Sewing machine for a 9 year old

[Perfectly1mperfect]

I was hoping someone could recommend a sewing machine suitable for my 9 year old daughter.

Should I get a child's one or maybe a mini adult one ? Are they easy to use ? Do the adult ones come with a guard ? Would it be easy for her to hurt herself ?

I don't have a clue where to start so any tips gratefully received. Best place to buy fabric, thread etc.

Thanks

Thanks

I considered this for my DD and ultimately I waited. This is because I spoke to a sewing teacher and she told me that she ran classes and her machines had been adjusted to run very slowly....even if you pressed the pedal hard, the machine would not go over a certain speed.

Small hands find it very tricky to manage a normal machine as you need a fair bit of strength and control which even an average 9 year old hasn't got.

I allowed my DD to use mine to see how capable she was and she found it hard...and she has very good fine motor skills.

Instead, I bought her a lovely sewing box, loaded with accessories and some embroidery and cross stitch stuff...also taught her to hand sew bags and things.

I also help her cut patterns and then sew them for her...she has a little go on the machine but I think the ideal age would be about 12 to have her own.

Thank you AjasLipstick.

Maybe I need to wait a while then. She has been hand sewing for a while and enjoying it so was looking forward to getting a sewing machine.

I have only ever used a sewing machine many years ago at school and I remember finding it difficult but she's much more into this sort of thing than I ever was.

I will how she feels about waiting a while.

Thanks again.

Does anyone else have any advice as my daughter is still very keen to get one. John Lewis do a mini one, does anyone know if it has a finger guard ?

the mini is ok - but prone to problems and the 110 is a good basic machine. Don't use a finger guard, sit with your daughter and teach er how to use the machine - if you buy the machine in Oxford Street you can book a free lesson with the Janome rep and that covers threading etc.

What about one of those really cheap little ones you get from bargain homeware type shops (bit like poundworld set up.) They are about £25 and doubt they are very powerful, might be somewhere to start. Or one of the old fashioned ones with a handle? It might be a good way to introduce her to the workings of one.
Otherwise I would book her into some classes if you can find some. Safety would be my main concern at her age, but I think it's great she is keen to learn, such a great skill to have. I always wish someone had taught me!

Mum of a keen sewer here. She started at 9.

Anything is dangerous if you don't learn how to use it safely.

We started with a tiny battery one. Waste of money.

Then bought a basic JL one. Not the mini as actually it is lightweight and so is more likely to twist.

A few friends followed suit. All successfully. I'll post a link.

We got a machine from hobbycraft for DD(10). It was about £50 and I've seen it on sale quite often. She gets on with it fine. We got a great book at the same time which talks through every step and has lots of projects.

If it helps, I think Hobbycraft do a mini sewing machine. It's not enough to do massive projects but would be fine for smaller crafty projects.

Cross post with gazelda.
Great minds.

This one. But we got it in the sale as was a discontinued colour.

We (both sets of grandparens) bought our 10yr old GD a sewing machine for her 10th birthday recently. It was a Brother JA1400 which has a purple flower motif on the front, quite a basic machine but it can do simple stitches & button holes. The price for us was approx $40 per family as the cost of the whole machine was on a very good New Year sale so on a discount, but then the manufacturer also offered a cashback promotion so we spent $80 in total. She loves it, is making many doll & animal clothes (she has made several little dog style coats for their funny, hairless family cats). So well worth it all in my mind.
ps - not in the UK for pricing comparisons

Thank you for all of your suggestions and tips. I will go through and have a look at everything.

I will have a look for sewing lessons for her as well. I was never really taught properly and wish I had been now.

Thanks again everyone.

I got the Janome mini for my daughter and it is a decent beginners machine.

I actually bought it so that I could get the Janome finger guard only to find out after that it doesn’t fit the mini. My daughter is younger than yours and has managed fine without it.

Have you got anywhere that sells sewing machines nearby? Few and far between I know, but you would get good advice and a chance for your daughter to try out various machines.

Start with lined paper and no thread in the machine.

Once she has the idea of feeding the paper through in a straight line and pressing the foot control firmly and evenly enough, without pressing too hard, then she'll be ready to move onto fabric.

The best fabric to start with is a newish cotton pillow case as it's not too big or heavy and the layers stay together. Use cotton/ polycotton thread, keep the stitches fairly long and make sure the tension is not too tight, then she can unpick (teach her how to use a Quick-Unpick tool) and re-sew as much as necessary.

Once she can sew a straight line, then get a simple pattern from eBay or a local sewing shop. Use a cotton fabric like the pillowcase material.
Avoid anything with lots of layers or additions. A scarf, bag or doll's accessories may be a good start.Trim the excess fabric in the seams with pinking shears for her until she has learned to control the zig-zag stitch.

I just popped onto ask about machines for my DD. She's turning 7. I'm guessing from the thread that she's way too young and I'm thinking again.

Sigh. She's so hard to buy for.

I DID use a machine, I think from around her age, (my mother's) but I watched both my mother and grandmother on theirs from a very very young age.

I could give her a go on mine, but mine has really good speed control - right down to snail pace. I can see that might be a problem in more basic models.

My DD got the Janome mini for her 7th birthday I think. She was fine with it. She is very sensible though!

My DD started sewing classes at 8, which was a bit young, but she was keen and the teacher said if she was relatively well motor-skilled she would give it a go. She is now 11 and is doing great. She has made clothes for herself, toys, presents, book cases, easy patchwork blanket etc etc.

She started on a cheapo Singer machine like the ones you get in Aldi and Lidl from time to time and it was fine (she didn't need a finger guard by the way), but some of the more recent things were not working out well on that machine and it was time to upgrade. I was apprehensive about spending more on a better machine, but a seamstress told me it is better for them to learn on a machine that isn't cheap crud because they develop their skills better and the things they make look so much better too.

I think the sewing lessons are as important as the machine because she's been steered to projects suited to her skill level and which teach her new things. And it really keeps the momentum and motivation going. It is a lovely hobby and just quite chilled and meditative after the hectic school day.

chocciechocface I would let your DD use yours with supervision. The snail pace speed regulation will really help her build confidence and I find my DD sensible and quite in awe of our new machine and really very careful with it.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and tips.

A friend of a friend let my daughter have a go with her sewing machine last week, no guard, and she loved it. Her machine was quite old so they probably don't make it now but it's given me more confidence that she will be okay if I buy her one. Thanks again, I will go through all suggestions and decide which one to buy in the next few days.