I want to get DD a sewing machine for her birthday

[TheFirstLady]

She will be 10 and has been trying to make things by hand, but I am a pretty hopeless sewer and don't know anything about machines. I was thinking of this one from John Lewis.
Would it be suitable? And what about a book, does anyone have any recommendations? She is trying to make a patchwork quilt by hand at the moment, rather unsuccessfully and all the books I can find on Amazon seem a bit advanced for her (or me, tbh!). Any thoughts on what I need to get her started?
Would appreciate any advice or tips.

these books might work - they're quite fun and not too difficult. There's also loads of stuff online about sewing - there are loads of craft forums offering advice and project ideas, lots of free patterns, and you could have a look on youtube for video guides on specific sewing techniques.

As far as a machine goes, I would always choose a proper machine over a kids one - 10 isn't too young to use one. However they are more expensive so I understand if you don't want to spend £100 on something that she might get bored with! John Lewis is a good place to buy machines from as they can give you lots of advice and will usually include a free sewing machine lesson if you buy from them.

PS - have a look on Amazon for kids sewing books - I just saw this one and this one both look as if they might be suitable.

All those books look great - thanks. I'm spoilt for choice now. I am dithering about the machine, but I think it looks better than many children's machines in that it does 10 different stitches, but also it is compact and won't take up huge amounts of space when not being used - she'll probably need to use it on the kitchen table so space is a consideration. As is money, £50 is our limit for birthday presents. On the other hand, I don't want to get something that isn't fit for purpose.

Well, Which say this about it:

The functions are limited; it has one sewing speed and isn?t suitable for thick fabrics according to the instructions. The sewing platform is very small and it lacks a light, which can make it hard to see what you are doing. Some of the plastic parts such as the bobbin spool are fiddly to use and it?s hard to open the storage tray in the base.

That said it is a solid little machine which has a smooth, although noisy, sewing action. Novice sewers might find it fun to use for a while and the selection of stitches is good for basic sewing tasks such as hemming and repairs, but we wouldn?t be tempted to tackle much beyond that with it.

Pros: Suitable for make do and mend.

Cons: Too small and limited for serious sewing.

Oh . Thanks for finding that review, I would probably have bought it otherwise.
Back to the drawing board.

This looks quite good value as it includes all the thread and stuff.

Do you have an independent sewing-machine shop near you? You might be able to get a reconditioned machine there cheaply. And they should be able to give you lots of advice and info.

I'm afraid I agree about the dinky JL one, even though it is very appealing. A nice lady in our JL warned me off buying it - hard to get a good result, she said, so a bit offputting for a beginner, and also if your daughter takes to sewing she will want to upgrade to a proper machine pretty soon.

Agree with Zoya a secondhand machine is a good idea, or you could see if John Lewis have any ex-display models you can buy cheaper. I have a Brother machine and that is easy to use and reliable.

As a child I had a battery operated one when I was 7 which broke quite quickly and then had an old hand operated Singer until I got my current machine when I was 20. Depending on what your dd's attitude is (and whether she wants to be able to do fancy stitches) then an old hand operated machine may be a good idea, you can pick them up v cheaply and there's less likelihood of nasty accidents and I found it really good when you're starting out learning as it can't run away with you!

There is a sewing machine guy in our local market on a Tuesday, I could go and have a word with him. There is also this one which I just found online. Have had a chat with DH and he said that since she had a rubbish Christmas (long story, but she got overlooked by various relatives who bought lovely things for her sisters) she deserves a better birthday present than usual. I want to make her birthday really nice for her.

i would be inclined to get her a full size, adult machine if she is 10.

i started using my mum's machine when i was about 8 and i never had any problems with the size or weight of it, and it has all the necessary functions.

plus, modern machines are much lighter and easier to handle adn they have loads of cool functions (such as fancy stitches).
she's less likely to give up and go off it if she has a machien that can do everything.
and it'll last a darn sight longer too.