Brother makes pretty good inexpensive machines. I have one that is several years old that came from JoAnn Fabrics for about $200. It does 40 or more stitches, has a needle threader, and only weighs about 7 pounds.

Donna

Yes. I have had this Brother CS6000i for several years. It replaced a much more expensive machine, and I have no complaints with it.

https://smile.amazon.com/Brother-Quilting-Stitches-Auto-Size-Buttonholes/dp/B000JQM1DE/ref=sr_1_1?crid=TWMISSI8AO49&dchild=1&keywords=brother+cs6000i&qid=1606600856&sprefix=brother+c%2Caps%2C258&sr=8-1

Brother at Walmart for less than $100. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Brother-LX3817A-17-Stitch-Portable-Full-Size-Sewing-Machine-Aqua/538228307

My Mom got me a Brother a few years ago from Costco. It replaced a Kenmore that never worked right. The Brother was less than 200 at the time and has lots of different stitches available. It’s a breeze to use.

ETA: This is what I have

https://www.amazon.com/Brother-Computerized-Quilting-HC1850-Instructional/dp/B008G1DJ9Y/ref=asc_df_B008G1DJ9Y/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=194007750414&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16571403929135401272&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9016995&hvtargid=pla-310063449293&psc=1

I don’t think it’s sold at Costco anymore but I think Joann’s has them.

Interesting post. Hubs asked me what I wanted to get for Christmas yesterday. We are both broke. But I have always wanted to learn to sew. Mastering the sewing machine on my own always seemed like the biggest obstacle . . . wondering if I can learn at 60 . . .

I agree, I bought a Brother at Costco for around $150, I think. The best feature for me was the self threading option because I can no longer see the hole in the needle some of the time. The machine works great, has lots of stitch options, very easy to use EXCEPT the self threader. It's not intuitive and the written directions make no sense to me (the drawings aren't clear), but some wonderful woman on youtube has directions for threading, so I just look it up every time I need to thread it. I only use the machine maybe once every year or two, so the directions don't stay in my brain.

I have a Pfaff that I bought at a local store for under $200. My sewing ability remains at the middle school level...basic curtains, face masks. They’re handy to have around, like when the Ikea cotton panels are too long.

I got the Janome Arctic Crystal on Amazon last year for my 11 yr old GD. $115. It's worked well for her. Got the carrying case too....

ipink, I would highly recommend taking sewing lessons (where you can use the store machine) before investing in a machine. You can definitely learn at any age but lessons would give you the necessary basics as well as give you an opportunity to find whether you enjoy it or not.

It's definitely a great gift for a teen, especially if she has some interest. The basics are easy to pick up--especially with youtube--and every household should have a machine stuffed in a closet as just part of an adult tool set.

I'd say you can pick up an old one cheap that does everything basic, but portable...hmmm. I just dragged out my avocado green sewing machine to make a mask in high school colors and it's 45 lbs. (I weighed it because I've been trying to find a suitable cart for it. Because it's heavy.)

Yes, my Brother has a free arm, and I agree that I wouldn't buy a sewing machine without that feature.

And I rarely use stitches other than straight and zigzag, though I find the automatic buttonhole maker indespensible. Before I got a serger I used the stretch stitch quite a bit too.

Yeah, it has a free arm for hemming and sleeves. It also came with a cover, a few different feet and so on.

Martinca - you may be surprised at how involved your teenager can get - there's been a huge resurgence in sewing globally and also with mask making spurring it on (and buying up a lot of basic notions - supplies are still iffy now and then), but I saw it before that too. Instagram has so many groups to follow and youtube as Best Years noted has tons of instructional videos. Younger people are drawn to slow fashion, thrift upcyling, and custom styles too. PDF patterns are everywhere, though I admit I'm still in the paper camp, but I'll get there too. One insta-poster did address buying machines and recommended against the beginner midget-type machines as they are more hassle to operate, without the strength of a good motor, or even the machine itself, which can slide around.

Fori - those older metal machines are now highly prized, and I have an 'olde' Kenmore that I've used for decades and kept mostly tuned up, and there's actually what you might think of as a Kenmore cult now, and people buy them fix them up as a hobby. My husband recently got me a Singer Heavy Duty and it was a revelation on how it blasts through multiple layers of fabric. It's still a basic machine all in all - no computer features, which I prefer.

As a lifelong sewer (it's more chic to say sewist, plus the unfortunate plumbing connotation), I've been very encouraged to see this renewed interest, as it was getting depressing to find any good supplies as retailers went cheaper and cheaper in product choices.

All that said, it's true there are sew-ers and non-sew-ers, me in the first camp and my daughter in the second. Your teen expressing this interest now, though, bodes well. With sewing, like art, the more you do it, the more you build skills. I hope you do report back later on how she does.

About old machines, I have a 40-ish year old Bernini that was, at the time, top of the line. It belonged to dh’s mother. I felt it might be too heavy, and too complicated for a beginner. If she becomes smitten, she may step up to it. Or, it may be too dated, lacking the newer tech stuff. Thanks so much to you all!! Brother seems to be mentioned the most, so I’m going to hunt for one. Once again forum friends save the day! Have a beautiful holiday season everyone.

Marti

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Bernette. Made by Bernina.

I have a vintage Singer with all the bells and whistles, some of which came as attachments that are a little awkward. I have a serger that doesn't like me much ;0) A few years ago I bought a little Bernette on sale, I think less than $200. It's a dream, reliable and simple....

