Pondering.

When I sew a new garment and end up with a wearable muslin type of garment, a tester garment, I like to wear it a time or two before I call it a done deal.  I do that because even a winning test garment can be an utter failure if it doesn't work through a regular day.  

I am really glad I did this for a garment like my York Pinafore.  It fitted wonderfully.  I loved the way it looked and draped in the fabric I used.  It was really quite perfect.  

So I wore it one day just around the house to see if it really worked.  Not so well.  

It isn't a pattern problem, it is a bum problem, as in mine just needs a more generous amount of ease than the pattern has built in.  Before the end of wear day one, the bottom button had popped and a second came off at bedtime, that showed it too had been under duress when I sat down.  At first I was heartbroken because I had just the perfect fabric and I was so looking forward to wearing the pinafore the shirt and the little sweater I was going to knit to wear with it.  I got over that because if I add some room to the back, it will fit me better and will still keep the look I like so much at the front.  

There are even options for doing it.  I got the idea from another pattern from Helen's Closet. She put out another overall pattern a while ago, The Ruby Overalls .  On the back of that ever so interesting design, she has an inserted half waist of elastic that could be used to add more fabric at the back.  That could easily be done to add more fabric to the back of the dress.  

I could add a pleat like the Waikere shirt has.  That option struck me today.  By adding a pleat at midback, just below the generous arm opening, I could easily add what I needed.  The plus with this is that it wouldn't interfere with the front drape at all.

Another option, one that I want to try on a something sometime just to try it, is to add a section of gathers in the center back.  I saw a way to add it on a sewing blog via Pinterest that comes from the 1920's where they sometimes added a series of gathers at the side of a garment.  That would not look good on me, but it would be an idea for the York.  By adding the fabric at the center back, I would add the extra fabric I need for ease without changing how the dress hangs from the front in the way that  the Ruby Overall fix would add.  It's a bit of a trick with cutting more than a trick with sewing and the idea is interesting.  

I could also draft the back to be more of a swing type garment than the slight coccoon shape it currently has.  I could also add a seam at the center back where I could add the additional ease I need.  I don't know, but it will be an adventure.

My fabric might be the driving force in the choice.  The fabric is not soft and isn't really flowing at all.  It holds itself like a good medium weight denim would. That weight and firmness may mean that the gather idea is right out of the picture and that the best solution will be pleats.  We shall see. 

For the moment my York pinafore is safe but one day soon, it is going to undergo some changes.  First I have to sew a couple more Hexham dresses and I have some really lovely fabric for some Ashton Tops and Ashton Top dress hacks.