It depends on the pattern. Some are written very well (like Atkinson Designs patterns), and some assume you know what to do and miss some of the details. One of the freebies I was looking at on a fabric company's website was so confusing, I didn't bother to keep a copy. I am easily distracted and I don't do many complicated ones because I'd screw them up. Someday, I hope to have a little more time to myself to tackle a few of those. Probably almost half of the quilts I make are my own pattern or a combination of others I've done in the past.