I have read, re-read, sewed, ripped, sewed again, and read even more times and still can't figure out this pattern! :( What makes it awful is that it doesn't seem to be a hard pattern. (a variation of the spools block) I figured out much tougher before. So, instead of screaming I'm officially taking a break. It better get easier because I already cut out all of my pieces and it took me 2 days! :thumbup:

Hope the break helps. Sometimes just putting it away for a little while and then revisiting will help.

can we see a picture/scan/illustration of what you are trying to do?

Hope it's going better now.

and sometimes it's the pattern, a measurement off or part of the directions may not be right, don't beat yourself up untill you're SURE it's your fault :thumbup:

That is what I do. When something starts going bad and I start getting upset I just put it away for awhile. When I go back to it later is goes much better.

I wish I could but our scanner doesn't work and I'm also having "issues" with our new camera. (which is soon to be our returned camera!)

I thought of that too!

It's bad enough when an experienced quilter/piecer has issues with a bad pattern -

Can you imagine the frustration that can cause for a "newbie"?

Absolutely, you think it's all you because the pattern should be correct and wouldn't even consider it being the patterns fault.

Could your spool be pieced this way?

Jan in VA

It's surprising just how often I run across patterns with incorrect measurements and instructions. Or they unnecessarily complicate the cutting or construction. I have a couple of patterns that I ended up completely redrafting the block pattern because it was such a mess.

And what's really bad is when it's one you've 'designed' yourself from a picture and it looks like it ought to be fairly easy and the farther you get into it the more frustrating it becomes because you just jumped in and didn't think about making it as easy as possible for yourself as you went along. I'm doing one now that I could have made a whole lot easier, but because I started off half-cocked I'm doing things a more complicated way than if I'd planned ahead better. Hopefully Lesson Learned!

That's not the pattern I was using, thanks for trying to help. I think it was more the complicated cutting instructions. They wanted me to cut bias squares so, #1 I don't have a bias square ruler and #2 this seems a ridiculous added step for me. I would much rather make HST which is what I will do for now. Thanks for all the help and encouraging words, it really helps! It also involved me not reading the directions correctly but that's okay atleast I know the pattern is written right.

Jan. That made it easier!! I can do that!!

Sometimes screaming helps too!