I have to say that I seem to do better at making a quilt from my own pattern than following another's pattern... The gals who are in my quilt group with me think its too funny that I am like that! They say it seems harder to them to make up your own quilt pattern, I just say that I seem to do better following my own designs because I know my own "crazy"...lol... I will get out my notebook and start figuring, and as far as using algebra, I never seem to use it, just regular math, including fractions...now, sometimes those can get me, but then I get dh to help me...he is the "math whiz"...
Good luck to you,
Kif