Learning to sew. I need advice please

[TheRealMBJ]

Morning. I need to learn to sew. Am fairly competent with a crochet hook and knotting needles and can cross stitch and do some basic embroidery but have never sewn a single thing in my life. I have realised though, that it would be an infinitely useful skill to learn and my mother (who is an extremely competent seamstress) has agreed to give me a machine for Christmas. YAY!

She has, however, only ever used Berninas and these are sadly out of the price range. So... I need recommendations for a half decent machine, suitable for beginners but that allow me to grow a bit and perhaps do a little quilting eventually. Needs to be under £200.

Have looked at the Husqvarna Viking E20.

Any advice or recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

I sew quite a lot, always on a 1969 singer stylist - it is heavy but sews beautifully. £30 from friday-ad. If you are a bit handy you can do repair and maintenance on these machines as they are not too complex like the newer ones. And if you don't take to sewing you haven't wasted your cash!

I spent 50 quid on the Beldray basic one from Argos - works a treat. And you get a fiver off at this time of year.

I have dropped it, tripped over it and thwacked it, keeps trotting on.

Rockin, my '71 Husqvarna is still going strong in my dad's garage mending car upholstery

Purple that doesn't surprise me at all :) - I really regret giving up my old machines years ago, I was so busy working (employed designer) that I never used them & could get everything done at work, so figured they just took up space & I would get something more modern, so swapped my 2 industrials, my Husqvarna, Berninas & an old 70s Singer embroidery machine for one lightweight modern one - biggest mistake ever!! - it wasn't cheap machine, but its been used twice, its still stuck in the attic somewhere - I tried to make a wedding dress on it & nearly threw the darn thing out of the window, ended up going out & buying an old re-con Pfaff - which is still going strong & like yours has sewed all sorts, Leather & denim, heavy velvet curtains included - my current favourite though is my early 1960s Jones - donated by my MIL :) -

I also picked up DD a beautiful solid old handcrank Federation machine recently, which as said above, all these old machines are so simple, it was easy for me to service & repair myself - she now loves this, prefers it to the 3/4 size lightweight electric we bought her a couple of years back - though DH is threatening divorce if I buy any more old machine

My first machine was an Elna Lotus, I traded it in for my current one (a Carina) because we were broke at the time, but I miss it so much I bought another Lotus on ebay earlier this year. So now I have a portable and a workhorse machine - perfection. But yes DH was at why I needed a second machine - the same reason he needs so many different kinds of cordless drill I guess.

That one was my Gran's, she saved it for me when arthritis got too much. The tension on the zigzag went but it sews a fine straight seam and i now have a modern Singer that does me fine. My mum has a 1980s Pfaff that i borrow for heavy stuff (rare) but then i don't really have space in the flat for curtains etc, so do stuff like that at hers too!

Am now really that my mum shifter her old 70's Bernina