Pattern Challenge

It's a big struggle for me to find clothes that fit me right, which is a shame because I think my body is awesome and just needs to be appropriately sheathed.  I want to make custom clothes so that they will fit well and look good.  I'm very fearful about trying to use patterns, though.  I don't know if it's just my lack of skills, or if it's that the patterns are actually as bad as I think, but it always seems like they have included about 1/4 of the instructions necessary to complete the project. So, to help keep me motivated, I'm joining Sarah's pattern challenge.  This has the side benefit of providing a group of people who are also struggling with wretched instructions and can give me sympathy...

So anyway, here are my goals:
Use this pattern to make a winter coat - probably like the white one with a different collar)

Make Amy Butler's Liverpool pattern - not sure what length, as I have only ever seen pictures of the tunic length:

To make the t-shirt corset from the Alabama Stitch Book:

Aaand lastly to clear up some WIPs from my last burst of clothing making, I think all of them are half-made skirts.  First step is to go through and get a count of exactly what I have partially finished.

Man, looking at those pictures makes me want to start RIGHT NOW.  Especially on the t-shirt corset.