Sewing 18th Century Stays for Beatrice

Beatrice is a LUTS Kid Delf Bory with a Girl Type 1 Body and Real Normal Skin.

I have begun to design some 18th Century Stays for Beatrice. I have started out with a Bodice Sloper. From that I have been working with cardboard mockups. The cardboard is just stiff enough to act like fully boned stays. At least, that is the idea that I am working with.

So here is a tracing of the Bodice Sloper that fits Beatrice.



And here are front and back views of the Work-In-Progress mockup. I still have to make a Stomacher.





Those mock-ups have already been through several trimmings and add-ons.
Scotch Matte Finish Magic Tape is my friend!


blueFairy

 

Thank you CloudyDolly. I must admit that drafting the Bodice Sloper took a long time. I do not think that I could make anything without making several mockups first. For example, that cardboard mockup has already been trimmed several times. I think that I am almost ready to make the first fabric mockup. I have some tan linen shorts that are coming apart at the seams that I will use for the outer layer. Then I will use some handkerchief linen for the liner. I found some very thin cotton batting that I can put between the layers. So the first mockup will be quilted to look like boning channels. There are also several small details that I have to figure out. Hopefully I will get them figured out during making the fabric mockups. Once I get something that works, I will post the 18th Century Stays pattern pieces here.


blueFairy

 

@CloudyDolly I would like to think that what I am doing is more play than work. I just like to play a lot. This morning I made a modification to the front of the mockup Stays. Then I made a mockup of the Stomacher. Here are some Work-In-Progress snapshots.

In this first one, you can see where I have marked the front mockup for more trimming.



Then I removed the mockup and cut out the area to be trimmed. This is why I am now using Scotch Tape instead of lacing the front; it is much easier to remove and put on. I used the cutout to mark the other side, then cut it out as well. Now the front is somewhat lower and looks better to me. At this point I put a piece of copy paper over the front and made some marks for the Stomacher. By folding the paper along the marks I made, I was able to make a symetrical Stomacher. Then I traced the Stomacher to cardboard. This is more or less how I develop a pattern.



The Stomacher is slid behind the Stays and it looks like it fits okay. This is Stomacher pattern #1.



The straps might need to be made a wee bit longer? They can certainly stand to be made a wee bit narrower.


blueFairy

 

@Teddy Thank you for the reminder. It is so easy to forget little things like that. I think I am almost ready to start making the first fabric mock-ups of these 18th Century Stays.


blueFairy

 

Beatrice is a LUTS Kid Delf Bory with a Girl Type 1 Body and Real Normal Skin.
This is my pattern for the first fabric mockup of the Work-In-Progress 18th Century Stays.


The first fabric mockup will follow as soon as I can get it cut out and sewn by hand.
I may have to watch some videos about how to sew stays before I do that.
I am a Novice sewist.


blueFairy

 

@Teddy Thank you SO much for these suggestions. The small 2mm wide zip ties sound like just the right size for boning. I am also going to check our recycling bin to see if there might be some plastic there that I can cut into thin strips and re-purpose as artificial whale bone. At this point, I am not sure if I am going to actually put boning in? If I do, I think the stays would only be half boned? Beatrice is resin, so she really does not need any boning in her stays at all, but the idea is to get the look of 18th Century Stays, as closely as possible. These are the very first stays of any kind I have ever made, so I really do appreciate all the tips I can get.


blueFairy

 

@Teddy Thank you very much! My original idea was to not put any boning in the stays, to only quilt boning channels. I believe that stays like that are called "jumps"? I will experiment with various methods when I make the mock-up stays. I know that there will be at least two layers: the outer layer and the lining. I just read an article about the layers in stays, and three or even four layers are used in full-size stays. The article is here: http://marquise.de/en/1700/howto/frauen/18corset.shtml


blueFairy

 

@Teddy Of course, the only videos and tutorials for making 18thC Stays, that I have found on the Net are for real people. So yeah, there is some translation involved to make these Stays for Beatrice.

