I learned to sew on a very old Singer, I was faithful to the brand and bought a second-hand one for A$40 which never worked properly. The tension was never right, even if I tried to adjust it myself. It had to be wound so ridiculously tight that the threads broke if I had it balanced - from what I could understand, the upper tension was just stuffed, totally. I kept taking it back to the shop, they kept returning it with the tension on the bobbin tightened up to match (not the way to fix it).
Then about 6 months before husband & I married, I saw a trade-in sale on a NEW state-of-the-art Husqvarna. Discount price plus generous trade-in. They gave me A$100 off for my old dysfunctional Singer, plus another hundred off for the special. I bought the new machine for A$300 instead of A$500. Then I used it to make my wedding dress - so I figured it had paid for itself.
30 years later, that's the machine I still use. easy child 2/difficult child 2 is the only one of my kids to regularly use it and she now wants her own sewing machine so she can go back to her own designing as well as modifying/mending her own clothes. She said she wants my machine; she's not getting it.
SO we ARE in the market for a good sewing machine for her, but it has to be at least as good. Shouldn't be difficult. The modern electronic machines should all do cartwheels over my old beast, but they also have more to go wrong.
So my recommendation - get something new (or fairly new with good rep) and try to get it with some level of warranty because if you're a novice, you're likely to make mistakes and want to blame the machine. And you may be right. If you buy a new machine, you should be able to get some good after-sales service to get you going. Modern machines should be easy to use. Frankly, I haven't looked at any except in passing, to marvel at the wonderful things you can now do.
We look at modern marvels and covet them, but when it comes down to it, most sewers just do straight stitching and a bit of zig-zag (buttonhole stitch). I also use a fair bit of three-step zig-zag because it's fabulous for patching clothes and mending a tear as invisibly as possible. Anyone with active, small kids - get a sewing machine with three-step zig-zag and keep worn-out shirts and jeans so you can cannibalise them for patches. Match the weight of patch fabric to the weight of the fabric being patched - for example, never patch a delicate silk shirt with denim (or vice-versa). Too uneven and it will just tear out. "You can't patch old fabric," my mother used to say. It's not just sewing advice, it was intended as advice for life. But I've found that if you use old, thin fabric then you CAN patch old, thin fabric.
Sewing machine brands to look at - Janome should be on your list. Bernina also. Singer - haven't checked them out lately, but 1973 was a while ago, they surely would have lifted their game.
Shop around. Go visit a craft fair or twenty (enjoy!) and talk to other sewers. Get in with a sewing group (either online or in person). Find some classes and see what they recommend. Begin sewing now - you don't need a sewing machine to begin to learn how to sew. Do you have a sewing basket yet? I believe every household should have one, to suit their sewing use. Basics - a tape measure, GOOD sewing scissors (for cutting fabric, even if you're only cutting patches), pincushion with pins (get the pretty glass-headed ones, you can see them if you drop them), embroidery scissors (get cheap ones), a range of threads (again, get the cheap sets with tiny reels), a packet of needles of varying sizes. Elastic, varying widths but the most common one for waistbands in kids' clothing would be about half inch wide. If you have a basket of a bag to keep it all in, then as you buy things you need (such as a roll of elastic to fix a waistband) then you put the supplies in the basket so you know where it is. Oh, and two small but strong safety pins to help you pull the elastic through. You pin one end of the elastic to the fabric then thread a strong pin along the grain of the other end of the elastic to form a firm 'head'. You then use this head to push it through the tube of fabric that forms the waistband. You feel for it from the outside and use your fingers on it through the fabric. You have to pin the other end because it's really annoying to get the head all the way through to the other side and pull it up, to find the other end disappearing into the tube - you have to do it all again! Once you've done this you can either hand-sew the two ends together or use the sewing machine to sew the elastic. Don't sew it to the waistband or you'll have to unpick it to get it out when the elastic finally 'dies'. Or you can be lazy and use a safety pin or knot to hod it, but I don't recommend it. A knot can be an obvious lump and the safety pin can rust in place or come undone with unpleasant results. Besides, you need those safety pins for the next mending job.
Do you have a project in mind? Or a few things you want to make? Are you wanting to do quilting? Decorative stitching? Stretch knit? Or just a sense of independence from expensive but poor quality garments?
I grew up at a time when a label inside your clothing was not something to show off; having a garment without a label was the sign that someone loved you enough to make it just for you.
There are many garments you can easily make, start simple. Always be prepared to unpick (that's another thing you need - a good unpicker!) if it's not quite right - it's faster to unpick and do it again, than to try to put up with it. There's no point having a garment you're not proud of. Also take the time to overlock fabric likely to fray - do it as you go because the act of sewing can aggravate fraying. You don't need an overlocker - buttonhole will do the job although most modern sewing machines have different overlocking stitches. Overlocking is a job you can give to a kid - my mother had me working on my own clothes for school when I was in primary school - from about 7 years old. I began by making lavender bags and worked up to sewing seams. she had me drawing up gathering stitches fairly early as well, although I didn't pin gathering until I was making my own designs much older. She did have me doing armholes and sleeves fairly young - I hated those but now I'm glad she drilled me well. These days stretch fabric makes them much easier. A lot of rules I was taught are regularly broken in shop-bought fabrics. Notably, the direction of buttonholes - when buttoholes are sewn horizontally, they are much more inclined to pull open and if your button is slightly small you can find yourself with a shirt undone! But vertical buttonholes are quicker to manufacture. Hand-made horizontal buttonholes hold better and are the sign of a carefully-made quality garment. Look at a man's suit jacket - the best ones still have horizontal buttonholes.
I'll get off my soapbox now.
I don't sew anywhere near as much as I feel I should because I love op-shops so much. But having the confidence to play with op-shop clothing using a sewing machine - fun! Seeing my daughter do the same thing, even with shop-bought fashion such as a coat with a bubble-skirt hem - wonderful. Hearing her friends ask her where she bought that fabulous coat with the flared hem - priceless! Because it's a one-off.
Marg