Corded stays

This year, I am participating in The Historical Sew Monthly, formerly The Historical Sew Fortnightly. I am going to do my best to finish each project on time and also actually blog about said proj…

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 ju...

I’ve been on a sewing roll in 2019 and my latest project is a pair of early 19th century stays. As fashion moved towards a neoclassical influence around the turn of the century, the undergarments worn also evolved. Instead of shaping the torso into a conical shape ( like my first pair of stays ), th

I’ve always wanted some stays, but was too intimidated to make them. I finally bit the bullet. Us modern folks tend to love our stretchy clothes, and cringe at the thought of wearing “hard pants,” but there are so many reasons why historical clothing, including stays, are surprisingly comfortable and practical.

Record NumberNWHCM: 1967.567.37 SummaryDated 1870-1879 This spoon busked corset is constructed using alternative panels of maroon and mushroom cotton twill. The corset is stiffened with corded panels used vertically in the front sections over the bust and horizontally over the hips. Cording was a popular method often used in addition and as an alternative to whalebone. Cording was the application of sandwiching twisted cord (usually hemp, cotton or paper) between two layers of fabric. As the…

My newest peasant woman outfit consists of a shift, unboned stays, bumroll and refashioned & dyed, corded petticoat and tucked skirt.

These stays are certainly the most complex cording project I've done, so I wanted to share how I've been going about it! First off, I'm using a totally different cording method than the ones shown in my Making a Corded Petticoat post. In both methods shown in that tutorial, the cord was put in place first and its channel was sewn around it. Those methods work just fine for a corded petticoat, but won't work very well for these stays. Instead, I'm sewing channels into the fabric first, then…

My friend Pia ( @stepsbackintothepast on Instagram) was in need of a well fitting pair of 18th century stays so I started making her one in...