should I buy my nieces just the basic lightweight sewing machines to keep it simple or do give them old ones that i have? the old ones may just might be not good .... ??

I was going to get the same model for both, like a singer or brother.......

Well I wouldn't give them one of the old ones that isn't good. that would cause more frustration than pleasure with sewing. You can find some simple ones for cheap.

Hmmmm. I have purchase in the past couple months, 7 old singers.
Love them, they go the right speed, slow! and they are easy to fix. The parts are easy to find.
We are going to fix them up and sell them. 5 treadles and 2 electric ones

I'm keeping one treadle and maybe both electric. they are mostly red eye's.

Enjoy.

thanks!! u read my mind! overstock.com has ones and i saw a singer at Kmart for 69 $ A great xmas gift !! so they will use my janomes and xmas will be their own if they keep the interest !! and sewing baskets with notions for now!

I don't know about the basic machines, depends a lot on what they may be doing. I would get them new machines, they may be more eager to learn with new machines.
I heard the Brothers are better than the new Singers.

I would definitely buy them older machines. On Craigslist, you should be able to get a 50's era machine in good condition in the $30-$45 range. They last forever, have no plastic parts and are forgiving of beginners. I bought my 15-91 in a cabinet for $50. It will sew through anything you can fit under the presser foot. I also have a 1959 Singer 301 that is fabulous. I had a 1963 Atlas that was PINK. and also sewed very well.

Make sure there's interest there, before you put in the $$!!!
Or you may be the disappointed one.

Not knowing the machines ... the $69 are they "good"? Sometimes low cost is great, sometimes a disaster!!

What about getting one now, and you sewing on it some to become familiar and know it's well worth it and will do what they need it to do. Then clean it up for Christmas, so it's just like new .... and purchase the 2nd one. (they'll never know the difference if you zip it ...... and you can give it to them knowing they are good to go, and you know the quirks about the machine!)

What a sweet Auntie you are! :)

well i do have plenty !! total of 19 sewing machines!! 2 of which are the toy ones!! hmmmmmmmmmmmmm they are like little stray puppies to me! lol

Brother CS6000i is a good cheap machine...do a search here for recommendations or read other reviews online. It's lightweight, not hard to use and has lots of features that would grow with the girls. You can check Walmart, Amazon, Overstock.com or other places to compare prices.

I would avoid the cheap new Singers, they are just frustrating. I'd pick a Brother before I did a Singer.

Don't overlook Sears Kenmore, which posters say are made by Janome and have many of the same features in a more affordable machine.

I used two older Kenmore mechanicals for my niece and great-niece. Took both in for cleaning and tune ups so they would rune at their peak. If they showed an interest in sewing they got to take the machine home. One did, one didn't.

Oh and the one who did keep up with the sewing - I let her use my newer Viking one night and she said that it sewed so much better than hers! (I told her to save her money)

I found a free Singer 533 from 1978 for my granddaughter. She helped clean it and feels very possessive of it. She has made a quilt top here on it, but her dad says she can't take it home until it jams and she learns how to unjam it. It hasn't jammed yet. She needs to come back and do the batting, quilting and binding and then we'll see. She also has a pillow to make. When these are finished, we'll decide where the machine is going to hang out. She did offer me $39 for my Elna. No sale!

I think buying a machine and using it for a project is a good idea. Looks aren't everything.

I love my Brother cs6000i - I've had it for three years and it is great. Lightweight, lots of stitches, a walking foot and FM quilting foot. I've "grown up" now and just purchased a Janome Horizon but will keep the Brother for classes.

Brothers are good dependable, inexpensive machines. I have had 2, the first one I passed on to DH when he started quilting. I still have my newer one, though I am not using it right now. I prefer my vintage Singer 301. But for kids, I think the newer basic machines are fine.

Cheap brothers all the way, got mine off overstock.com just keep the packaging if you order from them, but they have excellent customer service

If I might recommend something other than a cheap Singer? Anything would be better.
I am looking at the Hello Kitty by Janome for my 8yr DGD.

I would get out the old machines and test their interest! OMG, I see a lovely machine on craigslist today for $10, if I didn't have plenty I would go buy it myself! The old ones are tanks and reliable!

I would get out the old machines and test their interest! OMG, I see a lovely machine on craigslist today for $10, if I didn't have plenty I would go buy it myself! The old ones are tanks and reliable!

sorry for the double post, internet boggie tonite!

The good old Singer 404 was used in home ec class back in the day when girls actually learned to sew well. The Singer 404 is cheap because it hasn't caught on like the FW or the 301. It is slightly heavier. I got one for my DGD's 7th birthday coming up the 3rd. The 404 has a drop in bobbin. It threads front to back. It is well lit. There are no bells and whistles to distract. It isn't terribly heavy. It has a slant needle so you can see what you are doing without getting sore neck and shoulders.

If you have a Hancock's close to you, they run a great sale on Janomes less expensive models pretty often too. I love my Janome.

if you learn on a 301A slant needle Singer you will be spoiled forever by the perfect stitch. My DD finally found one that is actually a year older than mine and in perfect condition. I really recommed one of these 'old' machines to learn the basics, and to have when your fancy stitchy ones are being cranky

I'd buy an older one---avoid plastic at all costs---and have it professionally cleaned and oiled so it's like new. I use a 1941 Singer daily and not the several plastic ones that I own since they just aren't as reliable.

