Welcome to Gaia! ::

I say broad lines because I know I can sew a straight line, or at least enough of one, and I hemmed a half circle cloak for myself so I know I can also do a curve. I'm sure I could do more, but that's where space comes into play. I've no table to set the machine on, much less spread out a pattern or cloth. I've a bit of floor, but not enough to deal with garment sized pieces.

It's what comes of renting a flat small enough to be cheap enough for me to live alone in.

Never go straight from the untried pattern to the fabric you really want to use. Always make a mock up on cheap and/or ugly stuff first.

As to durable patterns, get the tissue patterns and trace them onto muslin or cotton. Cut that out and use it to make a mock up to make sure everything fits right. Make sure to use a loose stitch for ease of dismantling because if it fits, you can seam rip the whole thing and use it as your pattern from then on.