ready, set, sew!

I've been wanting to learn how to sew for a while now. My friend Brandilyn hooked me up with some info on an online sewing class so I signed up for it and waited until I could purchase a sewing machine. I did a little research on some machines and decided I would get a Brother, the Project Runway Limited Edition (because I'm a sucker), for a few reasons: first, it got good reviews from a lot of people, and second, it was cheaper than a Singer.

I was kinda hoping I'd be a natural and just start pumping out awesome clothes like Gretchen, yeah, I liked Gretchen. 

 Some might ask, "Wouldn't you want to put a little more money into such an investment?" The simple answer is, I don't know if this is going to be a phase. I really want to sew. The class has some awesome projects that are totally relevant to life and who doesn't want to casually answer, "I made it" when someone asks "Where did you get that skirt?!" So, I procured my sewing machine yesterday and oohed and aahed over all the buttons and gadgets but decided I would wait until the next day to begin my first attempts at sewing. It is officially the next day and I am an hour and a half in and cannot for the life of me get the bobbin to work correctly and I'm not sure if that is somehow related to the fact that the fabric won't move forward. And before you ask, yes I've read the manual (multiple times) AND I've been watching a video on how to feed the bobbin but for whatever reason it's not working. If you're reading this and from what I just said you know what I'm doing wrong, please diagnose. Luckily for me I have another project of painting this big piece of plywood so I may take a break from feeling powerless in front of my machine. Help?