1780s stays

I don't know if you guys are starting to get tired of me posting about underwear but here's one more post about stays. I know a lot of people don't like making stays but the reason why I have sewed so many of them during the past year or so is that it's actually really fun to try out different kinds of patterns and to see the result in how changes in the pattern change the shape of your body. I've been pretty quiet about this project and the reason why I never wrote about it on the blog was…

1780s stays from Norah Waugh

In Part 2 of this tutorial we got to a point where your stay pieces were joined together. Now it's time to whip stitch the seam allowances down after the fitting session (and doing possible alterations, as in my case replacing the front panels with wider panels). Shortly after finishing this part of the construction, I learned from 18thcenturystays that you could also double the thread as it's stronger than single thread (so you can do that). After that, it's time to mark the places for the…

Historical costuming

As promised, here is the blog post on the making of my new 1780s linen stays. I began draping the pattern on April 3, and finished building the final stays this past Tuesday, June 9th. A loose estimate suggests that I spent over 300 hours on these stays, including sourcing fabric, dyeing fabric, patterning, and stitching, but not including research. Next time it won't take quite so long, since I have the pattern and have now gone through the staymaking process twice. My mannequin at school…

I made another pair of stays! This pair is a reaction to many of the things that went wrong or that I didn’t like about The Stays of Fail (which I’ve posted a whole series about: the ba…

Rococo Atelier

Historical 18th century style corset with lacing on the back. The half-boned stays are designed using a pattern from the era, only slightly modernised. The straps in this model are adjustable. Metal boning provides structure and support, creating the iconic silhouette of the era. I offer a custom made copy of this corset in any fabric you like. We can discuss all the available options to pick a perfect one for you. When choosing a corset size, please go for your natural waist measurement…

1740's stays pieces.

My friend came over yesterday and she helped me to take better photos of my earlier 1780's stays. Check them out here! I've now sewn the pieces of the new stays together and I got to try them on a couple of days ago. This was the result: I had made the the front too small and there wasn't enough space for bust. The figure was all too flat when the stays were laced completely. So, I opened the lacing leaving a gap at the upper edge of the center front, as seen in the picture, to achieve the…

Where to buy materials for the Augusta Stays - The Dreamstress

In last week’s (well, almost week before lasts at this point!) Five for Friday post, when I discussed transitional stays, and succumbing to the temptation to make ‘reenactor style’ Regency stays (whic

In last week’s (well, almost week before lasts at this point!) Five for Friday post, when I discussed transitional stays, and succumbing to the temptation to make ‘reenactor style’ Regency stays* (which, you will be pleased to hear, I have not!), I didn’t make it clear what either was. So naturally, people asked! I was going to just write about transitional stays and reenactor stays, but how can you write about a transition if you don’t show what something is transitioning from, and towards?…

Manchester Art Gallery 1947.1622

Explore koshka_the_cat's 9501 photos on Flickr!

This project was started on a total whim, back in March (ahem), I got through about three-quarters of the way through, lost interest, and ju...

Front lacing stays, glazed green wool with a pink trim, made in Britain, 1790-1795

1780S