Oliver+S, known for their lovely illustrated childrens patterns, gave away a free skirt pattern not too long ago on their blog: www.oliverands.com/blog. Their cute site and easy to follow patterns are great for the budding sewer.
An easy, no-pattern, sewing pattern for an elastic waist dirndl-style skirt from Oliver + S, The Lazy Days Skirt. http://www.oliverands.com/blog/2008/08/lazy-days-skirt-free-pattern.html [pdf] Easily modified to make an adult garment!