I have always thought of a pattern as a guide not a cut from stone item to be religiously followed. Some patterns will be beyond the skill level of the cutter and need to be modified or there will be times when a pattern has in your opinion too many "hold your breath and pray while you cut areas" that might need to be combined. Other times you get a pattern that immediately suggests that it needs to be added to this pattern to make something totally unique. I have been there and done that as I am sure many others have as well. This is one of the great things about scrolling. It is flexible enough to allow huge amounts of creativity on the part of the cutter. For me this is fun. Above all have fun when you are cutting
DW