Pants that Fit!

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I decided that a classic straight-leg pant would flatter me more than a skinny pant, but where to find a selection eluded me. Yes, I could find black, but for a straight-leg it seemed there should be other choices. Oh yeah, I sew! This led me to buy the Craftsy class The Pants Sloper by Suzy Furrer. This may not be my most exciting post, but what a challenge! The sewers will understand, and my next post is lots more fun….

To my non-sewing friends, a sloper is the most basic fit pattern that you use to develop other patterns. The sloper can then be made into wide-leg pants, tailored pants with a waistband, or any other shape one wants. I’m looking forward to making some wide leg linen pants for summer.

Pants-sloper_1

Furrer is very clear and easy to follow, but my first muslin was too small. Hint, listen to the teacher and don’t take your own measurements! I also missed one step in the drafting…sigh. The second sloper was close, but needed some adjustments. The third try was made with a yucky fashion fabric that I’d saved from the trash just for this purpose. Eureka!

Pants-sloper

So after days of measuring and sewing I have a pair of pants that fit fairly well. I think this pair is just a touch large, but probably just needs a little adjustment since the fabric is stretch. In addition, I’ll be lowering the hem by the time this post is published, but I’m very pleased overall.

Pants-sloper_3

The fabric is a fantastic stretch woven from MarcyTilton.com (no longer available). Since the fabric is stretch I was able to make the sloper without any alterations to the waist. I even kept the darts so I wouldn’t have any gathers at the waist. I just added a nice wide piece of elastic and interfacing at the waist for a smooth front.

The class was excellent and I can highly recommend going through the process. I plan on taking her other sloper classes soon, and even purchased her book, Building Patterns, The Architecture of Women’s Clothing. Obviously I like a good challenge!

13 thoughts on “Pants that Fit!”

  1. This post is super interesting to this sewer! I’m going to buy that class. Thanks for turning me on to it! The pants look great and so do you!

  2. Hi Wendy, I have this class and am now motivated to actually take it! Your pants look great. In making other pants patterns, would you use the sloper to adjust the fit or adjust each new pair from scratch? Say you had a loose fitting or tight fitting pair – I always thought the sloper could be used for future projects.

    • You start with this sloper each time. Furrer includes two chapters at the end on making a skinny pant, and making a classic trouser with a waistband and fly zipper. In her book there are many more pant types. So it’s really worth the time!

  4. Oh, I have that class! Maybe it’s time I took it? Lol, just haven’t been there, but I used her skirt sloper class to make a perfect pencil skirt for my daughter, so I know she’s good.

  5. You youngsters are leaving me behind…..what progress you’ve made from the old days…thanks for including me. Joan

    On Wed, Mar 2, 2016 at 4:35 PM, West Zen Studio wrote:

    > West Zen Studio posted: “I decided that a classic straight-leg pant would > flatter me more than a skinny pant, but where to find a selection eluded > me. Yes, I could find black, but for a straight-leg it seemed there should > be other choices. Oh yeah, I sew! This led me to buy the C” >

  7. In your opinion, is it easier to draft a pant sloper than to start from a pattern and work to get a pant that fits?

    • I’ve made a number of pants from patterns and they fit ok, but I didn’t know how to make the alterations for a really good fit. This class taught me how to adjust the pattern. After you make the sloper she explains fit issues and what to do. You can also send in photos for advice. I think now that I took the class I would have better luck altering a standard pattern. It’s a complex class for the money and took me a bit of time to get through, but I’m glad I did.

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