My son and daughter in law want a basic sewing machine for Christmas, mostly to do mending but if they like it I think they may do more with it. What are your suggestions for a good, not too expensive, not alot of whistles and bells, dependable machine. I have and love my Bernina and am not going that pricey. I've looked at a lot of Brothers, the price range is huge and I have no idea which is better than another and why. I was also thinking of a Janome. Ant suggestions would be very helpful, I don't know where to start and this board has a wealth of sewing machine experience. Thanks in advance.

Have you thought about a used Bernina???

A good basic Janome.... good workhorse!!

Joann's has a sale on Singers, would make a good start machine

Go to a reputable dealer and tell them what you want or need. They will be able to give you some great suggestions. I have Vikings and love them, find them very user friendly. There are many price ranges so you really need to think about what they might want or need. Just make sure you don't get one with plastic parts, they don't hold up very well. All the machines sold at WalMart, etc. have plastic internal parts and are made to be "throw-aways". This was told to me by a friend who works for WalMart and spoke to a company representative of the machines.

IMHO I wouldn't buy a Singer from Joanne's due to lack of support. Janomes are generally workhorses. Also there are some Brothers that seem to be liked such as the CS6000i.

I would also consider checking older used machines that can be found at yard sales and resale shops. The older Singers are much more reliable than the newer ones.

Lots of good suggestions here. All the major manufacturers have basic "starter" machines that are all mechanical and not computerized, so that keeps the price down. And, for what they will probably use it for, one of the Brother models (is it Project Runway??) available at Walmart really isn't a bad choice for this purpose. Not expensive, and it doesn't seem like it will get heavy use from what you said. If it turns out either of them like to sew, then you can think about a higher-end machine in the future. But, if they don't, then it's not a lot of money tied up in a machine they don't use.

a Brother

Wow, hadn't thought of that - no support! Thanks for the info, my machine was a gift.

I think a used Bernina is an excellent idea. Also we really like the new Bernette line. The 12 15 20 and 25 check those out!
The 46 is a good little machine too!

I think a good used machine from a reliable dealer is a great idea. They can probably get a few more bells and whistles than they would with a lower priced new machine, and sometimes if they're the "right" bells and whistles it may encourage them more more.

That was my thinking. And Bernina is such a great machine.

I would check with your local dealer. Sometimes they have great machines they have taken as trade ins or when new models come out they discount the older model.

Janome all the way

Ditto good used from dealer

you can pick up nice Brother machines for $89-$159 that are good beginner/basic machines- have a variety of stitches-can do button holes- are easy to use.
when we had the sewing school we had 5 of them and all of our students loved them- they took quite a beating too- daily use by many different people- aged 4-85...

I love my Pfaff.....Go to a dealer. Most have used machines.

For mending I would get an old singer. Growing up my neighbor used a Singer Treadle - still does and he does painting and house repairs.

If you want something newer- look at a used Bernina.

I got my son a Heavy-Duty Singer for sewing on patches on his Navy uniforms. He says he likes it. I got it at Joann's on sale last year.

Brothers are great, if its for mending sewing i would go strictly mechanical and not spend the money on computerized. It will last them a long time with occasional use. I have a 18 year old XL-3010 that I gave to my MIL that till runs. I would just look at the reviews and go from there. I have the XL-3500i for 5 years and i love it. Got it from overstock.com for 109 i think. Where ever you get it from just make sure to take it out of the box and make sure it works because I did have to send one back to overstock because it didn't sew, they were very fast about it but you don't want to buy it now and come christmas realize it doesn't work and your 30 days or whatever has expired to return and you have to go through the manufacturer for the warranties.

Any dealer close to you and them so they can have support and take classes!!!

Thats what I would do. Always stick with a dealer for support with the machine.

Janome!! I've been using my entry level Janome for almost twenty years now and have never needed a repair. I've moved it from the house to the RV to make room for my next step up Janome. I also bought each of my kids entry level Janome's when the left home after graduation and they all love theirs too. Very good quality machines in any price range.

I have a Bernina which I love. My second choice would be a Janome. Remember, Janome also makes Kenmores so you may get one at a lower price than a branded Janome.

I have a Brother CE4000, have had it for years, has never needed a repair, absolutely love it because it's a workhorse, and get tons of support from both the company and the local dealer. Right now they just started a sale. Don't count them out.

i got a singer sew simple and that has worked good just for simple sewing and all. it is not hard to use and you can sit down and just sew.

We got our 9-year-old a starter model Brother for Christmas. Hasn't gotten tons of use yet, but it's worked great so far, and has some different stitch options. Also got our adult son the Project Runway version of the Brother a few years ago- again, hasn't gotten tons of use, but seems like a decent machine. Can't hurt to start out with something basic and inexpensive to begin with, then upgrade later if they want to go further with it.

Janome or Brother, both very user friendly and great work horses.

Get them what we all want...a cleaned up FW or 301

I would go to your local sewin center and tell them exactly what you are looking for in a machine and what price you want to stay within and I bet they will have some suggestions.

Go with a Singer Rocketeer - it is hip and it sews with the precision it was made to do.

more frustration that not IMHO, new ones are not like the old ones.

I will be getting a Janome for my 8 yr old DGD, she wants a machine for Christmas.

If you are buying new I would work with a local dealer so you can get lessons and have a close by repair shop. I have several Janomes and love them all. My dealer is great with classes and repairs.

I have a $199 Brother from Wal Mart and love it for straight stitching and it does come with many attachments; walking foot, 1/4 inch foot and the little open end"quilting" foot (can't remember the name) and many more. Really surprising the value, quality and capabilities of this "cheap" machine...have used for a couple of years and no problem at all! Check it out..bought the $149 one for a back up (who knows why, don't need back up for the other one), but it is not the same quality at all...

I wouldn't buy a new machine. I have a Dressmaker from the late 60s and a Kenmore from the mid 70s. These machines are awesome! They far out sew the White I bought about 6 hrs ago simply because I wanted an open arm machine. Just used the Dressmaker to mend DH's canvas boat cover. It sewed through that bugger like a hot knife through butter! Vintage machines are made better and stronger than newer machines. If they find they really enjoy sewing then they can determine what they need in the future. A healthy vintage machine will get them off to a good start.

Whatever you buy, if it's a used one, be sure to get the manual. They can be found online of course if it doesn't come with one. I just got 2 manuals on cd from eBay for a couple vintage/antique machines I got recently. I'll print them out and get them bound.

I have had White, New Home,Singer,Brother and Pfaff. They are all good machines. I would opt for an older machine for the kids just because they are user friendly, no electronic boards. If something needs adjusting, they can do it themselves vs buying a board. Try to find one with a manual. Where do you live? allsewjo

look for a good used machine preferably a mechanical one. It should at least have a zig zag stich.The more basic the better. The fancier it is, the more things can go wrong specially for a novice sewer.

I love my Brothers. From the inexpensive to the very expensive. Get one from Walmart for less than $100 or go to a sewing machine store and find a good used one. There are a lot of them out there that will do what it sounds like they need.

go get a Kenmore! Seriously, they are made by the same folks that make Elna & janome and you get better service/warranty on them. sears carries all sorts of feet, etc. Do you homework and research the Kenmore machines..there are many out there that are superior to the so called quilting machines...after all, a sewing machine is meant to last, the modern quilter will go thru 3-4 machines in 10 years trying to find the PERFECT one....