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Yep! It's crazy easy once someone shows you how. I've made quilts, dresses, stuffed animals...

Yes! I think my mom taught me the basics when i was young. I cant use any of the various features but i can sew a straight line! Ive made a blanket and quilt for lo, and lots of curtains. I recently made lo an apron. There are lots of tutorials online!

I liked this series - I don't do fancy stuff but have made skirts for DD, curtains, and bean bags

http://crazylittleprojects.com/2012/11/learn-to-sew-with-crazy-little-projects.html

Basic straight line is all you need to know how to do at first. Well, that and how to thread the machine!
There are tons of how-tos and tutorials online, and you can learn a ton in a very short time.

Some very basics I think would be:

Stitching needs to be reinforced, which usually involves stitching backwards an inch or so after you finish your seam. This way, your stitches won't just simply unravel when you trim the threads. You can also leave tails and tie knots, which can be helpful for certain situations, such as at the point of a dart to avoid bulk.

A lot of fabric tends to fray or unravel, so raw edges need to be finished to keep that from happening. Serger machines do that, or you can use a special stitch and foot if it is available on your machine. If not, a zigzag is perfectly fine.

If you know the stuff above, I think you can make anything.

I'm mostly self-taught after I was shown how to push the pedal and make the machine "go".

I started with hand-stiching I nightgown for my doll, and after that made her clothes like a fur jacket (left over from making a wolf hand puppet for school).
I made elf shoes for a holiday. Wish I still had those.
I've made an adorable halter top converted from a pair of white jeans I turned upside down.
I've drafted and made overalls to protect a Jack Russell terrier from his own urge to chew due to incurable allergies. He was freaking adorable.
I took a stupid t-shirt sheet and turned it into a super-comfy king comforter by stitching old t-shirts onto it. It was heavy and so soft, I loved it.
I've drafted and made a FANTASTIC plaid couch cover- all the stripes matched, whoop whoop! (First time I sewed through my finger, I punched right through a thumbnail. Hurt way less than expected.)
Countless curtains got made from sheets or hemmed.
I made my favorite skirt from corduroy scraps (leftover from game shop curtains) which I still count as my favorite clothing item ever.
AND, I made the best winter coat ever- my green cloak.
OH! And I hated the baby blue of my bike helmet, so I picked out a fun fabric to cover it with, and made a matching bicycle saddlebag/pannier.
I've visually mapped out a ScottEVest owned by a friend and made my husband (the JamieJacket!) using 3 of his late uncle's heavyweight Cabela shirts. 22 pockets!
I made a beanbag.

You can see pictures here:
http://s303.photobucket.com/user/redeyedtreefr0g/library/Crafts?sort=3&page=1
I'm not sure what state the bucket is in, with our current internet I'm supposed to avoid photos, so. Feel free to poke around.

I have trouble with patterns because I like things to fit, but am petite. My shoulders have something funky going on there that I need to figure out. It's why most everything I've done involves making my own pattern and just winging it.
I have a stash of lovely patterns to try eventually though, but fabric is not something I ever get to splurge on, really. I've done most things using materials available, or with gifted gift cards.

I taught myself how to quilt on my sewing machine last year and I'm totally addicted now. Not unreasonable to teach yourself at all because I did!

This is super timely. I decided this week to teach myself to sew. I have had a sewing machine for a few years and never took it out to learn how to use it. TBH, its not going really well. I called my grandmother to come over and trouble shoot for me this afternoon!

I am a quilter so I mostly do just straight lines. It's fairly simple though. It took me about a day to get it started and running. Just knowing how to set up the thread I think is probably the hardest part.

Did it come with a manual? I bet you can find a tutorial online if it didn't come with one.

Good luck!

It's really easy to learn! I thought YouTube and online tutorials were great, but what actually helped the most was taking an in-person class! If there is a quilting or fabric shop near you they might have one. I went to an apron-making class at a local quilt shop and it was like $20 + cost of materials (1yd or fabric) and lasted ~2 hours. I also took a community ed class, which was longer--maybe one 2-hour class/week for 6 weeks? It was great--taught at the local middle school by the home-ec teacher! I believe materials for our first project were provided, and after that we were on our own. It was good because we got to go a little deeper into things, like choosing the right fabric for the project, or how to sew a zipper or buttonhole, how to read and adjust pattens, etc. If you have the time I would suggest a class like that! Again, it was relatively inexpensive (I think maybe $75 for the six-week session).

I agree @looch: That's really the only issue I've ever had.

I can only just barely use it

I've made nursing pads, modified D's backpack, and simple curtains.

@Mamaof2: that's a great site. It's where I found the, very simple, pattern for my daughter's halloween costume last year!

I am a beginner, beginner. I have taught myself everything I know and it's not much. I can do a simple stitch and that's it. It's enough to do what I need, though!

I can sew in straight lines. That is about it!

@Mae: Both of those are AWESOME!!