apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

what a great idea - would be a good gift too. thanks!

I would have loved this as a kid!

how well I remember my first toy sewing machine (it did a straight stitch and nothing else). My little boy is 3 and a half and asked me the other day for a "kid's sewing machine" and I said "maybe when you are 7 or 8..."

I've seen similar products in the stores and wondered how young is too young. My daughter is 3 and loves to watch me sew. I know she's too young to really make anything, but it might be fun for her to dink around on one, if it's safe enough.

I've sewn since I was 12 and still really enjoy the hobby. Around age 7 or 8 my parents gave me a toy sewing machine that totally frustrated me and almost made me never ever want to sew again! With 4 kiddos at home, who all are learning how to sew, I HIGHLY recommend just buying a regular sewing machine (we lucked out and found a FREE Bernina on Craigslist!) and learning how to use it along with your child. I think the toy machines are a waste of money and may cause more frustration than anything. They are made out of plastic parts and surely cannot make decent stitches. Teach them on a real machine--they will love it! Just make sure to supervise!

Oh, and I forgot to add that my three year-old loves "pushing the pedal" on my sewing machine while I "steer." It's perfect--he feels involved and I get to be somewhat in control. I just let him know when to push and when to stop and it works just fine.

I bought one of these for my niece when she was 11, and it was very difficult to sew with. It jumped all over the table even with the stabilizer feet set, and the stitches were really kludgey. We made her a bag, but I don't think she's used it since. I would recommend a real sewing machine - something really simple. Would also teach hand sewing, for creative benders when adult supervision is not available. I sewed all my barbie's clothes by hand when I was 7, alone in my room.

um, is it okay if i buy this for me? i need an inexpensive sewing machine for a project. just something simple. hmm...

I started sewing when I was 5 with my grandmother. I definitely recommend a real machine. A used simple machine would probably cost the same (or less!) as this toy, and with younger children you'd want to supervise whether it's a real machine or a toy.

I recommend a real machine also. My toy sewing machine had constant problems, especially with the terrible bobbin mechanism. Sewing machines are complex and shoddy machinery makes it very difficult to sew.