I always make a test block using fabric from my stash. Not because I'm worried about cutting instructions, but whether or not I can even do the block, This way I can practice making blocks correctly. Sometimes it takes a few trys to get them right, so I just make a tablerunner out of them. This way, I figure things out and don't waste the fabric for the quilt. I will also know by then if I like the pattern. If I don't I get rid of the pattern and use the fabric for another project. Then I don't feel like I wasted a lot of money.