@lully.lullers Believe it or not, I don't think that a millimeter or two makes that much difference at the scale I am working at, unless the millimeter or two is added to each panel, which might make a difference. I started with a Bodice Sloper, and that pattern fits Beatrice like a second skin. So what I had to do was trim away from the Bodice Sloper to allow for space in the front and back for lacing. I also trimmed around the armscye. Much of the Bodice Sloper above the bust darts was trimmed away to get the neckline of the Stays down far enough. Then I added straps. Finally I added the tabs at the waist. Then it was just a matter of putting the mock-up Stays on Beatrice to see where I needed to trim or add something. I was using thin cardboard for the first mock-up. I thought that the cardboard might act like fully boned stays? For the most part, I trimmed from the Center Back and Center Front. There was no lacing space when Beatrice first tried the stays on. One thing I am going to do is to change her 18thC Shift to the mock-up shift so I won't accidentally mark on her 18thC Linen Shift.

Finally, do not be afraid to try making some 18thC Stays for your doll. Starting with a Bodice Sloper is an easy way to do it. You do not have to draft a Bodice Sloper if you do not want to. You can drape it on the doll, then transfer that to paper. My first attempt at drafting a Bodice Sloper was a disaster. My first attempt at draping a Bodice Sloper was almost perfect. Then I transferred it to paper and made a few small adjustments. You only have to work on one side; the Right Front, and the Right Back. Then you can get the Left Front and the Left Back from them. I am a Novice sewist, so these are things that I have only learned recently. I watch a lot of video tutorials, but actually doing it teaches me more than anything else. I make many mistakes, but I try to learn from them. I hope this is helpful?


blueFairy

 

Beatrice is a LUTS Kid Delf Bory with a Girl Type 1 Body and Real Normal Skin. She stands 39.5 cm tall in bare feet, including head.

This is an update to my first 18thC Stays Pattern Mock-up Work-In-Progress. I traced all the pattern pieces onto tissue paper, then basted those onto the "muslin" which was a piece of scrap fabric in my cabbage box. There are two layers; an outer layer, and a liner layer. Then I cut out all the pieces, with about a 5 or 6 mm Seam Allowance all around. I just eyeballed the seam allowance. Since then, I have matched up the first two pieces and hand sewn them together trying to get 2mm stitches. I used a running stitch. Yeah, so this is where I currently am in the process of pattern making for 18thC Stays for Beatrice. I am working on the first mock-up. It may take awhile as I am hand sewing everything at this point. I may machine sew any boning channels, if I decide to include boning channels in this first mock-up.




blueFairy

 

@Teddy I just bought a new Janome 2212 sewing machine, and I am learning how to use it. I think I have more control over the stitches with hand sewing. If I slow down, it gives me more time to think about things. I am still watching videos about sewing Stays together. I almost 'get it'.

@Rurimas Thank you for your kind words. I am at the very beginning of developing this pattern. It may take me several mock-ups to get to the point where I feel the pattern is ready. These are the first 18thC Stays I have ever made. I am a Novice sewist.


blueFairy

 

Dearest Dolly Friends,

I know that it seems as though I have disappeared, and for most of the time since 2 OCT I have been in the hospital. I am currently in recovery from major pancreatic cancer surgery. I have finally been discharged from the hospital and I am at home. Beatrice has sat patiently waiting for me, wearing her 18th Century Linen Shift, and sitting on her Early 18th Century Farmhouse Chair. I do not know when I will be able to continue working on this pattern, but believe me, I will start working again as soon as I am able to. May everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving.


blueFairy

 

@RosaliaBilde @Teddy Thank you for the well wishes. I enjoyed reading your discussion of stays and boning. At this time I am still being fed through a tube in my nose which goes directly to my small intestine, bypassing my stomach. The rate of feed is 100ml per hour, so I spend a large part of my day attached to a feed bag on an IV pole. Since my surgery I have dropped 45 pounds in weight. I am a Vegan, so my feed is plant-based, and high in protein. I do not get on the computer very often, but today I was feeling up to it, so yeah. I have not felt up to doing any kind of small detail work yet, so the 18th Century Stays for Beatrice are still on hold.


blueFairy

 

My progress is slow. I am currently undergoing Chemo Therapy treatment which leaves me tired and fatigued. I read and take naps for the most part of each day. At least I am eating solid food now. Thanks for your kind words and well wishes.


bluefairy