I am embarrassed to share that both my parents own sewing machines and are master seamstress (mom) and expert sewer (dad). However, neither of them ever taught me or my two sisters (now in our 40s) how to sew, not a stitch. I recently purchased the Singer 4452 directly from the company. Purchasing online from Singer was simple and at a good fair price compared to other venders. The machine is awesome. I live 3,000 miles from family these days. This machine has given me and may parents something else to talk about. In 7 minutes or less, mom had me up and running. Dad is impressed. Also, the Singer instructional videos on their website and YouTube are terrific. I'm running out of fabric to practice on. Luckily, my husband recently lost 50+ pounds and has plenty of shirts to discard. Instant practice fabric, yahoo. I'm enjoying this machine. I highly recommend to all.