stays

[robinsnest]

Okay people lets talk stays. I have one pair that I've always worn for all things 16-18th century. I know horribly wrong but close enough for me to get away with it. But I've decided it's time for new stays. For several reasons.

1. I'm fat. My old stays are just not comfortable anymore. 

2. I'm going to be volunteering at a local historical site, dated to 1750, and I want to set a good example. It is a working farm, but they've got the "farm worker" look more than covered, pretty much everyone is in short gowns, and the family took several trips a year into Philadelphia for business so I'm aiming for what the lady of the house would have worn.

3. I have an occation to wear a francaise for the first time evah and I want nice comfy stays so I can look my bestest.


SO, what pattern have you used? 

And Straps vs strapless? What's the deal? Mine currently have straps..and I guess I'd say I like them...I'm prone to slouching so anything to pull my posture up seems smart. But I read a vague reference somewhere when I googled it that strapless stays were for working..so is that more in line with what I should be doing for the historic house? OR could make ones with straps and tie them loosely or tuck them in if I found i needed to do more worky things?

Boning?

Comments

[estela-dufrayse.livejournal.com]

I have been using the really narrow 1/4" wide zip straps for boning. They more closely resemble the baleen boning in stays that I have seen and they are very comfortable, since you can round the edges much more easily than steel.
Haven't had the best of luck with reeds, and I'm not liking the bulky look that many reproductions seem to have when they use reed.

I also am a fan of straps, keeps the girls in place and the stays from sliding around too much as they grow over the day. I have worked hard in mine for up to four days straight, 12 hour days and my body didn't seem to mind too overly much...mind you, it was hard woman's work, not men's work.

[jenlemus.livejournal.com]

I've half way made up JP Ryan's stays with straps. Pregnancy related body changes (and nursing) have put the kibosh on finishing them though. Straps are important for the right middle/upper middle class looks. I did modify it though by making the CF seamless, because I wanted to center a pattern there.

One tip - find someone who has fitted a corset before and make a cardboard mockup. After 10 min or so the cardboard loosens up and really conforms but is still stiff enough to support. Fitting issues become dramatic too, you can really feel when it right. Some of the changes to fit my upper back especially were quite extreme, and knowing them before hand make cutting a heck of all lot easier. You can then play with pattern placement and stripy effects quite simply.

[jennylafleur.livejournal.com]

I'm a big fan of the Diderot stays in Corsets & Crinolines by Norah Waugh. I had to ajust the hips a bit to fit my curves but I love the shape of the bust. :> I'm also a huge fan of straps on 18th century stays, they look so much better (more flattering on curvy gals), give you the right posture and make fitting a gown/jacket much easier IMO.

[mandie-rw.livejournal.com]

Seconding the vote on the Diderot stays in C&C (though my stays were a seriously bastardized version! Better ones are currently in limbo...)! And I like straps on my stays, both for posture and because I'm terrified of potential escaping side-boob. Not that I've much boob to escape!

And I love love love cable ties for boning! For fully boned stays I'd use the narrower ones, but in my half-boned stay, since you can't see the stitching n the outside of the stays, I use the slightly wider ones. Actually, I use cable ties for boning in pretty much everything! Cheaper and easier to cut than steel!

[fiofiorina.livejournal.com]

I am all for the Diderot Stays. Easy to sew, comfortable and pretty :-)
Here you'd find many useful tips on fitting issue - from "muffin tops" to "I've got less than nothing"

http://www.marquise.de/en/1700/howto/frauen/18corset2.shtml

[isabelladangelo.livejournal.com]

I can't recall which pattern I used but I went with strapless because the way the stays are constructed, the tightness of the stays and the way they sit on your hips should keep everything from moving (it does). They aren't necessary and you don't have to deal with the strap showing under the gown issue.

Duct ties for boning. I've used them on both my stays and my Mom's stays. It's comfortable, conforms to your body, can be cut to any length, and it's cheap to work with.