A Dedicated Follower of Fashion

ME: I'm going to just finish binding these stays and then get nice pictures of them before I write my post about them! ALSO ME: NAPPING IS NICE LOL. I should know by now that I should just work with what I have NOW and then add more LATER, or it will never HAPPEN at ALL. So, without further ado, here's a little write-up/review of the Virgil's Fine Goods/ Scroop Augusta stays pattern !  With apparently no pictures of the back or close-ups, oops. At the very end of our last day in costume at CW. And very silly faces, but alas, that's just my face.

This project was started on a total whim, back in March (ahem), I got through about three-quarters of the way through, lost interest, and just came back to them this week, all inspired to finish them! (Thank you, getaway with costumer friends last weekend!) It wasn't for an event, so better late than never?

Just finished these tonight (and I'm posting now! That's got to be some kind of record) - I needed new stays to wear with my as-yet-unfinished chemise gown for an event this Saturday. Well, "needed." More like "wanted." You see, chemise gowns are made of thin fabric, and you can see a bit of the color of the stays through them. And I wanted to strictly keep to a blue-and-white color scheme - and my current pair of 1780s stays are mint green. Dear me, that will never do!

Still playing catchup with this post... I made these stays to wear with the round gown I'm currently making (well, actually, I'm currently ignoring it because I'm annoyed with it). I actually started with the pattern for my 1780s stays, and started chopping. And then added bust gussets. They're made of two layers of mid-weight linen and boned with a few cable ties. Hand-sewn, for no good reason, really. The balls on the back (hee. balls. I still think they're funny) are from a pair of 1790s stays in Corsets and Crinolines ...I thought they were a pretty good idea, since that means I don't have to mess around with pinning a little bustle pad to the dress every time.

I made these in May (I think) 2010, because I wanted to make a 1780s dress and my 1770s stays simply would not do! I'm one of those people when it comes to the 18th century...and I kind of like making stays! They're from the 1780 stays pattern in Norah Waugh's Corsets and Crinolines , and are boned with cable ties. Construction: the ties were sandwiched between two layers of cotton canvas, and then that interlining had the green dupioni outer layer placed on top, the eyelets were (hand) sewn, the edges bound in pink shantung, and the green linen lining was sewn in last.