Instead, copy all pieces on to another piece of paper: tissue paper, freezer paper copier paper, notebook paper or whatever is available. To make the lines accurately, hold your pencil or pen straight up and trace everything that is printed on the paper including the name or number of the pattern and what each piece is. (i.e. head front, head back, leg, arm, sleeve, etc.) Be sure to copy marks that the pattern designer has supplied to help you decide how the various pieces are supposed to fit together.
CUTTING THE PIECES
When all the pieces are traced, you will then cut them out. Have a plastic ziploc bag handy to put them into once they are cut out. Be sure that the bag has a label in permanent ink. When cutting the pattern, cut off the line. That means to cut just inside the pencil line and remove it. This will assure you the proper size and shape as it was designed.
SEAM ALLOWANCE
If you are using a pattern where no seam allowance has been provided, you will want to make sure that you have made provisions for them. Often the body pieces will not have seam allowance added so that a precise sewing line can be established. When you find a pattern that is designed this way, there are several methods of creating the seam allowance.
One of the most popular ways to get accurate seam lines on body parts is to trace the pattern pieces onto the rough side of freezer paper. When cutting the pieces out make sure, again, to cut OFF the the lines. You will need to make duplicates for arms, legs and any other pieces that are repeated. Then, iron the pieces on the wrong side of the doubled fabric and sew around as close to the edge of the freezer paper as you can. This will give you the exact shape of the body parts. Carefully remove the freezer paper and it can be used again for the next doll.
If you are not interested in this method or can't find freezer paper, here is another method for creating the seam allowance when it is not provided on the pattern. Tape two pencils of the exact same size together so that when you draw a line it is double. The inner line is the sewing line and the outer line is the cutting line. When you are sewing the fabric, sew on the inside line and that will leave approximately a quarter inch seam allowance. Another way to establish the sewing line is to draw on the fabric around the pattern with a water soluble or air erase pen. Either can be found with sewing notions.
