The tutorial you've found seems simple enough. But I wouldn't start with a Judy Neimeyer pattern. Or maybe I would start with one of her simpler patterns - just a mariner's compass. It will end up being stunning.
I had trouble figuring out how to PP. It's not difficult once you learn. I took a class where they required us to buy a pattern and fabric first, and had us PP a Fir tree - just a triangle with sky and a trunk. I got pretty far with my pattern in that class. I chose a pumpkin with a black cat in front of it, wearing a mask.