My ten-year-old granddaughter wants to sew. What
machine would you recommend? I don't want to get her
one of the "kiddie" machines. I want a machine that
works properly, but not too expensive. I think it would
totally turn her off sewing if she got a machine that was
inferior and didn't work properly.

I have done some checking, and a Brother L521251 seems
like a good choice.

Please give me some suggestions.

I have had good luck with Brother. I got my granddaughter (6) a Janome Jem but it is a small machine, I agree a full size machine at a reasonable price for starting out and she can always up grade if she decides sewing is for her. I wish now I would have gotten My GD a full size machine.

I gave my old Brother machine to my daughter when she began showing an interest in sewing, it is still going and I bought it new when I was 21, that was 37 years ago! She is still sewing on it!

Gal

I love my Brother machines. I was given one (Brother XL2600i) by my dad for Christmas a few years ago and I have NEVER had any trouble with it. It is a great little machine for piecing as well as many other things. I also like the fact that its NOT computerized, less to go wrong with it (ya know for when I step away for a second and the kids step in!). In Feb. my husband went and got me the Brother 1500 and I love that thing too.

Good luck!

I know of two people who purchased a toy machine for a child and totally turned them off of sewing.

Find a good basic machine for her and she likely will be using it for many years. You might check used machines at your dealer. Also check to see if they have classes for kids in the summer, the tec school here also has classes for kids. Give her a couple of sheets of notebook paper to sew on the lines with no thread and she will be ready to sew.

In my opinion older machines are tougher and withstand more user mistakes than one with plastic gears and electronic features.

Blessings,

Sharon

I think a Janome Jem is a perfect machine for a child to start off with. They are a smaller machine and children are smaller than adults, so it's a good size. Janome puts out really good machines with lots of stitches and the machines are easy to use.

Let us know what you decide.

I prefer Brother for children and not a toy for sure.

Don't buy one that you would not like to sew on. My DGD learned to sew using my Featherweight when she was five. She asked for a Janome Hello Kitty 3/4 size machine and I was impressed with the quality of it. It's not a toy. I have a Janome Gold that she uses but likes the Hello Kitty just as much.

I have 3 Brothers and love them all. I saw go for the regular size , she will be able to use it forever :thumbup:

I agree one of the toy machines is not a good idea. They just don't sew well. I got my DGD a Janome Sew Mini. It is a real machine and sews very well. A little smaller than your regular machines. It sews a little slower so it is easier to control. She loves it.

The correct number of the machine is a Brother LS2125i.

My mom has this machine for mending little things when she doesn't feel like pulling her big machine out and she loves it. I however don't like it. lol Its a great little machine but I like to have more control over needle position, and stitch length than what this machine has to offer.

Like I said before I have the XL2600i and it is a great machine you have more options for stitch and needle pos. but the throat area of the 2600 is rounded where as the 2125 isn't. You can acutally roll more quilt up in the 2125 than you can the 2600.

definitely get a "real" machine

I have a Brother EX660. I ordered it from overstock. My granddaughter at 10yrs old used it with interest and with no problem.
No, I would not give a serious sewer a toy machine.

Make sure that it's easy for her to thread. Have her try it out before you buy if possible. I remember my first two Singers. Both were a bear to thread and I had so much frustration over that. I wasn't even a child but I probably acted like one when things got messed up!

Cant go wrong with a Vintage 70's Kenmore like the 1320 for instance. Has the functional stitches and relatively light but is a full size machine and will last till the cows come home.

And they are pretty easy on the pocket books if you find one on CL

Billy

I want to thank everyone for their responses. They all
have been helpful.

I got a brother CS100 T on line for just over $100.00 (free shipping) it is light weight but a full sized machine : needle up & down: a large quilt attachment w/ it .........I said the lg table could have been $50.00 or so.......I felt the whole deal was a bonus
The best is the feed dogs can go down for free motion...
just a FYI...It is my 2nd machine ...I put it on a coffee table in the living rm for piecing & I am still able to visit or watch TV

I was given a nice smaller size Singer portable, with a button hole attachment, for my sixteenth birthday...I am not going to even tell how long ago that was. I passed it on to my oldest daughter. She took it to college with her and let it be known that she would do mending etc. That turned into quite a little business for her, especially when she added hand sewing of buttons. That machine has now been passed down to her oldest daughter. We both have bigger machines with all of the bells and whistles, but would both love to have that machine back.
Other than routine cleaning and oiling, that little old machine has never misssed a stitch.

I hope you find a cool machine

my granddaughters each received a BROTHER ($89 from wally world) when they decided it was time to have their own...they work wonderfully are good beginner machines and
THE FEATURE I THINK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOR A CHILD'S MACHINE....SPEED CONTROL!!!if the machine has a way to slow it down/speed it up it is a good thing. the kids have much better success when you can turn the speed down for them so it doesn't matter how hard they push on the foot pedal.
my youngest gd started quilting at 4 on her own machine...now that she is 9 she has moved her speed up to about 1/2 way...

