The free patterns give you the same visual effect with more sewing and cutting. Swoon has simplified the pattern with less cutting and sewing, less pieces. It would be easier to make the carpentars star in different sizes I think because its based upon squares only. Swoon has rectangles also. I think though you could resize both fairly easy with graph paper. Its an old quilt square pattern if you search around you'll find it. I found it in one of my quilt books.