Het Gaat Lijk Lukken Bakken

I have word from the hubby that my new package from my Secret Pal has arrived, and I will open/photo/post tonight!

I got an E-mail today from Master Mordak that he has ordered the parchment and is having it shipped to me. I'm a little frightened of working a piece on a $180 slab'o'goatskin, but I should manage OK. I'm quite delighted that he went with the Chinese Red, since I think it will set off the Russian color palette so beautifully. Now I really must sketch my layout and design. I'm going to hold off on final dimensions until I have the chance to mock up the text and see how much room it REALLY will take. Then adjust upwards a bit to account for the slight furriness of the parchment and the tendency of metallic inks to feather ever so slightly. But at least it will get my rump in gear. And, having tackled that, I should be ready to finish Alaina's Court Barony scroll. I have some theories on Chrysography that I intend to work out and then use for THAT piece.

On to the new costuming obsession. A little art-history research has led me to the conclusion that southern parts of the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, etc) tended more toward Flemish fashions, whilst northern regions (Leiden, Utrect, etc) stuck with a style I'll call more specifically "Dutch." This is a stereotypical example, though I wish I had a larger image:
http://www.artunlimited.com/catalog/catalogItem.do;jsessionid=DC06F72D7336D7591C99E34D6B8ED96E?cataloglist=true&artnr=A3509&pager.offset=5&title=Albrecht%C2%A0Durer%20Young%20Woman%20in%20Netherlandish%20Dress,%201521%20Postcards%20A3509

Whilst this page "contrasting" a Dutch woman with a Flemish peasant has the woman in what we would consider "Flemish" garb - but for the cloak/headpiece:
https://archive.ugent.be/retrieve/75/dutch_vs_flemish.jpg
I'd REALLY like to have more leaves from this book to look at. I do have one other, but no text to go with it, and it's not close enough to read:
http://members.home.nl/textile-collection/weblog/lucas%20d'heere.jpg

This "Dutch" kitchen scene is from one of the artists who, while Dutch, joined the Flemish school of painting. Though I notice dark aprons in this scene I've not seen in typical market scenes from Flemish painters. Still, wish I'd had it at Golden Seamstress when we got knocked for the black apron with the red gown.
http://www.lepg.org/flemmaus.jpg

I've also come to the conclusion that there is a more general "german" gown that crossed regional barriers for the lower classes:
http://www.humanitiesweb.org/human.php?s=g&p=c&a=p&ID=3473

I do also wish I could find one of Durer's works that is off a lady in the Dutch gowns with the level of detail on this one from Nurnberg. This seems to be an earlier gown than the iconic Nurnberg gown with the dark velvet facings and fancy brustfleck that we see later.
http://www.humanitiesweb.org/human.php?s=g&p=c&a=p&ID=3529
And in Color:
http://www.heatherspages.net/Nuremberg%20dress/nuremberg%20images/anurembergladydressedtogotoadance.jpg

What I've come to think of as the more typical Nurnberg gown, with an interesting skirt treatment:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/The_Lady_and_Death.jpg

Despite the title, I can't tell if this is really a "Lady" or in fact a kampfrau. The front of her gown, which is obviously decorative and not intended to close, is interesting.
http://www.humanitiesweb.org/human.php?s=g&p=c&a=p&ID=3545

I'm also starting to suspect that any nobility in the Netherlands wore prevailing Court fashion - probably heavily influenced by the Spanish in the South and the English in the North.

( Short General Non-costuming related Rant )