Alrighty
dill616 .
So, first off, here is the pattern that is the closest to the purple dress (that I've found so far):
http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v2903-products-4894.php?page_id=857
Shorten the hem, shorten the sleeves and wa-la! If you do want to keep looking, that dress in particular has princess seams and inverted pleats, so that may help narrow the search.
Tip 1: Don't be afraid to mix and match patterns. If you like the top from something, but the bottom from something else, don't be afraid to put the two together.
As for patterns, you can find quite a few at the usual haunts; Simplicity, Vogue, Butterick, McCall's, Kwik-sew, New Look, Burda are all pattern brands that you can find online.
These two online stores do reproductions of vintage patterns, but they give you more size options (including plus size)
http://www.evadress.com/index.html
http://www.decadesofstyle.com/
This store offers plus sizes:
http://www.serendipityvintage.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=14
(I'm not sure what size you need, but these are just some cute dress patterns, I think. Hopefully they come in the size you need.)
http://butterick.mccall.com/b5748-products-22646.php?page_id=155
http://www.simplicity.com/p-6954-burda-style-dress.aspx
http://butterick.mccall.com/b4790-products-6089.php?page_id=155
http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v8784-products-16426.php?page_id=857
As for interesting fabrics...I'm afraid I won't be of much help. If you live in/near bigger cities, I know a lot of them have fashion districts. But for me, I'm stuck with JoAnn's fabrics. I browse through fabric.com every once in a while. And if I have the money, or I'm looking for something I can't find anywhere else, I go to
http://www.moodfabrics.com/ It's pretty crazy expensive, but they have more...rare fabrics.
I hope that helps some and if you have any other questions, I'll do my best to answer them.