I wish I new how to sew...

Well lets amend that, I know how to sew. I can sew very well actually. Buttons, hems, etc. But I can only sew by hand. Which is obnoxious, and tedious, and hard to do in a straight line for a really long time.
What I really wish, is that I knew how to use a sewing machine. Sherry's battles with sewing on young house love have been inspirational for me in wanting to get past my sewing machine issues. If I had time, or even a free weekend (oh wait I just had one, why didn't I learn then?) I'd love to sit down with my mother's sewing machine and figure it out.

I've got a project, from three+ years ago, that I'd like to finish on a sewing machine. Its a t-shirt quilt from a bunch of t-shirts I had when I was in high school. Its super easy, and almost half way done. But I was at a point where doing it by hand was too intense and my lines weren't straight so I put it on hold until I learned to use a sewing machine.

If I learned to use a sewing machine, and when I finished the t-shirt quilt, I would want to try one of these patterns from Sis Boom. The stuff in their shop is super cute but I love the simple summery patterns they have. I love them for the little girls, but I also love them for me! They seem simple enough so that once I mastered straight lines on my quilt project I could handle making a dress like this one.

Have you ever tried to sew anything? How did it go?