I was intrigued by Erica’s post about Burda patterns not having seam allowances on them, so I dug around and found this:

At some mystery site

“Until a few years ago, Burda patterns were printed without seam allowances. The argument in favor of this policy was that, after tracing the correct size, the pattern was easier to test-fit, because there were no seam allowances to fold back or to get in the way of visualizing the line of the garment. This was quite true. But the absence of seam allowances gave many American seamstresses the heebie-jeebies, so Burda finally caved in and added seam allowances to their American distribution. For those of us preferring the older system, there are a couple of choices. First, we can trace the pattern and then cut OFF the seam allowances to test-fit. Second, we can use the patterns in Burda’s magazines, which still come without seam allowances. Lately, a few of these have been appearing in Burda’s regular pattern catalogue, WITH seam allowances, a month or two after they were published in the magazines.”

At Sewing With Tom

“Burda patterns did not, until recently, include seam allowances, so you would have to add them yourself before cutting. New Burda patterns, which are indicated with a star in the pattern book and which come in paper (rather than plastic) envelopes, include seam allowances. The patterns included with the various Burda pattern magazines do not include seam allowances.”

The way I was taught to mark and draft when I studied in college is all without seam allowances. You trace the pattern piece onto the fabric, those lines become the stitch lines, and you add seam allowances yourself. Not sure if it’s a tradition type of thing, a theatre thing, or if it’s considered better or worse. In high school it was all about pinning those tissue paper patterns right onto the fabric. Now, I don’t think I could go back.