Be sure to check out Allbrands.com before purchasing if you are trying to save dollars....They ship free, no sales tax and they back their machines. I have ordered four different machines from them for daughters and never had any problems. All of the machines were Janomes. Love their machines.
D in TX

They have some nice ones at wal-mart.

I use my little "Brother" machine while my big Baby Lock is embroidering!! I love both of them!!

i brought a janome 3128 at hancock fabrics for $69. on sale for my 12yr old daughter. for her, it's just right.

This reminds me of a sewing machine my mom gave me when I was a little girl. It was in a red box that worked like a sewing table--I raised up a hinged side and could store the sewing machine in the box below. It was an actual working sewing machine--all metal--but the size a doll might use. I so wish I had it now. What a treasure.

I own a sewing school and did a bunch of research before buying my machines. There are a lot of good ones out there. But i chose Kenmore. i paid $150 each for them . It the one that is white with red parts. I have had them almost a year and The kids just love them. several of my kids have gotten their own machines and have the same as mine. My Granddaughter got one for Christmas and we got her a Jenome Hello kitty and it is such a good little machine. I love sewing on it. It is a 3/4 not a full size.

I bought a Singer for about $100 for my granddaughter and it is still running. But I would also recommend a Janome Gem.

have you checked out the brother ls2000? That is the one I am planning on getting my daughter... it has a few more stitch options than the one you were looking at and a little cheaper also.

I have a pink Kenmore which is the same as the Janome Hello Kitty machine and I like it for my classes, and have had no problems with it. I know it also came in blue.

Theresa

I am teaching 2 young girls in our neighborhood how to sew. I tried several machines, and settled on the Janome 8077. It had 3 features that I thought were really important: an adjustable speed (a VERY important feature that was missing on the less expensive Janomes), a drop-in bobbin, and a start/stop button (so they don't have to use the foot control). Coincidentally, the machine also has loads of stitches and I can take it to quilting classes with me much more easily than I can take either of my ultra-heavy Berninas. It's not really cheap, but it is often on sale at Hancock's. I have been extremely pleased with it so far.

We use the Baby Lock "Natalie" for the kids classes I teach. Affordable, basic and yet a real machine.

My grandchildren are all learning to sew on my Featherweight and they think that is great because they know that I use it all the time. My 8 year old granddaughter told her parents that she only wanted one thing for Christmas, a sewing machine just like grandmas. A Bernina embroidery machine!! LOL

I have a Janome AQS 2009, weighs only 12 pounds. I has the vairable speed sewing and would be great for teaching children or anyone sewing. Doesn't have a lot of stitches but has the drop in bobbin. Needle down, anchoring stitches, button holes. And would be easy to transport if needed.

Do you mean the Brother LS2125i? When I started my sewing class I purchased 4 of those machines at Wallmart. They were great! The only negative thing I can say is I didn't care for the first guide the thread went through, it has a small metal guide the thread goes under, I had to tweak it on a couple of the machines and I was concerned about it breaking, although it never did.

I have since upgraded to other machines. I sold them on Craigslist. A gal bought one to take to a purse making class she was taking. The next day the teacher of the class called me and asked if I had anymore machines. She came by and purchased the other 3 for use in her classroom!

The Project Runway Brother machine is very highly rated on Consumer Reports and has a few extra perks. That would be a good machine as well.

I love my Janome 760 - I hope she really likes to sew - Tell we look forward to seeing some of her work

Hubby just got me a Brother CS4000 for a back up and my 10 year old grandson used it without any problem and loved having a few fancy stitches. Got it refurbished on Overstock.com for under $100 including shipping. I like it too, though my Bernina is my first love!

I have a lightweight Brother CS6000i I think would also work nicely as a child's first sewing machine.

Stephanie

Kids like the more buttons and stitches the better.
My 10 yr old neices daughter was sewing a quilt I was helping her with. I took an easy machine and she ws not interested in it al all she wanted to sew on my computer machine, so needless to say she took over my nice machine. Her 5 yr old brother said we dont I get to sew... and I ask you really want to sew, he was not intemidated at all on it... he was so proun of his little blanket he wanted to take a picture to send to his daddy in Iraq.... so kids now a day if they are interested at all need more than straight st and zz. I teach kids sewing i the summer and we have from 5 to 12 year olds
The younger boys seam to be more into learning than some of the older sisters.... Good she has someone to show her, teach her well so she can teach outher when she grow up... I love for kids to sew.

[quote=winia]My ten-year-old granddaughter wants to sew. What
machine would you recommend? I don't want to get her
one of the "kiddie" machines. I want a machine that
works properly, but not too expensive. I think it would
totally turn her off sewing if she got a machine that was
inferior and didn't work properly.

I gave my 2 grandchildren Jem Golds 3 yrs. ago. I have my own waiting for the 6 yr old to get older. I still use it. My granddaughter, now 13, quilts. My grandson, now 17, did sew up Mets pillows when he was younger. Now seems interested only in his I-Pod, La Crosse and girls - not sure of the order.
I also have a Jem platinum that I use for workshops etc.
They both do everything that I do on my Bernina, including machine quilting.