New Stays on the Way
In the midst of scrambling to sew for Gettysburg, I attended the Burnley and Trowbridge stays workshop this weekend. It was incredibly helpful for my job to learn more about measuring and fitting various body types for period support garments and I'm looking forward to trying out the techniques at work. It also meant getting to finally start a new pair of stays for myself, which I haven't had since before my internship over four years ago. They are made of pale yellow wool and will be partially boned. They fit so comfortably and I couldn't be happier with how they are turning out. But it's back to Gettysburg sewing before I can finish them!
I look pretty wretched in these pictures because I was in frantic workshop mode the whole time, but I think my stays look good so far, even without any boning in them!
Pictures by Burnley and Trowbridge.
Taking the measure in our shifts. This workshop also required me to stop putting off making a new shift. It's not the shift I wanted to make (I want one with cuffs at the elbow) but it's the one I had time to make...
Stays in progress! The pattern is based on the red damask stays from the V&A, but I won't be doing the same boning arrangement in the front. I had to adjust the original pattern for length (needed to be much longer) and width (-1" in the bust and -2" in the waist), but these were much easier adjustments than I expected to have to make.
I look pretty wretched in these pictures because I was in frantic workshop mode the whole time, but I think my stays look good so far, even without any boning in them!
Pictures by Burnley and Trowbridge.
Taking the measure in our shifts. This workshop also required me to stop putting off making a new shift. It's not the shift I wanted to make (I want one with cuffs at the elbow) but it's the one I had time to make...
Stays in progress! The pattern is based on the red damask stays from the V&A, but I won't be doing the same boning arrangement in the front. I had to adjust the original pattern for length (needed to be much longer) and width (-1" in the bust and -2" in the waist), but these were much easier adjustments than I expected to have to make.