The Mariposa Dress – Crochet Pattern Review

This is a crochet pattern review of the Mariposa Dress designed by Alanna of Hippydaze. Review done by Emily of Crochet Aweigh for Cre8tion Crochet.

Find the crochet pattern review below, or click here to purchase the pattern from Hippydaze on Ravelry!

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It’s me, Emily with Crochet Aweigh.

I’m back with another beautiful dress pattern!  This is such a fun make for the summer. Can’t you see yourself lounging on the beach, on a cruise, or at a vacation resort in a dress like this? It is made-to-measure in order to accommodate all shapes and sizes, and can be made long or short.  Considered an intermediate pattern, The Mariposa Dress looks intricate, but once you get to the waist it is a simple 6 row repeat until you reach your desired length. The pattern then ends with 2 edge options – one for the short style, and one for floor length.

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What Materials Do You Need to Crochet a Maxi Dress?

• Approximately  750 – 1,800 meters (depending on which size you are making and which length you choose) of Sport weight yarn
• E4/3.5mm Crochet Hook or size needed to obtain gauge
• Scissors and yarn needle for weaving ends
• Tape Measure
• Thin Elastic – not required, but definitely recommended!
• The Mariposa Dress Paid Crochet Pattern from Hippydaze

Material Notes:

For my dress I chose Twister in Iris from Hobbii Yarn. It is a cotton/acrylic blend. I also purchased Twister Solid in color 128 for the top portion. The really cool thing about Hobbii’s Twister yarn is the coordinating colors. Choose any color of the Twister yarn, and in the item’s details section they list every color of twister solid that coordinates with the Ombre cake. Therefore, when you are working on a project such as this one you can match up the colors exactly. This dress is done from the top down, made in 2 parts, and then connected under the bust. Using only an Ombre yarn would be difficult because your two halves wouldn’t be the same color, nor would it blend perfectly when the parts connect. By purchasing the coordinating solid I was able to use it to make the two top pieces, and then I switched to the cake yarn when connecting the 2 pieces under the bust.

I did end up purchasing a second Twister cake, because I ran out of the first one about halfway through the length of the dress. I started with the blue color and worked towards the purple, so when attaching the second cake I started with the purple so it would match up. I used about half of the second cake in order to get the floor length.

Overall I was very pleased with this yarn. I haven’t used it before and I was surprised by how soft, yet lightweight the garment became. Another thing that makes this yarn unique is the massive amount of yardage in every skein. Each skein is 250 grams/1,000 meters/1,094 yards which is perfect for large projects. Personally, I have not encountered any other fingering weight Ombre yarn with this much yardage. It had more stretch than I was expecting. Next time I make this dress I will go a little smaller on my stitch count.

How Long Does it Take to Crochet a Maxi Dress?

I worked on this on and off for about 2 months in between other projects. I timed myself while working and it took me almost 29 hours for my size.

Gauge:

The gauge is 18 stitches by 18 rows of the 6 row repeat.  She gives instructions to foundation single crochet 18 and provides instructions to check the swatch. I started with the recommended E/3.5mm, but ended up going up a hook size to F/3.75mm. I didn’t realize until later that I hadn’t completed my swatch to the fullest instructions, which is why it seemed small. However since the garment is made to measure it all worked out anyways. I just ended up purchasing more yarn than originally anticipated.

Pattern Notes:

My biggest tip: do not skip the measuring step in the beginning! I dislike taking my measurements, but for this pattern it is crucial! Write them all down so you don’t have to keep remeasuring every so often.

You start with the straps and work your way down to the bust. After making two identical straps/bust parts there are instructions to connect them by chaining around the back. It was at this point that I switched from the solid to the Ombre twister. She has instructions to add elastic after connecting the busts. I definitely recommend you do this. I did not have any on hand; I chose to omit it so I was able to continue on with the project without stopping to go to the store. I wish I had taken the time to get the elastic so that the fit under my bust would be better. I did compensate by doing a decrease in the final edging around the neckline and back. I may still crochet a chain cord and use it as a waist tie.

There was one error that I found in the pattern that was very confusing. I sent Alanna a message on Ravelry to make her aware. Round 1 of step 41 is written as working in only the chain 2 spaces, where in actuality you are working in the chain 2 spaces and the double crochet of the previous round. She does provide a photo on the next page so you can see how it is supposed to look. Round 5 of step 41 also has the same error. I tried it as written at first and the skirt tightened up incredibly so it was obvious that there was something off. Make sure for these rounds you are doing one shell in a chain 2 space and the next shell in the double crochet.

One more detail is I sewed up about 2 inches between the bust cups since I don’t want to show too much cleavage. Once that was done I completed the picot edge.

This crochet pattern is marvelous for someone looking to become more comfortable with made-to-measure garments.  Alanna does a wonderful job of providing thorough instructions to adapt the dress to your particular body shape. The color combinations are infinite!  Make sure to check out her other designs. She has so many to offer and all the ones I have seen are made to measure, which is so special because anyone can make something that fits their body. Drop a comment below to tell me what colors you are choosing for your Mariposa Dress!

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