I’m very happy to share my new late 18th-century stays pattern with you finally.
This project has been in the making for quite some time and is the result of careful study of historical construction techniques. My goal was to create a pattern that is both accurate and approachable, while still working well for the modern body.
With this pattern, I’ll guide you through the process step by step, including historically accurate techniques such as constructing each panel individually and assembling them with whip stitch. At the same time, you’ll have the flexibility to choose where modern methods might suit you better.
If you’ve ever wanted to explore 18th-century sewing or add a pair of stays to your wardrobe, this pattern is a great place to start.
First of all, you’ll want to think about your fabric choice. Most extant stays from this period are constructed from two to three layers of fabric, often with two coarse linen base layers to protect the fashion fabric. An additional cotton lining is sewn to the inside to protect the stays from sweat, and can easily be replaced if necessary.
For my sample, I used a single layer of coarse, heavy linen as the base and a lovely linen twill as the top layer. For the boning channels, I chose a contrasting silk buttonhole thread and stitched the channels using a half backstitch.
For more details on 18th-century stays, I warmly recommend these two books: Corsets and Crinolines by Norah Waugh and Patterns of Fashion 5: The Content, Cut, Construction and Context of Bodies, Stays, Hoops and Rumps c. 1595–1795.
It’s time to move directly into cutting our fabrics and starting to sew. As always, we’ll follow the pattern instructions step by step with many pictures, followed by a short detour on how to sew some of the corset’s trickiest and most time‑consuming parts with the sewing machine.
(1) Cut out all pieces: basic layer (one or two layers), fashion fabric, and the lining. I decided to cut my pieces from fabric slightly larger than the pattern pieces, which in the end wasn’t necessary. I was simply worried that the pieces would shrink once the boning was added.
Line up the basic layer with the fashion fabric, wrong sides together, optionally the second basic layer in between. Mark the stitching lines; seam allowance is 1 1/4” (3cm) along the center front and center back, 5/8” (1,5cm) along all other edges, and baste along the stitching line.
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