sewing machine

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:3 Little Birds in Hyattsville is great and they do kids sewing classes. I would also caution against getting a super cheap machine as they are more frustration than they are worth.

+1 to this location and to classes. They have probably 5-7 different models in the back at all price points. I took my 8 year old to a class there and we had a great time and learned some transferrable skills.

I have a newish domestic Juki (motor is not the size of a small pig--those are the industrial Jukis), a 45 year old Kenmore that was made by the company that became Janome (which is a higher-end manufacturer currently than Kenmore ever was), and a Brother that is 5-10 years old and cost under $300. That is my basis for saying that you can get a pretty inexpensive new Singer for about $200 and it will be perfectly usable by a kid well into adulthood--although it will not last as long as the older machines mentioned here so far. Production has shifted to China, the machines are predominantly made of plastic rather than steel, and they mostly can't be user-serviced or even oiled.

The alternative is to find something very old and refurbished. That would have the advantage of giving her the opportunity to learn to maintain the machine as well, which is a useful skill. You should not pay $400 for a Singer Featherweight today, but honestly my 45 year old Kenmore was much more expensive to get in great working order than buying new.