I also like the Handmade Dress "Miss Madeline". It can be made with or without the waistband and can be made with longer sleeves (free tut for long-sleeves on her website).
VegBee's free tutorial here
http://indietutes.blogspot.com/2007/07/peasant-blouse.html is another good one to start with...I think someone above had already noted this too.
I started with traditional patterns, but have found the online tutorials and PDFs are easier for me. I"m more visual and like having the extra pictures to help me along. Peasant tops/dresses are so easy and cute...good luck! I've made many and feel free to check them out on my blog:
www.luscofamily.blogspot.com