Sue Barham Because of all the difficulties you are having, I would suggest that you select some pattern from the catalog to open in the Fashioner. Then you can turn off the layers for the pattern so they aren't visible and create new layers for your work. This will always give you a solid reference, if you have issues on the canvas.
The program is offered at no cost and I don't have the resources to answers usage questions that don't relate to software errors. There are two very comprehensive manuals that you can refer to, if you need them.