Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Costume ADD has struck again, and hard. I have had lots of fun in the late 1790’s, but it is once again time to go back a little ways.
You may remember the orange stays with the green trim I made in 2008. Well, they have never fit quite right, plus I made them before I really knew how to fit patterns to my frame. So, it’s time to make a new pair so I can make more outfits from the 1780’s.
I’m using the JP Ryan Half-Boned Stays pattern as a guide. But, as usual, I couldn’t manage to leave it unscathed. I’ve decide the stays need to be both front and back lacing. It’s just too cumbersome to jimmy my way in and out of my back lacing stays, especially when I need to do a dress fitting when hubby isn’t around to lace me in properly. I also made my last pair too long for my torso. I needed to shorten the length by about 2 inches so it fits at my waist and doesn’t dig into my arm-pits when I sit. My other issue with my old stays was that the bust was too large and the waist was not quite large enough, so the back wasn’t strait when laced. I think my final caveat was the front was too wide and the straps dug into the front of my shoulders.
So, with all of these things taken into consideration I started drafting and adjusting the pattern last night. I have a basic mock-up on my dress form that I’m fairly happy with. I’m planning on making a final mock-up out of cardboard, so I can get an idea of the comfort of the stays and make adjustments accordingly. So, that is the plain du’ jour. Here are the pics thus far :-)
The general inspiration. These stays lace about 1/2 down the front, I plan to lace mine all the way down the front. I’m not sure what color I will use, but I’m thinking the blue silk from my last project and white binding will be lovely.
The side of my mock-up.
The front. I originally made a full mock-up, but when I adjusted the pattern I tested the half mock-up on my dress form.
The back… I’m thinking I’m going to lower the neckline on the back a bit. I’m going to test it first with the cardboard mock-up and then we’ll see.
I will keep you all posted as it progresses. Have a great rest of your week. God Bless!
Love Lauren
Posts
3 Witty Sentiments:
Yay for stays! You seem to have it all neatly planned and I'm looking forward to the progress! I hope you had a happy Easter with your dear ones!
And yay for the 1780s!
Looking good so far - I have to say I'm selfishly very happy that you're going to be showing us some pretty 80s things as it's probably my favourite fashion decade of my favourite century!
Back- AND frontlacing stays for the win!
I'm so in love with mine and don't know how I managed with my old backlacing pair. =)
Post a Comment