1. Select reference point in Control panel
2. Select object
3. Press E or select Free Transform
4. Start dragging a corner handle
5. As you drag, press and hold the Command/Ctrl key to shear the object
… you can Option/Alt (keep the Comm/Ctrl key down) to shear symmetrically

does that help?

What am I missing? I’ve tried combinations of Ctrl, Alt and Shift.

I was also writing frantically as I listened about using the Direct Select Tool to select an object before rotating, but Anne-Marie got in there before I could finishing typing

The pattern length is good, I have custom stroke set up for roundy ended Rule Above, for shading behind text in a heading.

It’s a kin to the Paragraph Rule Above and Below trick to marry up dotted rules with a straight rule to create the illusion of a rounded corner frame.

But I just set up a custom rule and use the Rule Above and set the point size and offset, and indents etc. It’s a lot quicker lol.

Anyway, create show, as always.