Whether your child wants to learn paper crafting or simple sewing tasks, this sewing machine is great for any young sewing enthusiast — it’s one of the best quality children’s sewing machines on the market. Mechanical sewing machines are better suited for beginners because of the straightforward setup and features. We loved how much room we had to manipulate larger projects while using this machine for two months at home. It handles heavier fabrics, such as denim, with ease and maintains a tight stitch no matter the fabric type. We plan to use the embroidery feature more in the coming months and will update this section with any new findings. We love when kid-friendly sewing machines are colorful and creative — the machine’s aesthetics can really inspire your child in their sewing creations. The Singer Start 1304 is technically more of a beginners’ sewing machine rather than one specifically for kids, but we think it’s a great fit for older children and responsible teenagers.

Your best bet is to set your budget first, and then take a look at the absolute best you can buy within that budget.Jane is the Editor of SewingFromHome.com and has over two decades of experience sewing, knitting and embroidering. She runs a small teaching business in her native Kansas and is passionate about helping her students learn a variety of crafting skills. The main draw here is how simple it is to operate: there is built-in bobbin winding and a thread cutter that can do all of the hard work for you. Since bringing this machine home, we've found that it's less intimidating to learn more about sewing thanks to the very basic functions of this machine. There's no doubt it's designed for heavy-duty, professional projects, but we also appreciate the user-friendly nature. However, this machine certainly isn't for every sewist, especially if you want a model that offers more than one stitch.

The best sewing machine for kids will also lightweight and portable — perhaps even with a handle. This means that they can take it to each other’s houses and to craft events, without having to lug a heavy machine around with them. We initially thought the sewing speed was a bit fast, but once we added the walking foot, we found it adjusted the speed to what we consider to be the perfect pace. Like other computerized sewing machines in our roundup, this Juki does have an automatic thread cutter button. However, we also learned that the foot pedal has a thread-cutting shortcut (the blue raised pad on the top of the pedal), which we accidentally pressed while in the middle of our stitching. This could certainly be a frustrating quirk while working on any project, so we suggest keeping your foot lower on the pedal. If you feel coordinated enough or are familiar with it, you can always switch out the foot pedal for the knee lever attachment—which functions the same as the foot pedal, except you raise and lower your knee to make the machine run. Overall, the basic design of this Juki sewing machine only further emphasizes how some of the frills of computerized machines aren’t always necessary, even for the most advanced sewists. There are two main styles of sewing machines available today: computerized options and mechanical machines. While you may want your child to have plenty of creative freedom, we think it’s best to keep things simple and uncomplicated when they’re first starting out. Opt for sewing machines that have just a basic set of stitches, rather than hundreds, and make sure that there’s a good light on the workspace to ensure there’s no eye straining.

Personal advice at your Local BERNINA Store

Similarly, most sewing machines come with multiple presser feet, and these attachments allow you to complete different sewing tasks. Most machines have separate feet for general sewing, buttonholes, zippers, and blind hems. More advanced models may also come with specialty feet, such as options for darning, overstitching, and more. Our best for beginners machine, the Brother CS7000X Sewing and Quilting Machine, has 70 stitch options and comes with 10 presser feet. We found the array of stitches to be sufficient for sewists just diving into the craft, and there were more than enough presser feet to accomplish a variety of projects. This machine can handle both lighter cotton and higher-density weaves like denim. It’s easy to cycle through all of the 165 stitch options on the digital screen, which also suggests which compatible presser foot to use. In addition to your standard functional stitches, of which there are 110, the remaining 55 stitches are alphanumeric options so you can even try your hand at monogramming. However, there is only one font. We loved using this sewing machine with the wide table extension, which would make quilting and larger clothes projects easier to manage. This machine is also just over 10 pounds, which makes it one of the lightest options in our roundup, and it has a carrying handle and hard cover case. Carrying handles are not uncommon on machines, but we think this model would be a more portable option for trips to sewing classes or different work areas. December, 2011 Inspiration Revisiting my John Lewis JL Mini sewing machine – a review for beginners

It’s theperfect size for small fingers and it comes with an operation manual, different color threaded spools, extra needles, tools and electric scissors. Because of her personal experience with sewing machines, Phelps assisted our research and testing team by making product purchasing suggestions and reviewing the methodology for our lab test. Once our testing was complete, she made the product selections you see in this roundup based on their performance. Drop-in bobbin housing is located near the needle plate while a front-loading bobbin housing is found by removing the free arm extension and flipping down a cover. Drop-in bobbins can be easier for beginners as they don’t have a removable case that must be aligned properly like front-loading bobbins.Learning to sew is fun and easy with the SINGER® 3223 SIMPLE™ sewing machines, created with beginner sewers in mind. This sewing machine will give you all of the foundational features you need to get off to a great start. Boasting easy threading, simple stitch selection and free accessories, set-up is easy! Customise your projects using any of the 23 built-in stitches including an automatic 4-step buttonhole and adjustable stitch length and zigzag width. This will be a sewing machine you will enjoy for years to come!

But that’s not all. It also comes with a carrying handle, foot pedal and lots of fun project materials. Furthermore, this machine has a pretty pink design, as well as a neat storage compartment for your child to keep their tools close to hand.Some machines will even come with their own sewing project kits to start your kid off ona creative high. But the Singer Start 1304 is also incredibly easy to use, thanks to the automatic bobbin winding, pre-set stitch widths and lengths, and the dial with which to choose your stitches. I’ve noticed that there’s a lot of talk online about sewing machines for beginners (especially with Christmas coming up!), and I’ve been asked several times online and in person about my opinion on the John Lewis JL Mini sewing machine and I realised I’ve never done a proper review of it.