Can anyone recommend a good portable sewing machine?

I'd be looking at the midline electronics like the Emeralds from Viking, or similar from Janome, Juki, etc.

Why electronics? Because you get the full punching force of the needle at even slow sewing speeds from the stepper or servo motors. Most machines in this group offer utility stitches, a few decorative stitches and a couple of decent buttonhole styles done in a manner that doesn't make you crazy. They tend to have adjustable presser foot pressure (good for solving a lot of sewing problems), a good range of presser feet, and stitching precise enough that it looks professional. And the better grade of engineering plastics make for a light but durable machine. Cons: more expensive to service, possible lack of parts later in its lifespan. (FWIW, I'm 15 years into a Viking electronic -- it's performed flawlessly and is still going strong. It's traveled thousands of miles by car and plane with no trouble.)

Alternatively, I'd be looking for an upper end mechanical machine -- they now tend to be more expensive than the electronics, but will last centuries if properly cared for. Less versatile than electronics, and the standard wound motors stall at low speeds, but they're cheaper to service as long as parts are available. Here, I'd be looking at machines built in Japan, Taiwan or Europe, and quite possibly vintage. If you're interested in vintage machines, borrow John Giordano's Sewing Machine Guide from the library.

One thing I will not buy is a machine with no presser foot pressure adjustment -- it's just too useful when you're sewing difficult fabrics.

I also suggest that the beginning few and ending few chapters of Carol Ahles' book, Fine Machine Sewing, may be helpful to you in thinking about how to get good stitching from the machines you might purchase.

Maybe some more helps: http://www.kwiksew.com/resources/articles/p65-Mach...

and http://sewing.patternreview.com/SewingMachine/

If you're a newbie to sewing, see if you can take some classes with machines provided before buying.. it'll help you identify things you like and don't like, and things that are difficult for you. Then take some easy and difficult fabrics to the dealers and start trying out machines. My first test is always buttonholes in cotton shirting and in cotton interlocks, backed with the proper interfacing. If I can't get nice buttonholes easily, it's not going to be "my machine". And, in my experience, bad machines don't make good buttonholes. I also sew waistband elastic (a good test of presser foot pressure) early on in the testing.

Listen to how the dealer treats other people as you're working with him/her... good dealers are just as concerned with treating people well who've bought machines as those who might buy.