I found this on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/NEX-Children-Portable-Crafting-Stitched/dp/B0151DMY1S/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3L0P2P1IYOCB8&keywords=brother%2Bchildrens%2Bsewing%2Bmachine&qid=1668873704&sprefix=Brother%2Bsewing%2Bfor%2Ba%2Bchild%2Caps%2C109&sr=8-1&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.08f69ac3-fd3d-4b88-bca2-8997e41410bb&th=1

I completly understand your point about her age. I was sewing at that age. My favoite thing was to go into my moms sewing room and mess around and sew with whatever she said I could use. She didnt teach me to sew much as she just let me use the machine. Of course, she was always around.

My grand daughter is a constant maker of all things. It is not just a few minutes in the sewing room with her, rather it is her constant passion to make and do that makes me want to give her one more tool for making.

When she put together a get away bag during the last hurricane, she made one bag with just her supplies in it. She considers that to be every bit as important as her clothes.

It looks like I will be able to have an older lightweight Brother machine from a relative that I can take down and leave when I go.

I also want a machine to have when I am there, which I hope can be more often now that a few changes have taken place.

I hestitate to give her a machine meant for a child because I think that an inferiour tool is worse than no tool. But, I am going to take a second look and look at some reviews for them. MOst of the ones that I remember were ones that offer up more frustration than anything else. Most make only a chain stitch.

Thanks for the replies.

I took a look at what are called "toy" machines. The one that was packaged by Singer looks as if it is no longer being marketed. There is another that is probably the same under a different name.

That one that used to be sold under the name of Singer looks so nicely packaged and exciting to open.

I looked at a couple of video reviews.

It makes only a chain stitch, obviously, since there is no bobbin. The young user has to learn how to draw the thread through and lock the seam using a threaded needle.

With the chain stitch, the whole thing may come out just pulling it out from under the foot, and on one of the Singer toy models a reviewer pointed out that there are no feed dogs on them . This puzzles me and I ask someone who may have had some experience if they can explain how that works without feed dogs.

Some of them run on batteries and dont seem to have the option of a plug. I dont like that.

However, I am not able to actually find the same product that I am seeing in the videos. I assume that is not widely available anymore.

Amazon is full of cheap little lock stitch machines that seem to be referred to as "beginner" machines, but I am reluctant to purchase any of them because they seem ripe for frustration and lack of any quality of any kind, even for the low price. Some are downright stinking cute, though!

The conclusion that I am coming to is still that a simple basic real machine is better even it it doesnt come in luscious colors or look so dammed cute.

Both the simple "toy" one and a real one have some of the same issues that involve threading that the child needs to learn. I think that the real machine will offer fewer thread issues once the threading is learned. I think that the threading system is more stable and reliable in a real machine and there will be fewer frustrations, in the long run.

One thing that I dont like about the chain stitch toy one is that there is a plastic cover over the needle and it looks as if it makes it difficult to learn to thread a needle. It is almost too overly protective. Since it is marketed as a toy it is likely that it is a safety requirement, maybe.

Then , there is the fact that she is 7 and growing up fast that the toy will be soon left behind or broken. I was surprised to see the recommended age as 8 plus. I think that is way too old to be using a toy anything.

I wish I could find a real machine that has a step down gear that limits the speed to slow.

Still looking but I think that I will get that Brother machine from a relative and keep it here for if/and/or when we do get down there I can take it down.

At least when I am there we can sew together.

i wish I had more time with her and her little brother., the real little brother, not the machine. I would sew with him, too.

It seems I remember that some machines have variable speed control. I suspect it isn't something widely available. Seven is *kind of* young, but I was sewing at that age, under Mom's supervision. I wonder if there is some way the foot control could be modified to prevent it being fully engaged?

I was in toe to hip casts, both legs, a little younger than that. Along with glitter paints (my fave, practically ever!) were little cards with holes punched in them, one used a yarn needle and yarn to outline a figure on the card. I suspect Mom introduced me to embroidery before I was at the sewing machine a lot. (But it was a long, ***long*** time ago. the memory may be faulty)

I would vote for a real machine, and not a toy. You can Zoom with her, too.

I have been looking online at advice from others who teach kids to hand sew and have come across what I feel is some good advice and some good suggestions. I like the idea of the cards with the punched holes in them.

I have decided that it is best to wait with the machine until I can be with her.

But I bought a cute little box and have started putting things in it.

I am not going to send her a box of pins or a whole bunch of needles,. I bought some pearl head pins and a pin cushion and put only about a dozen pins in the pin cushion. Also, I am going to give her just a couple of large needles that can be kept track of , rather than a whole package of needles, and I got her a better pair of scissors that will cut fabric.

One of the things that often suggested is to give the child a real tool and not a toy.

One woman pointed out the futility of trying to actually sew anything with a plastic needle or cut anything with kids scissors.

She loves working with cardboard and paper, so I think maybe I could make her some cardboard pieces to practice on, rather like those lacing cards. For a prepunched card she could use a plastic needle or a large tapestry needle.

I just wish I could be closer to her and her little brother.

We spend time on facetime. The two of them jockey for the ipad and it is often chaotic. Not too much is quiet at their house, so the attention span is strained. You gotta know the limits of what can actually be shared. If I were there, it would be different.

When I was 6 or 7, my dad bought me a little "learn to knit" kit. It had plastic needles and a ball of yarn and an instruction booklet with lots of pictures. I was instantly in love with knitting! Still at it nearly 60 years later.

If she likes lots of different crafts, maybe a beginner knit or crochet kit would be good for her.

Donna

I bought a Brother CS6000Xi, which is no longer available, but you can get a Brother CS7000X, which is very similar. I forget what the final "i" is for, but it is probably not necessary for a child.

The description says that it is not for children under the age of 3, and so 7 should be old enough. Just make sure that she can read and understand the manual.

I would order it from Amazon and have them deliver it to your granddaughter's address, rather than try to transport it yourself.

I was making doll clothes when I was 5, but I was forbidden to use a sewing machine, and so I had to sew them all by hand. I really wanted to use the machine.

You know, my sister and her best friend had ongoing, very imaginative play with their fashion dolls. I had one, I guess, but rarely engaged in that kind of play. The thing that *really* interested me was making clothes for her.

Lars, as fate would have it, I have been able to get for free from a non use situation just the machine that you mentioned, a Brother cs6000i and it looks like it will be a good machine for her. Your recommendation was spot on. I just need to get more feet unless the other feet are still in that closet somewhere and they might be. It has an nice step down gear on it.

Brother, Singer, Veritas - in the model range of these brands there are quite a lot of inexpensive and simple sewing machines of decent quality.

In the context of choosing a sewing machine specifically for a small seamstress, I would recommend giving preference to a model with a horizontal shuttle, since it is easier to load a bobbin into such a shuttle and you can visually control the amount of available lower thread. It should also obviously be a sewing machine with a fixed stitch width to avoid unnecessary complexity in adjusting the stitch type. I also think it's better not to buy a model with a built-in needle threader and automatic buttonhole. These functions rarely work well on inexpensive sewing machines; besides, it will be better if your granddaughter learns how to thread a needle and make a buttonhole on her own.