My 18th Century silk stays project
These stays are made using Janice Ryan's Strapless Stays pattern. I am using a gorgeous seafoam green and gold jacquard silk with an ornate Rococo pattern. The silk is lined with light green linen and the linen will also be the interlining and the lining. The topstitch thread is a light blue-green silk thread from Gutebrod (size E, color H33. A little bigger than I wanted, but it's ok). It's expensive ($15/spool) and I'm not sure if Lacis has any more, so I'm trying to conserve it. I'm not sure yet what I'm going to bind the edges with. The stays are boned using 1/4" flat-oval reed splint from the excellent Caning Shop in Berkeley.
Before cutting out the pattern, I realized that my weight would fluctuate by the time the stays were needed at the beginning of February. I got some good advice from the GBACG about how to adjust the pattern and construction in anticipation of weight loss. A further discussion with Ms. Ryan directly convinced me to extrapolate what my measurements will likely be and cut the pattern according to that. As far as the construction goes, it's historically correct to bone the panels first and adjust the seam allowances as needed. I made an additional modification and made them front-opening as well as back. If I haven't lost the anticipated amount of weight by February and they're too small, I can put together a stomacher or something, or leave a gap front and back.
I started out making this entirely by hand, which kept me busy while I was with my family over the Christmas holiday. I finished one and a half out of ten panels. Once back home, sanity returned and I decided that I really don't have that much free time (or extra thread!), so now I'm using a longer stitch and through the sewing machine. Besides, my sewing machine is a better seamstress than I am!
Before inserting the bones, I sand down the sharp tips to ensure that they don't poke out through the fabric.
With any luck (and resistance to the impulse to check my email every 5 minutes), I'll get the stays boned and assembled this weekend. There's a stays fitting gathering in a couple of weeks. I may put together a set with straps and stomacher for that one, but we'll see.
After these are complete, I'm going to put together a chemise according to the instructions provided on the wonderful Marquise website. In LA, I picked up some wonderfully inexpensive ivory cotton lawn, with teal embroidery along the edges. Don't know if the embroidered bits are going to work with these stays, but I'll see how they go together once I'm done with the stays.
Completed and in-progress panels. The one second from the left is the one done entirely by hand.
Detail of stitching. I didn't do that bad of a job with the stitching, but the panel on the right is noticeably "cleaner"
Interior detail of linen and stitching