Tracing designs - Why?

Tracing designs out is a great way to preserve books, and patterns, get a feel for the pattern and to learn to draw. For those of us who believe we can´t draw when we begin this is the only way to gain access to the designs we love. After tracing 1000´s of patterns I can now draw patterns freehand. You get a feel for the shapes of flowers and leaves for example. At the same time, you should also be aware that tracings are only a guideline. If your brush and hand do something different, don´t worry about this too much. You are not the same artist that created the design in the first place. So...IMHO yes trace out designs till your get a sense of freedom and confidence for sketching your own with a pencil on the surface.