Go for it!
I made dog beds for the first two weeks after I got my sweet 16. No harm, no foul. Find something you can use for pets or throw away and go for it. No worries. You will get the hang of it so fast. The main thing I did wrong was in meandering I got my lines too close together and when washed the dog quilts were flat, not poofy. Other than that you really can't mess up a lot. Have fun.