Hallie Larkin provides the pattern, and walks us through the construction and authentic replication of these late 18th c stays which were featured last month.

Fit and Construction

Fitting Stays

This first section will discuss the most difficult aspect of making stays, which is the fit. Fully boned stays can mold the modern body into a good shape, but they cannot totally transform our developed ribcages into the shape achieved in the 18th century through the wearing of stays from childhood. It is imperative that good measurements are taken, and a mockup is made of the stays for fitting. These two steps are essential for a proper fit.

Measurements

Your measure must be taken by another person. It is difficult to achieve an accurate measure by yourself. Since all of your work is going to be based on these measures, it is worth your time to find someone to help you on this important first step. All measures should be taken whilst wearing a well fitting bra.

Measures you'll need:

Bust: Over the fullness of the breasts while wearing a well fitting bra.

Waist: Use an elastic tied around your waist, move around until it settles at your true waist. Take the measure ½" above your natural waist. These stays reflect the rising waistline of the last quarter of the 18th century.

Underarm to Waist: With thumb extended, place hand directly into armpit and measure from the bottom of the fingers to the previous waist measure.

Center Front: From the top of where the stays will start above the nipple and slightly above the fullness of the breasts, down to approximately 3-4 inches (8-10cm) below the waist.

Center Back: From approximately 5 inches (12cm) below the nape of the neck to 3-4 inches (8-10cm) below the waist.

 

Adjusting the Pattern

 

Stays compress the body 3 inches on each half for a total of 6 inches at the bust and waist. Leaving a two inch gap in the back, one inch is taken from the back, and two inches from the bust. We will be working on one half of the pattern. If you have a severe difference between one side of your body to the other, then you will have to do these steps for each half of the body.

Bust: Deduct three inches from the 1/2 measure (ie. work out half your bust measurement, minus 3").

Draw a line equal to that measure. Mark the center.

Arm to Waist: Measure down from the bust line the length of the underarm to waist measure, starting at the marked center point of the bust measure.

Waist: Deduct three inches from the 1/2 measure (ie. work out half your waist measurement, minus 3"), draw a line parallel to the bust measure, centering it under the bust measure and at the level of the underarm to waist measure.

Center Front: Take a ruler and draw a line at an angle from above the bust to below the waist, connecting the bust-waist lines.

Center Back: With a ruler, draw a similar angled line connecting bust and waist measure.

You now have a guideline for enlarging or decreasing your pattern pieces.

The supplied pattern is based on 1 square per inch.

• Enlarge the pattern pieces on a grid or a copy machine, making sure that the enlargement is true.
• Do not try to straighten out the curves of the pattern pieces.
• There is no seam allowance supplied, the seam allowance will be added when the pieces are cut.

I use the slash and spread method of enlarging patterns. It is not recommended to enlarge this pattern beyond a 42 inch bust. This pattern is also not recommend to figures that do not have at least a 6 inch differential between bust and waist. In other words if your bust is 34 and your waist is 32, this is not going to be a good pattern design for your body type.

Download: Stays pattern and Boning channel diagram (ZIP)

Make a Fitting Muslin:

 

It is imperative to make a fitting muslin or toile to determine whether your pattern adjustments have been done correctly, whether you have allowed the proper amount of compression and have at least a 1½ to 2 inch gap in the back for lacing. Leaving this space allows the back to be laced snugly with tension, otherwise the stays just will not form properly to the body, or provide only minimal shaping.

Use a heavy duty canvas or cotton duck, inexpensive but sturdy. Do not use a stretchy fabric. Sew the pieces together, placing a few strategic boning channels at center front and center back. You can use any sort of boning for this, steel or plastic will work as well as reed. Mark your lacing holes and puncture with an awl. Lace them up fully.

Make any adjustments necessary to the toile and then transfer those adjustments to your pattern pieces.

 

Materials

Fashion Fabric

 Many costumers make flamboyant, colorful and fancy choices for the outer or fashion fabric layer of the stays. Most extant fourth quarter 18th century stays are just the opposite. There are a few silk damask covered and/or worsted, but the majority of survivors are cotton or linen twill in shades of brown, white and beige. Fortunately for us, this covering is available and inexpensive, and frequently found at local stores (such as Jo-Ann's in the US). One yard of fashion fabric is enough for most figures.

Inner Linen Layer

 Ordinary linen is stretchy and will not do the job. I only use Ulster linen canvas or artist’s canvas for staymaking. It is expensive but it works the way the fabric must work to hold the shape of the bones, with minimal stretching. Do not wash either the fashion fabric or the linen layer. One and a half to two yards is required for the linen layer.

Boning 

 Since the channels of these later fashion stays are so tiny (5mm), ordinary products will not go through the channels or are not available in narrow widths. Artificial whalebone is available in 4mm widths from Wissner Co., 5mm widths from Farthingales LA, and 6mm width from Vena Cava Design in the UK.

A less expensive option is to use reed or ash boning products and make your channels the appropriate width to accommodate these materials.

