I've been making it in bits and pieces over the years and it never came out right. Most of the time this was because I skimped on the materials and tried to find short cuts in the pattern. Then I had a surgery on the schedule ( non-working gall bladder), and this left me with plenty of time to start working up my Flemish dress.
Step number one was the choice to go fully period for a middle/lower class gown and NOT wear any support. No corset, no pair of bodies, not even any boning at the edges for this one. I am one of those with a remarkable upper deck and I wanted to see if things can be successfully supported and controlled without the bones. I still have scars on my hips from a badly fitted corset worn to an anime convention.
Step number two: picking a pattern. After a considerable amount of back and forth with myself, I chose to use Caroline Johnson's kirtle pattern from The Queen's Servants . There is a great deal of arguement about if one should use a waist seam with the kirtle gathered into it under a Flemish gown, or if one should go for a smooth seamless look. I've always been more fond of the seamed theory myself, although the usual turn-back of the skirts and the addition of an apron makes it pretty hard to tell.
Clearly, I would need to add a fabulous hat, pin-on sleeves, a plain apron, and possibly a spindle to get the whole outfit to come together
One of the major reasons I picked this particular pattern however is that I suspect this is the same kirtle style found in one of my favorite portraits of the time.
After I picked the pattern, I asked a friend to drape it on me. As we were both fairly loopy on painkillers at the time, I'm not absolutely sure the pattern is what I'm looking for, but we'll see.I followed the directions on Constructing A 16th Century Flemish Outfit from the Elizabethan Costuming page and have discovered a few things I would recommend.
Sew your lacing rings to a strip of cotton twill tape in order to make sure you have the right number you will need with the correct spacing. I've tried to sew things directly to the gown before and it always gets out of true.
If your dress dummy isn't as tall as you are, there will come a point when you need help with the hem. Get all your layers on and ask for some help BEFORE you destroy a perfectly lovely skirt.
When in doubt, go back and look at the pictures again. There are loads of great dresses out on the internet. Search for images of "Flemish gowns", "Flemish Working Women", or " Flemish market day". Also see if you can find a group of costumers on-line who may have already done whatever you're stuck on and ask. They might have a few handy tricks up their sleeves as well.
In our Next Episode: Can these dress both be ready to wear before the demo on Friday? Will our Heroine remember to leave enough room for her arms in the sleeves?? Can ANYONE remember where I left my basket of spindles???
