totchipanda

Side track: I mentioned my possibly inactive yeast in the last post - I check the jar, and it was best before around the time that the kittens were born, and they are almost 2 years old (laugh-crying emoji)

Around this time last year I was ankle deep in stay-making, so to continue the theme this year, I am once again ankle deep in stay making.

Regency stays

Cut the mock-up of the long stays in size M. The fabric is a thick twilled cotton something, I think actually too heavy for stays. I used the pink thread I'd sewed the short stays with, and it blended in so well that it was really hard to see. I left the front gusset seams open and cut the side gusset slit open. Stitched on my lacing strips and got laced in (rather poorly, my cord wasn't nearly long enough) and tucked the paint stick down the front to mimic the busk.

Needs more room in the back hip and across the front belly. I laced down tightly to get an even gap and that was not ideal. The first gusset area didn't gap much, though the side gusset did. The front got a big ol' wrinkle right at the waist. The bust dug into my belly and though it wasn't uncomfortable for the few minutes I wore it, I can't imagine it will be at all fine when I've been wearing it for a few hours.

Victorian Corset

Put this one back on to test the length again, and it is good. I will be dropping the upper edge half an inch, tested by removing the pokey boning and moving my arm with the edge as-is and with it tucked under, and I preferred it tucked under. I think I still need a little room in the hip, as the side-back waist area was a little wrinkly. I knew this was a problem before, and I was considering adding a gore there. My seams have already been cut, so I was thinking of putting in a gore/gusset.

Edwardian Corset

Tried this one on too for assessment. Hard to tie up as the cord was extremely slippery and by then Calcifer was "helping". The bust is SO big but the waist is snug and the hips need more room, so this needs further thought. I can use the Victorian corset or even the Rilla corset in the mean time (you know, for all of that Edwardian costuming i'm about to do (eyeroll)) This is the Black Snail pattern, so I need to assess if I can adjust this any way, or go for a different one entirely.

Almost didn't remember to take these lol. Mock-up pictures!

It's not boned, and currently made of a heavy twill. The front is cut from a corset I abandoned many years ago (and thank goodness, it was made very poorly, and much too small, for where I am now!). The back is rescued from an Elizabethan bodies that I also abandoned but decided it would make for great lacing strips. Shown over a Regency shift.



Other thoughts: I moved the compression point from the top of the hip gussets to just underneath (the top grommet is level with the top of the gussets). I think it could stand to be longer-waisted somehow? The compression happens across the top of my tummy, nearly at my ribs, and my tummy of course pushes the bottom of the corset forward. I still need to take in the top a smidge, I definitely don't need to expand the hips, but how to fix the waist without losing the look, cuz it's a great look/shape! Maybe it's just the back and side-hip gusset I need to lengthen? The back definitely needs to be widened, the finished edge of the lacing strips are flush with the unfinished back edges and I already have a large lacing gap. I need to account for the boning as well.

Upon further thought and looking at the book again, the only thing it says is that coutil is a single layer, and silk is lined with linen, no mention of layers. The Workwoman's Guide (1838, 1840) indicates up to 4 layers (I think; written speech patterns earlier than the past century confuse my brain). I haven't looked at bustle-era sources yet, but I am tentatively committing to a 2-layer linen with the pretty outer layer.

I thought I'd like to try the Laughing Moon pattern again. I first bought it back in like 2005 or something, when it was still printed on tissue paper. I don't remember if I bought it before or after I'd already made the gored (OOP) Simplicity pattern, but I decided that I didn't want it after all and gave it to my mum. So I don't currently have access to it. Now I'm toying with using the pattern I used last time, modifying the Truly Victorian one to have gores instead of straight seams, somehow figuring out the De Gracieuse pattern, or... Something else? While my brain picks at that, I'm also wondering what linen I'm going to use. I have some 3.5 oz left (DEFINITELY not), some thicker stuff in white (possibly 5 oz), and some mid-weight in raspberry. And an embroidered aqua, and a slightly shiny mid-weight, but those aren't options either.

I still want to make later-18th century stays, too. On the one hand, I'm happy to have things I'm excited to sew, and at the same time, wondering why I want to keep making underwear? Ah well, let's stick to the first feeling lol. I really need to buckle down and make some petticoats!

Woke up this morning in a panic over my con attendance tomorrow. No idea why, aside from Rex. I finished my last bits of sewing last night, so now all I need is a belt for Sunday, which will take me all of 5 minutes. WTF Rex? I'm going to Nicole's tonight to steam all my bits and try them on together, so that will be fun :)