Brickhouse Baskets - brown ash staves
HH Perkins - half round oval reeds
Nantucket Basket Supplies - oak staves

Binding

These particular stays are bound with blue cotton tape. It is also very acceptable to use white leather binding on fourth-quarter stays. Narrow one inch strips work best.

Lining

A lightweight linen or linen/cotton fabric is best. Linen can be check or plain weave.

Threads

 If you are machine sewing your channels, using a heavier thread on top of the channels, with ordinary thread in the bobbin. This gives a more handsewn appearance to the stays. Use a jean or heavy duty thread, and try several brands until you find one that works well with your machine.  A sturdy linen thread is needed for making the eyelet holes and assembling the stays. Handsewn channels will require a silk twist. Utica Thread has a wide variety of colors.

 

Construction

Please read through the entire section on construction before starting your stays. Lay out your layers of fabric, fashion fabric on top and two linen layers on the bottom. Press all layers together to help the layers adhere to each other. Lay flat and place your pattern pieces on top, leaving 1 inch of space between pattern pieces for seam allowances, following the grain lines on your pieces as much as possible with an eye to economy of fabric. Be careful to lay out a right and a left of each piece. The back piece needs a two inch allowance on the center back. Trace around each pattern piece with quilter's chalk (do not use tailor’s chalk). Cut each pattern piece out, leaving a ½" seam allowance around each piece.
Boning Channels Sew the boning channels following the diagram opposite. Decide whether you are using ¼" channels or 5mm channels. Machine sewn channels work well and if this is your first pair of stays, I truly advise not devoting the time needed to hand sew channels. Follow the boning diagram: do not be creative while sewing the channels. You may end up with more or fewer channels based on the size of your stays, but the general direction and location of the channels should not change. If you are using a natural product like reed or pounded ash, you can run the bones through top and bottom seam allowances and then trim.
Seam Allowances When all the pattern pieces' channels have been sewn and the bones have been inserted, bring the seam allowance to the back and with doubled thread and large whipping stitches, attach the seam allowance to the back of each piece. Use the chalked edge as your guide. (the back piece is treated differently, see Lacing Hole instructions). Assembling the pieces: Start at center front and sew the pieces together by HAND, by butting the finished seam allowances together and joining each piece to the next with a whipstitch.
Lacing Holes Using the lacing holes guideline, mark your lacing holes with chalk. Turn the two inch seam allowance to the INSIDE, pressing down along the edge to form a crease. Open out the fold and cut out the innermost layer of the seam allowance along the fold line. This will eliminate some bulk. Attach the the seam allowance to the back piece, as you did with the other pieces. Make your holes, prior to setting in the boning, using an awl through all layers and a whipstitch to make each eyelet. Do not use a buttonhole stitch. Use doubled linen thread, heavily waxed. Press: From the inside, using a steam iron, press each butted seam to smooth each join. Channel Tape: The unattractive joined seams should be covered. Leather strips or ¼" cotton or linen tape are the best options. The channel tapes need to be done prior to applying your binding.
Binding Using cotton tape or white leather, work from the right side of the stays, right sides of the leather and stays together. Sew to the top and bottom edges of the stays, easing around the tabs and curves. Do not sew the binding on with a sewing machine. This will take time, especially with the leather; it may take 6-9 hours of handsewing. [Use Cathy Hay's free binding tutorial at Your Wardrobe Unlock'd to help you around the corners and curves. - Ed.] Optional: A layer of pinked leather can be placed under the arms, as in the original stays. The leather is also functional, as under the arms can be a place where stays can rub and become uncomfortable.
Interior Re-enforcements The re-enforcements found in the original stays are whalebone, which forces us to find substitutes. In place of the wide baleen bone running across the bust, you can use hooping steels (¾") or 1 inch cane. Bend the steel or cane to the degree of roundness appropriate for your stays. A scrap of linen folded in half is used to encase the bone and it is this scrap which is attached to the interior of the stays. The wide paddle shaped piece of baleen on the stomach section of the stays can be pasteboard or heavy leather. Using an awl, poke holes in the stomacher piece and attach as shown. Sewing these pieces in is difficult, and large, sloppy stitches are completely authentic!
Your stays will now be permanently curved in the bust and will not lay flat on the table.
Linen Lining The loose linen lining is applied in three large sections. No pattern is provided as the lining is individual to each pair of stays. Use a plain linen or linen check fabric. One half yard (half metre) of a 50-60 inch (115-150cm) wide fabric should be sufficient. There is one large piece of lining covering the front section and two side and back sections. The lining is applied by hand sewing to the inside of the stays. Keep the stays in your lap in a rounded shape as you lay in the lining. If you try to do this on the flat, excess fabric will end up bunching up and could be uncomfortable. Each finger (tab at the waist) is lined individually.
Finished! Your stays should fit comfortably, yet snugly. Because you assembled your stays in the period manner, if any changes need to be made over time, the adjustments will be much simpler. Following the period construction, while time consuming, pays for itself with the first repair or adjustment. Approximate time to complete a pair of stays with machine sewn channels is 40 hours. If this is your first pair, then expect to spend 50-60 hours to complete the stays.

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