Helen Dress x DIBY Club Review
This post is my honest opinion using a pattern I received free of charge from Do It Better Yourself Club.
Though I’ve been sewing for a long time, I’ve only been aware of the world of modern Indie/PDF patterns for a few years now. And as I learned about as many pattern companies as possible, it became apparent that some brands were household names and particularly known for the quality of their designs, drafting, and instructions. Today I’m sharing a review of a pattern company that, until this fall, was unknown to me, but can throw down with the rest of them.
Do It Better Yourself Club is seriously a dark horse of PDF patterns. This was my first time sewing one of their patterns and I was blown away by the quality and comprehensiveness of the instruction booklet. I mean, generally speaking, all patterns have a size chart, yardage chart, recommended fabrics, and the assembly instructions. But most sewists know from experience that many of us want to know so much more, especially if making a pattern from a designer for the first time. What height is it drafted for? What are the finished measurements? What if I need custom adjustments? How do I do those adjustments? Where can I find help?
Its not unusual to spend half of the pattern prep time googling these kinds of questions, often having to go to multiple sources—a Facebook group for the pattern company to find out the drafted cup size or height, then another source for a tutorial on how to do a custom adjustment like a narrow shoulder or full bust, then someone else’s blog to get an idea of how it actually fits when its completed…that’s a lot of running around!
So when I read through the Helen dress instruction booklet I was amazed at how much information is provided. They make sure you have virtually every resource you would need to fit and sew the pattern, from how to print and assemble a PDF pattern, to how to do common custom adjustments specifically for that pattern. I loved that I didn’t once have to leave the instruction booklet to look up a question on someone else’s blog or even on the DIBY website. Each page also has clear headings so you don’t spend extra time scrolling the document to find a size chart or yardage requirements. I did notice that a fabric cutting layout wasn’t provided, but to be honest I don’t find them crucial and never use them anyways because often the recommended layout creates unusable scraps. The instructions do cover how many of each pattern piece to cut however.
I also really enjoyed the tone of the instruction booklet. It reads in a casual, friendly way, but is still clear and organized. Its basically like if you had your BFF teaching you how to make the pattern. The writing style is also very encouraging and makes the reader feel capable by breaking the whole process down into reasonable and logical steps, using language thats easy to understand. I can really see how their instructions would benefit a beginner sewist, but even as a more advanced maker I thoroughly enjoyed going through the booklet and knowing that if I did have a question, I could be confident in the answer being in the instructions and being easy to find.
To begin my introduction to DIBY Club, I chose to make the Helen dress, a knit dress with a drawstring waist, pockets, multiple lengths, and two bodice options. I chose to do a regular one piece bodice and a below knee length. DIBY patterns have two size charts, a standard 00-20, and a “plus” range in 14-36, which seems to be drafted with a fuller bust and tummy in mind. I made a size 18 on the standard size chart (which aligned with my measurements) and didn’t make any fit alterations, and did the knee length option in the pattern.
I am very pleased with the fit of the dress right out of the printer. Even though I’m 5’1” I chose not to shorten the bodice because I wanted a little of a blouson effect and I’m really happy with how it turned out. The skirt is slightly A-line which creates a pretty drape and the dolman sleeve is comfortable and easy to sew as well. I made my version in a viscose jersey from Lady McElroy that I purchased at my local Stitch Sew Shop, and the fabric has a nice balance of stability, stretch, and drape for this pattern. Though at first glance the Helen dress might seem like a casual spring/summer garment, with the right fabric and accessories this pattern is totally a year round gem.
Once again, I enjoyed the instructions but did make two small changes as I sewed my dress. First, the DIBY instructions have you attach the neckband at the end, which I find more cumbersome because the side seams and skirt are already sewn. Instead, I attach my neckband after I sew my shoulder seams. But kudos to DIBY because they have a link to a video tutorial in the instructions!
Second, instead of a full drawstring, I used elastic in the majority of the waist casing and attached the fabric drawstrings to the ends of the elastic. This way the elastic moves with me and the drawstring doesn’t cut me in half when I sit down, or require untying to get the dress off.
I really enjoyed sewing this dress and trying a Do It Better Yourself Club pattern. I was so impressed with the quality of the pattern—this brand is not getting enough attention for how good their product is! If you’d like to try out one of their patterns they have a range of free patterns, including basic tees for women, men, and kids, as well as leggings and a hi-lo skirt. They also have a few free accessories patterns and a super helpful free guide to sewing knit apparel. And while sometimes designers’ free patterns are bare bones with sparse instructions or only one size, you can be confident that the free patterns are just as thorough and carefully made as their other patterns, so you’ll really get a feel for how they do things. I genuinely can’t recommend them enough, especially if you’re just starting out.
If you want to see other versions of the Helen dress, head here for a gallery of other Helen makes. Thanks for reading along!
