In Nijmegen, the city where I live, we have a yearly event called the International Four Days Marches (Nijmeegse Vierdaagse, or 4Days Marches). A colleague of mine would be participating for the 30th(!) time and she wanted to wear something special during the last day, when crossing the finish line. So she asked me to make her a dress… made of 4Days Marches flags!
The design wasn’t going to be complicated: a straight bodice with a knee-length shirt and puff sleeves (and the latter we eventually decided to leave out) – the challenge would be in the material. I had never before made clothing from flags, and I figured the sturdy polyester might not only be very sweaty and scafing when wearing, it could also be hard to process. But I like a challenge! 😊
There was also the thing that flags cannot be ordered by the meter. I had to first draft a pattern and then figure out what sizes of flags we’d need, and find webshops that sold these sizes for not too much money. To make it more manageable, I first drew the pattern on a 1/4th scale, and also drew the differently sized flags that we found for sale online, on a 1/4th scale. And then the puzzle started!
My colleague preferable wanted the orange lines of the flag to not run neatly across the dress. If I’d do that with the bodice, I’d need much bigger flags and the dress would become too expensive, but I was able to cut the skirt on the bias of the flag (which you’re officially not allowed to do, as it makes the fabric flow less pretty, but this wasn’t going to become a couture dress anyway).
Here’s the result, worn over a petticoat that she provided herself:
And yes, she did finish the 4Days Marches once more, and the dress was a hit! 💪
