Don't start sewing with clothes. Start with a pillow.
Most beginners buy a pattern for a dress, fight the zipper, and quit by Thursday.
Clothes have curves, ease, and fittings that punish you for being new. A pillow does not care if your seam is 1/8" off. A tote bag will still hold groceries if the corners are a little wonky. That's the point.
Three reasons home pieces teach faster
Rectangles first. Pillows, napkins, and simple bags are mostly straight lines. You learn to stitch straight before you learn to stitch around a body.
Cheap fabric, real finish. Quilting cotton and canvas are $6–12 a yard and they press clean. You can throw a failed pillow in a closet. You cannot throw a half-made jacket.
You actually use it. Motivation dies when the project is "someday." A pillow goes on the couch tonight.
The only stitches you need for that first pillow
Straight stitch — length 2.5, needle down at the corners so you can pivot without losing the line.
Backstitch — three stitches at the start and end so the seam doesn't pull out the first time you stuff it.
Press, then sew. Iron the seam open before you topstitch. The iron does half the work the machine gets credit for.
Skip the serger. Skip the $400 machine. A basic mechanical machine, all-purpose thread, and a zipper foot you won't need yet.
If you've been "meaning to learn" for two years, cut two 18" squares this weekend. That's a pillow. Everything else is extra.