A couple of people have asked me how to drape patterns, so here you go.
This tutorial is intended for advanced sewers- if you don't have a good basic knowledge of sewing and of using patterns, you will probably not be able to do this!
I also suggest you buy a book on flat patterning- in many ways, flat patterning is considerably harder than draping, but there are lots of good books that demonstrate the basic shapes of common garment pieces. They can be pricey, but well worth it!
If you don't have a dress form! There are two relatively cheap ways to make one-->
-The very cheap way- have someone tape cast your torso with duct tape (basically, wrap yourself in plastic wrap, then cover it with tape. Cut it off, then stuff it with newspaper or some other stuffing and tape off the openings.) There's some good tutorials for this here and here.
-The less cheap way- this way will last a bit longer and work a bit better, but is more expensive than duct tape (still cheaper than a dress form, though). Buy one of those tight-fitting sports shirts, sew patches over the openings, and stuff. Make sure that the measurements when stuffed match your measurements! This may require fitting the shirt more with darts or extra seams, and stuffing it quite a lot.
Please let me know if there's anything I can clarify!
[EDIT: Someone asked that I also cover flat-patterning sleeves, so here you go: sleeves! This is a very basic sleeve pattern, but for most things, it'll work just fine.]
Also look, stuff patterned with this tutorial! --> [link] by *freltana
You can, I've seen it done! Just be VERY careful, it sucks getting stabbed with pins. It's a lot like fitting a garment, actually. If you look at the artists' comments, I also have a few suggestions for making a cheap dress form, if you can't find a willing volunteer.