When I draw a design, I draw the stitch lines. In other words, if I’m drawing an element that will be inlaid, the pattern line isn’t where I’ll cut, it’s where I’ll stitch. If I drew the line where I planned to cut my stitching would be outside that line and I’d need to remember to allow for that. It’s no fun to create a beautiful pattern and then lose bits of it in the side seam because it got bigger than you anticipated. 

Design with inlay elements cut out

As you can see, I’ve cut slightly inside the lines which will allow me to stitch exactly on the lines.