I bought my DGD a Brother fron WalMart, on sale for maybe $70.00. She is doing fine with it. The only problem I can see is the foot pedel isn't as sensitive as on the better (that translated to more expensive) machines. By that I mean it doesn't always start when stepped on, so she presses harder and then it races. I think she just has to get used to it. Does anyone else notice this with their machines?
Sue

I bought my DGD a Brother fron WalMart, on sale for maybe $70.00. She is doing fine with it. The only problem I can see is the foot pedel isn't as sensitive as on the better (that translated to more expensive) machines. By that I mean it doesn't always start when stepped on, so she presses harder and then it races. I think she just has to get used to it. Does anyone else notice this with their machines? Another thing, I was afraid of a used machine, sometimes there is something major wrong with them--that is why they are for sale.
Sue

Give them your old Janomes or buy them vintag eones on Criagas List. It might be very furstrating working on the cheap plastic ones. Even some of the old singers from the 70ies might be nice.

I have the brother CS-6000 and I love it! I've been sewing on it for about 6 years now and it's great for basic sewing and I've also done some quilting on it as well. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. it's the machine I'm taking to my class today and it has all the extra stitches I might need but don't use too often. You can't go wrong with this brother... it's the machine I learned on and fit me well.

[quote=girliegirl]thanks!! u read my mind! overstock.com has ones and i saw a singer at Kmart for 69 $ A great xmas gift !! so they will use my janomes and xmas will be their own if they keep the interest !! and sewing baskets with notions for now!

I bought a Singer for my daughter from Joann's. It was around $299. We ended up selling it for $100 and buying her a used Janome for $150. The Janome was great! The Singer was horrible. Everyone told me that the newer Singers were junk. Dumb me...had to find out for myself.

A couple years ago I bought a new Singer (about $150) that literally flew apart in less than 3 months.

I'd go with a cheaper Brother or maybe an older machine often found on Craigslist or ShopGoodwill.

I bought my daughter a 100. singer at Walmart a couple years ago. I made about 4 lines of stitches and put it back in the box. Told her to try and sell it for 50. if she could.
piece of junk after using Janome. It made me very frustrated. wouldn't run unless you turned the wheel. o' maybe that's for safety! But I think I would rather of found a gem and gave to her. maybe a little more money but not so frustrating.

OOPS --I copied the wrong response so I just deleted it. But I am talking about the Brother cs6000 (get the one that has the quilting accessories with it.)

This would be my recommendation as well. I've used mine extensively--My friend, who pieces a lot of quilts has used this model for several years. I don't think you would be disappointed.

Older machines are the best! I'd look for a 1200 series Pfaff.

How old are your Nieces? If they are younger they are not going to be able to lift an older vintage machine unless it is a Featherweight or a Singer Slant series aluminum machine. Most of those old cabinet queens and portables are cast iron. I love my old machines but I started out on a Brother cs6000. I would get them both a new, electronic machine. Either a Brother, Kenmore or Janome so they can learn to sew on machines like they see on that runway show on TV.

When they come to visit, you can let them sew on a vintage machine and show them the differences in stitch quality, versatility with attachments and how quiet they are.

they need a good reliable sewing machine that sews good or they will not want to sew much.
I found a good Kenmore, newer model with manual and different feet at a Pawn shop and paid $16.00 for it and it is a real good machine, sews great. Good luck

my granddaughters sew with a Janome Jem Gold 2 and also a 1931 Singer 99k hand crank(both learned on it), the older machines are great. Some of the 80s model Singers are just horrid. The Singers from the 1940s-60s are great machines.
The new Singers....not so much.(I used to sell new Singers)

My older granddaughter likes my Pfaff 2040, she says it purrs. lol She likes the Janome Jem too.

Most of the machines that are used are great machines, the former owner wanted a newer machine. I have bought only 2 brand new machines, all the rest were used.

Its so sad that the Singer name doesn't stand for quality anymore. :cry: Back in the day Singer was among the best machines made. There's nothing more frustrating than a machine that doesn't sew well and/or poor quality. I taught my daughter to sew with my Bernina 1031, she's 24 and owns two Bernina 930s, she loves to sew and has told me that she was happy that she learned to sew with a good quality machine. She has friends that are trying to use the low quality new machines, they're so frustrated. She has steered them toward older mechanical machines. She's learned that from using my collection of older machines.

How old are the girls?

the green hello kitty by Janome accorging to people on the board are good ones. Important note this is a sewing machine and not a toy.

The price varies.

Allbrands has this Janome for $99 and free shipping
Janome Harmony 1017S Jem Lite 3/4, 11Lb, 10/17 Stitches, Buttonhole, Sew & Quilt Machine, Metal Bobbin Case (HF106 609 639 1117 11706 Hello Kitty 3128

D in TX

bought 2 Brother sewing machines on Overstock last holidays for daughter-in-law and daughter: both love them and they have worked great-