Hi all
I would like to start to learn to sew making dolls dresses and girls clothes etc and am thinking of buying a sewing machine but what kind should I get for a real beginner?
I don't want and can't spend a lot though just in case I hate it!

Walmart has sewing machines for beginners (not a child's sewing machine, but a real machine) for less than $200, a few are less than $100. They're not top of the line, but they do the job, and are perfect for a beginner.

I favor heavy metal machines of the last century, from the fifties on. The Japanese machines from the 50s 60s into the 70s tend to be real workhorses. They come under a hundred different names. Singers went with plastic innards by 1970; not durable, but the earlier metal ones are great. Some 80s Kenmores from Taiwan have a 25 year guarantee sticker on the back; they are great machines.

The inexpensive machines at department stores and even JoAnns, made in China and Thailand, and are of questionable quality. A big thread snarl can throw them out of time.

It's hard to make a choice when you don't know anything about it -- do you know anybody who sews? Maybe you could borrow a machine, or get basic instructions so you could test drive an older machine. Maybe a seller in the classifieds or similar could help you a bit with the machine you'd be buying. Maybe you could contact a local Senior Citizens center, see if someone would be willing to work with you. Thrift stores often have inexpensive older sewing machines, though they're sold as is.

Hope you find something worth your time.

Sears usually has a sewing machine for under $100 between now and Christmas. It's not fancy, but it is a good machine.