Sewing machine for beginners?

I started with a Brother LS-590 making aprons. lots and lots of apron's. The perfect thing about this machine is that it does the simple things but can eventually graduate into the more complex things, including doing a double stitch with two different colored threads at once. The best thing is that it's affordable and adorable!!

A basic Brother or Singer. Not with a electronic read out...they are too complicated and cost a lot more. By basic I mean a machine that does straight and various zig zag stitches. Some come with a zipper foot, which is thinner so you can sew up close to things....it's good for making piping too. Some have button hole plates that fit on where your foot goes.
When you do get a machine ask for advise in the shop about threading. I found that the instructions aren't always very clear. Most machines thread in a simular way but I have seen one or two that have a little hidden hook behind the foot. You can ask how to fill the spool and how to get the thread up from it. If someone wants a sale they will show you. If you are unsure about sewing machines it will save you so much time when you get it home.
One thing I do when changing threads is to leave it threaded in the original colour, tie the new colour to the end and pull it through. It's quicker and less fiddly.
When you do get to practice sewing use a good quality thread sewing on a cotton based fabric. Play with the stitch length and the different zig zag stitches. You will find that different types of zig zag will need different length of stitch. Try folding over the fabric as well to get a feel for seam sewing.

Thank you both for your help! I will totally take the advice into consideration.

You're welcome

If you're going to be sewing primarily on heavier fabrics, I would recommend a simple Singer Heavy Duty machine. They run about $130-$180 depending on the stitch variety they have.

If you're going to be sewing on lighter fabrics, try to find a Singer in the $100-$200 price range. I started out with a Singer Scholastic and it lasted 10 years before I had any problems with it. I have a Heavy Duty machine now, and it's a beaut.

Just be careful with what kind of bobbins you buy! It can be hard to find the right kind when you're not familiar with your machine yet.

I'd also recommend getting a nice pair of fabric scissors and maybe a pair of pinking shears, too.

Oh, and never use really old or cheap thread.

Is it super important that the insides (mechanical parts) of the machine be made of metal and not plastic? I'm looking to buy my first machine and this concerns me...I want to spend up to around $300 (australian dollars).

Thanks

They make sewing machines with plastic parts inside?? That doesn't sound good.

Yeah I was talking to a woman at a sewing machine store, and she said that if I were to pay anthing under $250 ish (AUD) I could expect something built partially of plastic parts - sounds very breakable!