I am a janome fan. My hubby got me an overlocker and sewing machine for christmas. I think my sewing machine was about $400 but it was about the middle of the range. I think you can get cheaper janomes that have less types of stiches which sounds like what you may be after if you are just starting out. Good Luck Its good to see more people getting the sewing bug. I am the only one in my family and group of friends that owns a sewing machine and has any idea on how to use it.