Flemish Gown Ensemble
"The Remaining Pieces"

11-24-03:  After a bit of discussion on the yahoo group that SG moderates for our Flemish class, I believe I will back-track a bit and re-do the skirt attachment on the outer gown after all.  Michaela of The Frazzled Frau started me thinking about a "trapezoid" rather than rectangular shape for the skirt that should correct the drape of the front edges just enough.  I think I also agree with her that a rectangular skirt of some form would have been more typical than circular for the field-hand social status I was aiming for, as it would use significantly less fabric.  If you look at the picture to the right, you can see how the front corners want to pull back to accommodate my, ah, generous hips.  Let me also throw in here that I wanted to mention that some of the bell shape you see in my kirtle can be attributed to (don't ask me why we did it that way now) my coutuille interlining going all the way down to just above my knees!  Gives me a nice flair right off the hips, don't you think?  So sexy!  On the other hand, I think the added flare gives a really nice shape to the skirt of the outer gown...  Anyway, I'll start the journal off by re-doing this skirt.  I plan to re-use this fabric for the outer gown pin-on sleeves.

12-14-03:  Well, I've tried to do a bit more poking around about the construction of rolled pleats for some clues on how not to make it look so bulky.  Drea Leed's blurb about them on her pleats page talks about laying the roll flat after you've wound it up, duh.  She also suggests using at least 5" of fabric for each pleated inch, and my first skirt only used 3", so I will make this change as well.  I have gone ahead and detached the old skirt from my bodice.  I guess with using more fabric for the pleats, I'll have to break down and get more of the cotton quilting batting I was using to plump out the pleats, drat!  Ah well...  I'm sure I'll need more on some other German gown I make in the future anyway.

12-16-03:  Picked up the batting today, guess I'll be cutting out the new skirt this week after all.  I'm hanging the pieces over the back of my chair in the kitchen so I don't walk away from it...  I think I'll also make this skirt about 2" longer, too, so it's still shorter than the kirtle, but not by as much.  Here's a detail from Haymaking by Bruegel that I've been using for inspiration.

1-6-04:  Well, that was a bit more of a hiatus than I'd planned.  Those darn holidays, always getting in the way!  I always get my most productive sewing done at SG's anyway...  So I went ahead and cut out the new skirt attachment, in "trapezoid" form, and assembled it:  cotton batting, outer fabric and lining, as you can see from the pic to the right.  I formed the trapezoid in a pretty unscientific way:  I looked at the pictures of the old skirt attachment, and thought, hm, if the bottom edge were about 11" longer, the front opening might hang straighter.  So I marked 11" extra to both sides of the bottom edge, and then ran a straight line from the top edge to the bottom marks, making my trapezoid.  I trimmed back the batting at the seams before I turned everything to reduce bulk, and finished all the edges.  Not a bad afternoon's work.

2-7-04:  And yet another big gap!  This time it was the move got in the way.  Excuses, excuses, but at least I have a sewing room again...  I've got to hustle now, though, because I want to wear this ensemble to Estrella War next weekend.  Seems like a good day to throw the skirt attachment on, seeing as how I'm sitting around on the couch doing nothing but nursing a wicked cold courtesy my daughter.  Mom swears both our immune systems will start building up any time now, but I'm beginning to have my doubts...  Anyway, here's a shot of my roll pleats, don't look very snazzy, but they sure hang and bulk out right when the garment's on.  I sewed the pleats first, seven of them centered at my back, with a not very nice looking change in direction on the 4th one.  Basically, I folded the fabric over at the point where each pleat was to start, leaving an extra inch loose at the bottom, so that the fold took up 4" of fabric, 2" on each side of the fold.  Then  I rolled down to the bottom of the fold, and folded the roll over the last inch, smooshing the roll onto that inch to flatten it a bit.  I tacked the rolls into place by hand as I went along.  It came out right first try, that is, the pleated edge matched the bodice bottom edge measurement exactly when I was done.  Next, I sewed the skirt attachment to the bodice, by hand, obviously, by butting the skirt attachment up against the bodice and whip stitching it into place.  I stitched along the outside and along the lining, too, the attachment is VERY secure.  With the pleats smooshed like that, it stitched on very well, no strange gapping along the lining edge where the pleats were like last time.  I'm very pleased with how it looks, the pleats poof out nicely, and everything hangs the way I had hoped, though I haven't actually tried the whole ensemble yet.  It's actually pretty chilly out right now, so I think I better throw the sleeves together so I don't freeze next weekend.

2-11-04:  The sleeves are pretty basic.  I traced off this pattern from one of SG's detached sleeves, um, I think from her "basic Faire wear" bodice that you can see on her site, when she, ah, gets it back up and running again...  I neatened up all the lines from my sketch, and then added an inch in length, I think my arms are just a teeny bit longer than hers, besides, I like a little "extra" length on sleeves, personally.  Actually, I think I'll cut in some extra length on my smock sleeves, too, eventually, they're definitely shorter than I like, and all that hand smocking and ruffle isn't going to show out of the end of the pin-on sleeves when I wear them, grrr...  In going back over my fabric leavings from the outer gown, I found some smaller loose pieces that are big enough for the sleeves, so I guess I'll save the old skirt attachment for a tunic for Lindy or something.  I seem to have quite a bit of fabric left over here, even without the first skirt attachment.  I assembled the sleeves in the obvious way, pressing and turning as appropriate, and hand-stitching the cuff edge.  Such simple garments, but I like how nice they look.  Well, this should get me through Estrella.  Hopefully I can get pictures of everything on while I'm there.  Still want to do a black partlet, but I don't think I'll do a pointy one after all, I really like my white one, so I'll just do another one of those.  Also need to lengthen the smock sleeves, and do a jacket. 

2-20-04:  Well, we didn't get pictures, sorry, but boy did we get a lot of compliments!  I'll try to get some pictures this weekend while SG is here.  Estrella was just awesome, amazing costumes, great classes, lots of vendors, visiting friends and good times.  Who had time for pictures?

2-23-04:  OK, we got some pictures while we were at fair this weekend.  Clicking on the picture to the right will take you to the updated gallery.  Enjoy!

4-12-04:  I haven't been doing much on this gown lately but wear it, but I'm going to have to do the pointy partlet now:  SG got me one of the awesome dress hooks that she had cast from an antique original.  Isn't it beautiful?  I can't wait to add this accessory, now.  I'll have to do it before the collegium in Concord we're going to in June where SG is giving a talk on Flemish costuming.

5-12-04:  Yay!  I finished the new wired kerchief!  This looks SO posh, I can't wait to try it.  Clicking on the picture to the right will take you to the "kerchief" page.

6-13-04:  While SG was here today she draped a black partlet for me, so I have finished this in time for Collegium Nebularum, yay!  Here's the front, and here's the back.  You'll have to wait for new ensemble pictures til after the collegium, that's when I'll have all the pieces on again next, oh well.