ktlovely | (no subject) (Reply)

These are probably my favorite pair of stays I've ever made. I used my basic stay block and re-drafted it, following the diagram in Costume Close-Up by Linda Baumgarten and referencing the pair in Fitting and Proper by Sharon Ann Burnston. They're fully boned with reed, except for the center back, at which I used spring steel. I also used four spiral steel bones that I had lying around in a couple of the channels, but it did prove unnecessary.

Because the reed is so light and flexible, I basically forget that I'm wearing stays when I have these on. They're made with two layers of cotton twill with an outer layer of a tobacco-brown linen/cotton blend. I did machine-sew the channels--I'm not that crazy. The binding is just Wright's bias tape. I was going to use leather but couldn't find leather or a reasonable facsimile in a color that I even sort-of liked. I'm interested to see how the binding holds up over time with the reed. The eyelets are hand-bound, which is also something new for me. Again, I'll be interested to see how they hold up over time.

Some of you may know I just finished a pair of stays. The problem was that I hated them. They were great...as long as I didn't move. Or bend. Or really do much of anything. Now, the problem there is that I don't ever do that. Even if I'm wearing my fancy clothes, chances are that I'm going to have to be working. So I needed a new working stay to replace the one I made years ago while working at the fort, as that was is basically disintegrating right off my body a little more each time I wear it. These seem to fit the bill quite nicely; I'm very pleased!

In short, um, I'm slowly becoming a reenactor. Really.

P.S. Pictures are courtesy of