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My 8 year old has been taking sewing classes which is great, but now she wants to use my machine...but I am protective. Anyone else feel this way about their machine? And does anyone have a suggestion of a not to pricy machine I could get her?

 

Thank you,

Shannon

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Oh yes, I understand how you feel. My husband also sews, funny I know, but it makes it more fun. He looks at it as fabric architecture, which really amuses me. When he first started sewing, he would get on my machine and do his thing, but we can't possibly sew at the same time, it's enough to share a cutting table and iron! So we bought him a Janome which he loves, so all is peaceful at our house, once again!

I'm afraid I can't help because no-one ever wants to go near my machine but I have given it some thought because my little girl is 3 and may, at some future point, want to sew. 

 

I was thinking that I would get her a basic machine if she showed an interest. I've seen those children's machines and they are really sweet but I can't see myself getting one, it seems a bit pointless - like that baby furniture you have to replace after a year or so....

I had one of those - got it when I was about 3 yo. They aren't for real sewing - they are for fun and play and quick doll clothes making. Older kids won't get any pleasure out of a machine like that. I still have mine and I will bring it out of the basement this winter for DD and I to start to sew together (in the summer we're outside ;) ) - shes turning 3 next month so I think in 6 months or so she'll be the right age for the 'baby-machine'. When she gets older and if she wants to sew I'll lat her have my old Elna.

Two things I always consider before I lend anything - can this person afford to replace it if they break it and how will I feel if I get a replacement rather than my original item back.

I guess I'm a selfish beast but I would rather have someone be huffy at me for not lending than for me to be furious at them for breaking or not returning. My sewing equipment has been too hard to come by to have someone else not use it with the care that I do.

Still, it always pays to encourage creativity and enthusiasm for sewing so a good basic machine is worth getting (and you'll have a backup if the interest wains). When I bought my new machine there were some simple Janomes for around the $150-200 mark which would be better than buying a supermarket job with all the bells and whistles which simply doesn't last.

growing up, mom taught all of us (3 girls, 5 boys) how to sew, and we used her machine. only when it seemed we might "take over" did she seem to worry about it. her solution was to buy herself a new machine, and let us use the old one - brilliant! we also ran across an ancient Singer at a garage sale for $7, which was my first machine, and which I also still use for some things.

give her a primer on anything special she needs to know about the machine, take a deep breath, make sure you have plenty of extra needles for the machine, and let her sew!

I don't let my machine out of the house without me, but I do let friends/relatives use it from time to time. I've never had worse than a broken needle - which is totally worth it if you managed to instill a love of sewing in someone.

I have to admit I'm protective. When I first started sewing I managed to break both my Mama's Frister Rossman from the 80s and my Grandma's Husquevarna from the late 60s! (Accident, The Bakelite handle snapped as I was walking down the stairs :S)

But once I bought my own machine (Husquevarna E10) I am not precious about how I use it but I wouldn't let anyone else touch it! Its become my baby! In the UK John Lewis have started making own brand basic stitch sewing machines in yummy pastel colours at £45. I bought my cousin one for christmas one year. She's not that interested yet but I think it would make a great starter. Perhaps you guys would go for something like that?

Stevie x

Oh, I so know what you mean!  I really don't like sharing my sewing machine.  But I really really REALLY don't like sharing my overlocker!  (Mainly because those things are just too expensive, and too easy to break if you don't know what you're doing, and I can't live without it if I need to take it to the repair shop for a week or two!  Argh!)

 

I sometimes let friends use my machines, but only if it's at my house, and I'm there watching over what they're doing, to make sure they don't run into problems.  Over protective, maybe, but I had someone break the plate of my overlocker before, which is expensive and took nearly a month to get a replacement part ordered in from Australia, so I'm more cautious than ever!

 

Brother do some good little machines - I got one as a back-up once, they're pretty cheap, no real bells and whistles (not that you need them anyway!) and sew really well.

I started using my mum's machine when I was about 8. On and off on occasion ect. By the age of ten I was sewing all myclothes myself (except underwear and socks) and then my mum found THAT as a perfect excuse to up-grade herself and lit me inherit her old machine (even I by then would sew more than she'd ever did).

I now have 2 machines, an Elna and a Pfaff. The Elna I let people borrow under close observation - the pfaff is MINE!

 

When my daugther get to an age where she wants to sew, I'll probably do what my mum did. Upgrade myself and let her have one of the older machines.

 

If you consider buying her her own machine do get her one that will actually work and that can do the required amout of stitches otherwise she'll loose interest and that would be such a pitty!

 

I find that Elna has some cheap but yet useable machines. Somethimes the bigger stores in DK; Kvickly and Føtex (equavelent to Target/Wallmart ect) have some nice ones as promotion sales. Those would be nice beginner machines for a kid starting out as well.

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