The Sunshine Stays

This was my first ever pair of stays, so I learned new things about sewing techniques, i. e. hand-sewing with linen thread that you coat with beeswax just before sewing or making eyelets. I started with the Simplicity pattern 8162 of American Duchess, and I read quite a few articles at Foundations Revealed, not only about extant examples but also about the actual construction of stays. The most extensive part were the mock-ups, because I needed three of those to not only figure out the pattern fit but also for finding my way through the maze of the making process. I chose the front lacing version and ended up by lengthening the pattern pieces a little bit. In place of the historically ever-present linen, I used cotton canvas for the interlining layers and a cotton duvet as fashion fabric. The construction took quite a while, not only because of the elaborate mock-up-process, but also because I had to try making time for the project around my already busy workdays. Hand-sewing the boning channels of the pieces separately gave me the freedom to take my project with me and work on it while commuting or taking short breaks. It took longer as expected over-all but felt not too overwhelming. For my first ever pair of stays I am quite happy with the result, because I learned so much. But as practise makes perfect, I am now eager to dive deeper into the world of corsetry.