I want to make a skirt, or a simple dress. I'm plus sized and having a hard time finding a pattern I like. Plus I've never made a dress before so I need to learn some basic garment skills. Any suggestions?

Check out your fabric stores that sell clothing fabric like Joan's of Hancocks
There are simple patterns and try one of those first. Also see if youtube has tutorials on basic garment sewing. You might ask around and someone may give you a few lessons. If I still lived in Hayward I would be more than happy to show you how.....but I'm too far away:(

I'm now making myself a skirt or two to wear with boots, since I wear lace up boots for ankle support most of the time. Since it looks ridiculous for a lot of leg to show below the skirt and above the boot, I'm having to make my own for the correct length. And it's a whole lot cheaper too.

I bought a very large dress at a flea market, it's a very fine, almost cotton/silk weight wool and probably very expensive. I cut the skirt into 4 pieces, each a little bit more than 1/4 my own measurements. Each piece is larger at the bottom than at the waist/hip area for stride length and I'll just put elastic in the waistline. This is a very old way of doing a skirt, and still works nicely. It's slightly gathered all around, not much but enough for a lot of ease.

When using this pattern that I've made myself, I can then sew on a blouse of bias cut fabric that is more or less a blouson style, which I find is easy to do and easy to wear.

Very simple, but most of the very expensive ones ARE simple designs.

Yes! Read your pattern two or three times before cutting and starting. It will really help later!!!

check with Adult Ed in your school sysytem. They may offer classes.
Or a senior center.

You can easily find all the pattern companies websites (Simplicity, McCalls, Vogue, Butterick... ) online; see which patterns you think you like and then post the links here. Those of us who have done garment sewing can take a peek and let you know if it what you've chosen would be easy or a bit challenging.

I am having a terrible time reading the pattern I picked up. its more or less a sundress pattern and its marked as easy but i am so not getting it. plus i think i may need to make it smaller in the bust area and wider in the hip which is freaking me out.

I'm thinking of doing a cheaters one at this point. maybe trace a tank top for the top and attach a circle skirt, but at the empire waist? would that work?

Take your measurements before buying a pattern - don't cheat! The only person seeing the numbers will be you!

Pattern sizes run differently from ready-to-wear sizing.

Mc All's and Vogue carry a good line of plus size patterns. Most are simple to make.

Also make sure you line up on the straight of grain correctly. There are arrows on the pattern pieces that tell you which way to place the piece on the fabric so the bias will be in the right places so that the completed garment hangs right. Very important not to stray away from how to place those patterns on the grain. Also the patterns usually have notches in them that require lineing up with other pattern pieces.

Most garments need interfacing somewhere but the pattern will specify.

I haven't sewn a garment in ages but I do remember McCalls and Simplicity were the easiest patterns. I think McCalls used to have patterns geared to make in an afternoon. I loved those and they really were easy.