I agree with what Nightmist said.
If a new sewer does not know if their interest will remain, just like in any new endeavor, you do not want to get top-of-the-line in anything. Heck, even a used machine off craigslist, an estate sale, or a traded-in machine at the local shop can be used to launch the interest. Learning how to care for the machine is a necessity. Simple features, so the learning curve is simple. nothing more of a turn-off than to have an overwhelming amount of options presented. Small steps are always best.

Ginger in CA
real email to respond is

On Thursday, October 6, 2016 at 5:14:53 PM UTC-7, Brian Christiansen wrote:
This is kind of a test message, as I am setting up thunderbird for
reading news groups, and seeing if it is "better" than XPN newsreader.

Well, anyway, this video, from man sewing, one of my favorite you tube
channels (perhaps I will do a future post about it):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfNGfTmSWSU, and in it Rob Appell, the
host of the show, helps his daughter with making a doll quilt. I
personally think he did a little too much, though.

There is also this video about how the Janome 2212 is the best machine
for beginners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDPZXQLHtuQ. There are
also lots of others that talk about the best machine for beginners as well.

This got me to wondering something that is sort of a hypothetical
question for me, but might be more something that one of you has actual
experience with.

Suppose you are teaching a teenager how to sew or quilt, and one day his
parents come to you and say that they want to get him a sewing machine
for his birthday, with you being the technical person, and them
supplying the money, with a budget of up to $200.

Would you recommend an older machine such as a singer featherweight or
301, or a newer "beginner" machine like the Janome 2212 (the 2212 is not
a "toy" machine, as I would never even consider a "toy" machine in this
situation).

I have a singer featherweight, which is kinda my "inheritance" from my
late mother. I love it, and I have a buttonhole attachement for it
which makes really nice buttonholes, and a bunch of presser feet for
various things, of which I have only used the "regular" one and the 1/4"
foot, but otherwise it is limited to straight stitching.

I also have a new home from the early 60's (I think), that is a really
nice machine that is a zig-zag machine.

I would also like a singer 301, though I really don't know what I would
do with a 3rd machine.

So if I were buying the machine for myself, I would choose an older
machine, specifically a Singer 301. For the teenager, however I might not.