This is going to sound crazy, but trust me (said the person hiding behind the computer, right?) Don’t try cutting around those little notches on the patterns that are there to help you match the pieces. Instead, use a water soluble pencil and mark the fabric with one, two, or three dots in the locations of the notches. I use different colors of pencils for different types of marks on the patterns. One color for the notches, another for the little dots (if there are any), another for darts, etc. I’ve found water color pencils work great for this. You can buy cheap water color pencil sets in craft stores. Be careful using water color pencils like red, navy, etc. on light colored fabric. And try to stay inside the seam allowance when possible with your marks.
As for scissors, make yourself a rule that you never break. Sewing scissors are ONLY used on fabric, period. Not crafts, not paper (except the patterns as you’re cutting fabric), not elastic, nothing but fabric. And keep them sharp. Something else, how sharp are your pins? If yours are pretty old, they may be dull, which will bunch up the fabric just enough to throw the measurements off and will be noticeable. You may want to consider ball-point pins, if you’re using nylon, polyester, jersey, or fabric that will run or snag.
Hope this helps. The shorts look really cute!
Great minds! LOL!