totchipanda

Shortly after I was displaced from my apartment, I mentioned to partner Nicole that I wanted to make stays, but was waffling on patterns. She had purchased Redthreaded's pattern, and I was torn between that (single size) or Scroop Patterns/Virgil's Fine Goods Augusta stays (multi-size and shape options). She bought Augusta since we mostly fit into the same size range.

Admittedly, part of why I wanted this pattern is because my great-grandmother's name was Augusta. The sewing machine she bought that my aunt has now is named after her, and I will keep the name when the machine eventually comes to me.

A couple weekends ago, I decided It Was Time (tm). The condition of the pattern purchase was that I trace out Nicole's size too, which I did first. We haven't had a chance to try her pattern out yet, but a couple weeks ago I did mine!

(I did take pictures, but I'm writing at work and the pictures are on a platform I don't want to log in to here)

I read through the fitting guideline's and Amber's fitting blog post several times before tackling the stays. First I traced off a curvy size for myself, 38 at the bust and grading out to 40 at the waist. I made sure to mark the lengthen/shorten line as I was pretty sure I would need to shorten it. For all that I have a long torso and a petite bust point, this has been a consistent alteration I need to make.

I cut the back on the fold, to allow the fold-over as a gap (total of 3"). After stitching it together, I tried it on. I wanted it a bit loose as the short stays shrank so much with the boning material that I needed to wear them with a stomacher when I wanted them to close. It was definitely not right, far too long in the back over the hips and too tall in front over the bust. Just as I suspected.

I then shortened the pieces and trued up the seam lines, and cut a new mock-up. I can't remember if I graded the bust smaller at this point or after, but I did grade it down another size there. This time I offset the back a smidgen, bringing the "gap" to 2.25". The fit was MUCH better, not so long on the hips in back, not so high in the front. I felt confident enough with it to go ahead and cut the linen layers.

Outer layer waited until Katie's goodie package arrived, and I cut the fashion layer from some gorgeous grey-blue wool she sent. Then I got bored tracing out and marking seam and boning channel lines lol. Hoping to get back to it this weekend.

Please talk me out of handsewing it. I plan to assemble by hand, but that's a loooot of boning channels to do otherwise. Also I really want to bind it in leather, or possibly tape. I have no leather and my tape is in storage, so maybe i need to get some of that too!