I just recently bought this cute little sewing machine from IKEA: SY Sewing Machine

It's proven to be a great starter machine - very durable and has plenty of oomph. It's easy to switch between stitches and stuff. It's really compact in size so I didn't have to get a table for it. The cord to the pedal is nice and long. Best thing is that it was super inexpensive - just about 70 bucks. The other newbie machine I was looking at before someone told me about this one was closer to $120 - I kept putting off getting it because that's a hefty chunk of change & I wasn't sure if I was going to use it enough for it to be worth it. With this one being so affordable it's made me feel free to dabble - if I get really into sewing, I figure I can save up for a fancier machine. ;)