewing on. You will be amazed how smart she is. You can search craigs list and local sewing machine shops for a good machine for a reasonable price.

Last year, I gave my GD and her mom a Singer 301A. You can find them still in great condition and relatively inexpensive, compared to modern machines. They are a simple, straight stitch machine and very easy to use. Even though this machine was made many years ago, it was made to last forever.

My local library loans out 2 different sewing machines for up to 3 weeks: a Brother SE600 and a Brother XM2701. Not sure of the quality of either, but something like that might be an option to see if the great niece is really interested.

My first sewing machine was an old Singer Treadle. My sister still has that machine. I was 9 when my dad bought home the machine. He paid $3 for it at an auction. Now mind you I know you are not likely to find this kind of deal today. I have been teaching my now 9 yr old granddaughter with a Featherweight machine. That is a great machine for teaching kids on but not always practical unless you already have that machine.
I would check at a thrift shop for a used machine to start with. I would not invest much only because she may not want to continue sewing and a lot of money can be spent on sewing machines only not to have it used.