Bernette makes a 'Sew and Go' that would be a great machine for a young beginner. About $160....

Old Bernina's are worth a lot of money. There's a vintage Bernina group on FB if you need information. I have a great service shop up by me for my vintage 930. I wouldn't start her on that one.

You might also give her a subscription to Craftsy where she can access all kinds of great sewing video classes.

If shopping is restricted, Marti, maybe get her one of those bundles of quilt fabric to go with it. When you can't go to the yardage store and pick out a bunch of random fabrics for assorted small projects, it's the next best thing...

Talaveran, mine is a '69 Kenmore. Even the "plastic" parts are metal painted to look plastic. I don't do real sewing, just the occasional Halloween costume or mask, so I like something that fires up flawlessly after months or years of abandonment.

I suspect newer machines are easier, so I won't try one. :)

Ha! I was trying to stay loyal to my Kenmore, and didn't want to tackle all new controls on modern machines, and the Singer HD my husband got was a total surprise, which I didn't actually want! But I do have to admit it's a welcome upgrade. I just made a set of hooded 100% cotton terry towels for my grandgirl, with bias tape all around, and there were some chunky bits the machine just blasted through.

Marti - I did want to add that I bought a Brother when I lived out of the country for some years and it worked great. Simple and easy to learn. It will be a good choice, and refurbishing the Bernina later is also a good plan, if needed.

The machine my sister has would be perfect, but it has been discontinued and last time I looked, even the refurbished ones were sold out. If you can find a Janome TS100Q, it is a relatively inexpensive machine, but not cheap (refurbished machines going around $299 where you can get machines at Walmart under $100). It has a free arm, feed dogs that drop, comes with a walking foot (helps with quilting as well as trickier fabrics), a number of stitches to inspire creativity and I believe a needle threader and it's a solid workhorse. My sister hadn't sewn since high school as far as I know, but she expressed an interest in trying to sew some masks. I had the machine and was deciding whether to keep it as a back-up or return it, so I loaned it to her and she later bought it from me. She has been sewing hours most days for months and even opened an Etsy shop. I had it as a back-up for quilting (it would piece and quilt smaller quilts - probably up tp a throw size) and thread painting, so it is a versatile little machine. You might find a similar newer model.

One thing I would consider -- buying a machine that is a step or two above the very inexpensive ones you will see in Target or Walmart will not only likely last longer, but it will probably be easier to have good results with so she will want to continue using it. It will have more stitches -- maybe encourage her to think creatively. It may also have features that allow the machine to grow with her interest. If you buy from a dealer, she may get one or more classes with it to teacher her how to get started. They can also help you find a good balance between entry value and enough quality and features for longevity.

I also thought about a Craftsy or similar subscription. Craftsy is the one I am familiar with, but it was recently bought by a new company and is still in transition. They are offering new subscriptions for as little as $2. I have some reservations about how Craftsy is going to do going forward, but there are a lot of sewing classes and quilting classes -- even some thread painting. I believe they also have some getting started in sewing/getting to know your machine videos -- one just talking about presser feet. There are traditional and contemporary quilts as well as small projects for learning and variety. A subscription allows her to watch any class she want during that time period as many times as she wants. She can easily get a great deal out of the subscription -- just remember to deal with the auto-renewal if you don't want to be paying a lot more for renewals. I originally joined Craftsy for baking and cooking classes, but I'm now using the quilting and sewing classes the most. Creativebug is another place to try, but I have not used it. Hope that helps.

Lots of good info here, thanks so much Lascatx.

Ironically I had "start sewing" on my "to do" list for my sabbatical. There was a sewing room at the local senior center with weekly classes, and also a sewing studio in a nearby town that also had classes. But now with the pandemic . . . . I was going to start at one of the studios and then see if I wanted to get my own machine. My desire to sew was mostly creativity but also to carry on with all the fabric my mother left to me . . . it makes me so sad. Her sewing machine broke and she was never able to get it fixed and never bought a new one. She always said she was going to get it fixed . . . now there probably isn't a place in the whole state that would fix a sewing machine.

I mostly wanted to make table linens and curtains, quilted bedspreads and pillowcases and the like. The only sewing of clothes would be alterations of some of Mom's stuff so that I could wear it. That would not be a very good beginners project.

I have this teeny dream of opening up a sewing and other art studio in my home town. Back when I was growing up we had TWO fabric/craft stores and everyone sewed. Also had a ceramic studio, an supply art store and weaving studio with classes at both. All gone. Only place to get sewing supplies is the local Walmart. New local craft store opened, it's nice but kind of low brow, I am more interested in usable things rather than decorative disposable stuff. The sewing studio at the nearby small town I was talking about may not survive the pandemic . . . .they also fix vacuums! A dying world . . .

Pink, there is so much more interest in all kinds of sewing now -- I think it could be a great idea. Give it some serious thought and make it a place people can get together and work while they chat and share ideas -- classes, sewing circles, quilt guilds, stitch and bitch sewing style. Once people are able to get together again, there will be a real hunger for it. There are small town shops that are thriving by having an online presence and selling quilting fabric that people can use for masks, bags and -- quilts (including placemats, table runners , jackets and other offshoots). LOL

Martinca -- Costco has a Janome JW8100 that appears to be very similar to the one my sister has. It may even be the same internal machine with a different design on the front. It is selling for $259 there and Amazon has it for $280. If so, it should be a little workhorse that will do anything she wants to do including multiple layers of fabric (masks and bags) up to smaller, maybe throw size quilts. Worth looking at if the budget works.