Try to find something from Consew. I started with this machine and that's a good one for amateurs and that's not as expensive. I agree with your son about sewing by hand. Remembering my start in this field, I even skipped my lessons at college to spend my time sewing. Fortunately, there are a lot of helpful sources which are saved me from exclusion. But better to not torture yourself with hard sewing and start using the machine. That's the reason they were created for!