Why did I want a sloper?

I am grateful that if I skipped utilizing my pants sloper in making or adapting a pattern for the drawstring pants I've been thinking of, at least I decided to do a muslin of the pattern in shorts first. Before cutting into one of the lovely and not cheap fabrics I got in NYC last month.  I actually did pull my fitted sloper pattern and compared it to the fashion pattern, which is what made me decide to do shorts first.  The fashion pattern says it gives 5" of ease at the hipline, and I wanted to believe that instead of what my eyes saw with both patterns out.  Hrrmph, 5 inches, maybe in MAN INCHES!

What I ended up with, after taking out the basting and sewing with the most narrow seams I could to give myself a little more, ahem, ease, was what every ill fitting pair of fat granny looking shorts I've ever tried on felt and looked like.  Well, I guess I have tried on worse fitting ones.  These are not a great fit and do seem to accentuate every flaw.  They'll be okay for mowing the lawn, maybe painting, intense house cleaning.  I gave them good pockets.  I went back and compared fashion pattern to the sloper pattern again:

Yeah, no need to modify here.  I estimate I shorted myself 3/4 inches of crotch curve, and maybe 2 inches of protruding belly room.  I know there is exactly 1 1/4" crotch depth I didn't add.  But that camel toe and crotch smile are pretty friendly, y'know?

On the back, the fashion pattern actually has a longer curve and the rest of the width isn't too bad either.  It looks pretty ok in the garment.  I am missing that 1 1/4" of depth though, the back feels like I may have crack exposure when all gets done.  I haven't got the waist on yet.  It was only after all this that I dug out the actual sewn- sloper and tried it on, knowing I've put on 15 or 20 lbs since fitting it.  I know 20 lbs is supposed to be a dress size, sometimes I can squeek by until 30 lbs are added, but tightly.

Stained, wrinkled, sewn in huge green stitches with pen and pencil markings in various places, this is still one good looking pair of pants. They now need a belly bulge adjustment, but the lines are still level and perpendicular and they don't grin or wave a hoof. I'm thinking I should put the sloper pattern underneath some tracing paper and draw a slightly roomier hip/pelvic/belly area and modify the legs to be straighter, no taper, slap pockets on it and a drawstring waistband.  Draft my garment off the sloper looking at the lines of the fashion pattern, rather than modify the fashion pattern to the dimensions of the sloper.  I'd like to get to where in 9 out of 10 cases, I could at most look at a line drawing to modify design and just use the slopers again and again for almost everything.  Why jump though all those hoops of pattern adjustments again and again just to make a pant go skinny or stovepipe or belled or darted, pleated, different pockets?

It all sounds so plausible, from the woman who just sewed a grinning pair of shorts.  From ugly, low budget and already mystery stained twill from the stash, yay.  I guess I should do another shorts muslin before cutting into the very nice linen with a touch of spandex that waits all prewashed and lovely for some nice beachy summer trousers.

No, I am sorry to say, I never finished the bodice sloper.  I'm not going to attempt any fitted tops until I have.

I did sew a fairly nice knit shirt with some pretty peacock feather jersey that I feel good about wearing in public.  But it's a darn t-shirt and I'd feel a little ridiculous modeling it for pictures.  I'll have to work on that I guess if I'm going to keep on with a sewing blog, unless I swing over to quilting full time.  Quilts have been calling......

*UPDATE* I was a little hard on those shorts.  -After I put the waistband on they looked much, much better and the smile a any weird bunches all went away.  Still not amazingly flattering- but a great indicator of where I need to go for the full length pants version.  And the shorts still look better than 99% of what I try on in RTW.  AWFUL stuff when you get to 3x range.