Kids’ Sewing Machine… (for Jen!)

Hey… this is a quickie post for a friend….
She was here earlier today and we got talkin’ about sewing machines for her daughter (who’s 8).
Earlier this year, I got my granddaughter a sewing machine for her 7th birthday.   I went CHEAP and bought a $200 mechanical machine.  That lasted about 7 days – there were too many downsides to that machine to make it a good experience for such a young kid just startin’ out.

The downsides:

The pedal – my granddaughter had a hard time coordinating that pedal along with steering the fabric.

Mechanical – the machine would “groan” before it would kick into gear.  Kinda ugly experience.

The pedal (again) – didn’t have a speed control on it (I don’t think any of the cheap mechanicals do!) so it was difficult for her to regulate her speed.  It was kind of all-or-nothing.  Not good.

Bobbin area – it was a vertical bobbin case… not as easy to load as a drop-in from the top.

So at the end of that first week, I went and got the kid an electronic machine.   It wasn’t a cheapie by any means ($900!) … but it is a great machine that I can also “steal” to take to classes if I need to.

Anyway… I went searchin’ on Amazon to find a decent machine that I would give a kid starting out.  Here’s my choice:

Brother XR9500PRW limited edition Project Runway    <— dang… doesn’t that model number look like it should be on a Lamborghini???
Here’s the pic:

Cute little thing, isn’t it? 

There’s a full description and more pics over on it’s description page on Amazon, but for now.. here’s why I’d buy this one:

• Electronic – no groaning motor
• Speed control/governer – nice slider control on front of machine
• Start/Stop button – no need for foot control – easier for kids
• Loads of stitches… how fun will that be??!?!?!
• Drop in bobbin… with a clear window to see how much thread is left – same set up as my $8,000 machine!
• Comes with an extension table
• Open arm is nice, too
• Needle threader (doesn’t seem fully automatic- but I’m sure it works well)

That’s enough for here.. go check it out on Amazon.com .  Oh… and it’s Amazon Prime eligible.  So no shipping costs if you’re a member… if you’re not a member, go take a shot at their 30 day free trial to score this without paying shipping.   I joined Prime as a trial this summer and decided to keep it… it’s been a great value for me.  Always free shipping for Prime members – and I like the streaming TV & movie content on my iPad. 

Oh… and Jen… there is a slightly less expensive machine on Amazon, too… but it didn’t have a few of these features.   I honestly think this machine can keep your daughter happy all the way through high school.

Love ya… (and thanks again for being such a friend for me last week!)

Sally aka: RipStitcher  <— also known as the enabler that thinks all little girls should learn to sew!