I don't "get" paper piecing either. I've read the books, watched the videos, had expert instructions and still can't paper piece even a simple pattern. When I complained on Carol Doak's blog about how difficult it was after trying out her beginner's tutorial, I got a phone call from her offering to talk me through it. I loved the phone call but still can't paper piece. My last BOM at my LQS was supposed to be paper pieced so I cut the pattern apart, added seam allowances and pieced it the regular way. I can use Thangles but that's as close to paper piecing as I can get.