Finished Project: HotPatterns 1121 - Riviera Cote D' Azur Knit Dress & a HotPatterns Giveaway!

A little while back, when I'd ordered the updated peasant blouse pattern from HotPatterns, I was accidentally shipped a copy of the Riviera Cote D'Azur dress, top, and tunic. I'd actually made up the top version of this pattern a few years ago and didn't need a second copy, so I contacted the folks at HotPatterns and asked if they'd prefer me to ship the duplicate back to them or if I could do a giveaway on my blog. They said that I could go ahead and do a giveaway! (This also happens to be the first giveaway that I've done on this blog.)

For the unfamiliar, here's the envelope/line drawing for this pattern. The Cote D'Azur includes a top, tunic, and dress view:

HotPatterns Cote D'Azur Knit Dress, Tunic, and Top

Knowing that I'd be able to give away a copy of this pattern inspired me to make another version. Whereas I made the top version initially (which unfortunately, suffered from poor placement of a floral print, which appeared to give me nipple blossoms), this time I opted to make the dress:

HP Cote D'Azur dress

We were unable to get a dog-less shot yesterday, so we've got a standard dog photobomb in this pic.

For this dress, I used a cotton-rayon spandex blend jersey from Girl Charlee. It's a little on the lightweight side, but I don't mind for a longer dress like this. The dark background and print help to camouflage lumps and bumps that might otherwise be visible in a lightweight knit.

Fit and sizing

I'm 5'2", and I wanted a longer dress, so I didn't do any shortening on this version. On the envelope, you can see that the dress hits the model a little below the knee. I knew from reading other online reviews that the dress version ran long (and I recalled that my pre-hemmed top version was quite long, as well). I was hoping to get a maxi-length in back, and I did. The front of the hi-low hem hits just below the wides part of my calf.

Cote D'Azur - back view

Sizing-wise, I started with my typical-for-HotPatterns size 18 through the neck and shoulders, and graded to a 22 from the bust on down. (The HP size chart puts me in a 22.) Whereas some HP knit patterns run a little large, I found this one to be true to size.

Dress/pattern details

As you can see from the line drawing, the dress/top has a ruching detail down the CF seam. This ruching provides really nice shaping over the bust. I feel like the girls look extra "perky" in this dress, even wearing a typical old bra.

The dress and tunic versions both use a faced hem, rather than a flip-and-stitch hem. Since I was using a lightweight fabric, I interfaced my hem facing with a lightweight fusible tricot interfacing (from Fashion Sewing Supply). The faced hem adds weight and stability to the hem. I love the "swooshy" feeling that I get from my hem in this dress version.

Even without a separate waist seam, the general shape of the dress is fit-and-flare. But given the gentle shaping at the waist, I think that this dress would work well on most figure types. (If you google reviews/posts for this dress, you'll find a lot of supporting evidence for this.

A few notes about HotPatterns

If you're interested in the pattern giveaway but are unfamiliar with HotPatterns, here are a few things to be aware of:

• HotPatterns sizing is generally similar to RTW. All patterns include sizes 6-26.
• Their patterns are printed on sturdy paper, with all sizes nested.
• HotPatterns instructions are generally more of the "order-of-construction" variety, expanding down to the more-detailed level when there's an important technique/step. For this particular pattern, if you've sewn a few knit tops or dresses, I think you'll be fine.

Entering the giveaway

If you're interested in the pattern giveaway, just post a comment telling me whether you've ever sewn a HotPattern before and why you'd like to win this pattern. Please post your comment by Saturday, August 30th.

I will use a random number generator to select a winner, which I'll announce here. You can then send me your address, and I'll ship the pattern to you. I'm not restricting this giveaway to the US, so I'd love to see my readers from Australia and elsewhere enter, too.

Note that while we have a non-smoking home, I do have cats who are allowed into my sewing room. I've kept them away from this pattern, but it has been in the same room as them.