DIBY Club Anna Button-Up Skirt

Allow me to present my new favorite skirt.

This is the Anna Button-Up Skirt from the DIBY Club, a new-to-me pattern company. Nicole of DIBY reached out to me, asking if I'd be interested in reviewing one of their patterns.  I took a look at their offerings and loved the buttons, the gores, the wide waistband and the close fit of the Anna.  I've been missing my trusty Tillery and Alberta Street jean skirts, which no longer fit, and the Anna seemed like a good candidate for a new denim skirt.

I sewed the high-rise, knee-length view of this skirt.  There is also a mid-rise version, and mini, midi and maxi lengths, and optional patch pockets.  The skirt comes in sizes 00-36, with two different size ranges - Misses from 00-20 (up to a 39W 48.75H) and Plus from 14-36 (the Plus range goes from 36W 45.5H up to 59.75W 67H).

I cut a size 12 waist graded to a size 10 hip according to my measurements (31.5W 41.5H).  I also added 2" of length (I am 5'8"). After piecing together the six panels of the skirt and trying it on, I let out just the side seams 1/8" each for a total of 1/2" added.

The skirt is quite fitted, which I like, however, I did need a little more room for my tummy, otherwise the buttons would have gaped.  I ended up folding over the plackets about 1/4" less than instructed in the pattern, to give myself a bit more room. my placket is gape-free, so I think that was a good idea.  The pattern includes belt loops.  I left them off because I rarely wear belts, but I may add them in the future and find a belt to go with the skirt, especially if I lose more weight and it becomes too loose.  The seam finish means this would not be an easy piece to take in.

My vertical skirt seams are all faux flat-fell.  I sewed the seams on my sewing machine, overlocked the edges without trimming, and then did a double line of topstitching on the right side of each seam. It gives the same look as flat-fell with a little less work.

I received this pattern for free in exchange for my review. I found the PDF easy to put together after I got my head around the trimless layout (I've never used a trimless pattern before).  Trimless means that it requires no cutting - that might be obvious to many people, but I didn't immediately understand.  The pages are printed with a line running down the right side, a centimeter or so from the edge.  When you overlap your pages, you line up the edge of one page with the line on the adjacent page.  I really like this feature; it makes it easier to line up the pattern perfectly straight than when I am trimming the pattern myself.  Plus, it's much faster.

I also appreciated the way the notches were placed on the pattern pieces.  Since there are seven skirt panels, having notches that vary by seam made assembling the skirt pretty easy (though I did do the back section incorrectly the first time).

The only thing I didn't really like about the pattern was the instructions for finishing the waistband and hem.  The pattern has you attach the waistband and the facing to the top of the skirt as one piece, so that the raw edge is exposed.  I did not construct mine this way - instead I sewed them like a jeans waistband, folding over the facing and topstitching from the outside for a clean finish.

The pattern also has you sew the waistband to the very end of the skirt, and then fold over both waistband and skirt edge to create a placket.  This creates a lot of bulk at the top, where you need to make two buttonholes.  I didn't realize this until after I'd topstitched the entire waistband.  I thought about unpicking, and attaching the waistband like a jeans waistband, where you continue the top waistband seam by pivoting your needle and sewing the ends of the waistband wrong-sides-together before turning it out to create a neat edge.  In the end, I decided not to unpick.  I did cut out some of the waistband facing (which I had interfaced, although the pattern does not specify this) to reduce bulk, and folded it over as the pattern instructed.

Similarly, the pattern called for hemming the skirt before folding the placket over - this means you have a double thickness of folded hem at the bottom of each placket.  I didn't do this. Instead, I folded the placket right sides together and sewed along the bottom with a 3/4" seam allowance.  Then when I turned the placket right sides out, the hem folded up neatly inside it.

On the left, the way the pattern instructs you to finish the hem; on the right, the way I finished it.

The instruction gripes are a minor thing - I love the shape of the skirt, and the wide waistband with those double buttons.  It's such a cute touch.  I have already styled it with tights and boots, and I will be taking it home this summer to wear with flip flops and tank tops.  I can tell this is going to be a wardrobe workhorse for years to come.

As always, thanks for reading, and see you next time!