Set up the machine
Follow the manual to install the needle, thread the machine and insert the bobbin. Check the recommended needle and thread for your fabric. Turn the machine off before changing the needle or working close to it, as the manual directs.
Keep scissors, a ruler, pins or clips and a seam ripper within reach. Use a stable surface with room behind the machine for the fabric to move. Do not pull the cloth through; let the feed system move it while you guide it.
Sew a straight seam on two scraps
Use scraps of the fabric you plan to sew, or a stable woven for an initial practice. Place them right sides together. Choose a seam allowance for this exercise and note its measurement and the machine guideline you are using on the sample. Mark a guide if helpful and sew a straight line. Find the manual's instructions for securing the ends of a straight stitch, then practise that method at the beginning and end of this seam.
Look at both sides. Are the stitches consistent, or are there loops and skipped stitches? Measure the seam allowance in several places. The objective is a seam that joins both layers and follows a reasonably consistent distance from the edge, not speed.
If it is uneven, change one thing and try again. Rethread according to the manual before making large tension changes. A labelled sample makes it easier to compare results.
Practise a corner
On another pair of scraps, mark a right-angled stitching line. Sew toward the corner slowly. Stop with the needle down at the turning point, raise the presser foot, turn the fabric, lower the foot and continue. Use the manual's method for positioning the needle if your machine differs.
Open the work and check that you pivoted at one point without catching a fold. Once this feels manageable, try a gentle curve at a comfortable speed. You do not need to master every curve before starting a simple project.
Press the practice seam
Test a care-appropriate iron setting on a spare scrap, using a press cloth when needed. First press the seam flat as sewn. For this straight-seam exercise, open the two allowances and press them flat, then let the sample cool. Follow a garment pattern’s pressing direction when you move on to that project. Check whether the seam lies flat. A tuck sewn into the seam needs unpicking; an iron will not correct it.
Choose the next small task
A plain napkin, unlined bag or apron lets you repeat these skills in something useful. Read the instructions before cutting and choose a version with one new operation. The first-pattern checklist helps you check the files, fabric and technique list.
Keep the first sample beside the next one. Note one improvement to work on, such as keeping the seam allowance consistent through a corner. That gives the next session a clear starting point.