when you're trying to follow a pattern, you're trying to force your brain and hands to work like the author's do. sometimes that can be like trying to smoosh a square peg into a triangular hole.
if the directions don't make sense, then focus on the block diagrams. make copies. cut them apart to make puzzles. then using your fabric patches, "put them back together".
lather, rinse, and repeat that process with the layout diagram.