Stays Fitting Post #347

[chargirlgenius]

(N.B. Crosspost from DW is either slow or not happening, so I'm doing it by hand. Apologies if the automatic version comes through later)

I have finally gotten around to adjusting the stays, making the back side piece more flared and lobed. It's nice. I'm very happy. In fact, I feel like I stayed at a Holiday Inn last night.

Comments

[damedini]

Reed is lovely stuff. My most comfy corset evar! Greenberg and Hammer in NYC sell online and carry all varieties of metal boning (spiral steels FTW). They also carry busks, FYI.
Lacing both front and back is a game chager in terms of comfort and size-adjustability.
Looks good! I like that this period has that piece on the side that flares slightly a bit higher up.

[chargirlgenius]

I'm just now suddenly afraid that I'm going to break it! I have half round, and I figure I'll double it up in the channels. What type did you use?

I'm also thinking that if I have it lace up the front too, I'll be able to cheat a little and use it for occasional 16th c stuff until I get bodies made.

[damedini]

The reed I used was from a basket supply shop (though Reconstructing History sells the same stuff), about the diameter of a piece of thick spaghetti. I bundled as many as I could fit in the channel (they flatten out when worn and don't affect the fit). I did break a channel worth at the waist by belly dancing in it. Seriously comfy, especially with linen. My corsets all have straps because they girls just need them. I tried one without decades ago and cut my back at the top.

[chargirlgenius]

Well, I don't expect to be belly dancing anytime soon, so I'll probably be ok. ;-)

[msmcknittington]

In fact, I feel like I stayed at a Holiday Inn last night.

Ha!

Somebody mentioned in the last post that the top points looked a little narrow on the body. These are going to be strapless, does that make a difference? I could really only go a half inch wider on each side, as then it'll start to cut into my arms. Worth changing?I'd wear them around the house for a little bit before you decide, if you're reluctant. You might find that the to narrow stubs push your breasts into a weird position or shape in relation to your shoulders. I know when I get the space between straps too narrow on pairs of bodies, I end up looking not quite right. And a half-inch is actually a fairly significant amount in corsetry

[chargirlgenius]

What I really wish I had was more pictures of 18th c ladies wearing only the stays, which would give me a better idea of how they fit on the body.

I do feel like I'm spilling out of the sides a little bit, or rather that there's just too much "cleavage" at the sides. With the smock it doesn't really bother me, but maybe moving the points out will help with that.

A part of me is leaning towards boning them and then sewing them together, but with raw edges. Koshka points out that they can be adjusted after the fact when done this way...

http://www.koshka-the-cat.com/18cstays.html

But when done the period way, you cover and reinforce those edges with additional binding, right? I might still do that. I bought the binding material already.

[isabelladangelo]

The cable ties I use are 36" long. They have them at Home Depot in the duct section. The kind you have can work but they are a slight bit wider than the other version. It's all a matter of preference.

As for any metal boning, you can order it from Abraham's Lady. They are up in Gettysburg and they have some great stuff.

[chargirlgenius]

Thanks for the boning info! I needed a good source for metal.

[love3angle]

I still use mostly cable ties and love them more than anything. I never have to worry about mold or breaking, they cut easily and melt the ends. No filing, no tipping, no coating, and they CHEAP.

Love. Them.

I grab 36"/175lb. when I can find them but you're gonna cut them anyway so the length doesn't matter.

[chargirlgenius]

Do you use the thicker ones, or the thin ones I have in the pics?

[love3angle]

I think they're like your pic - only a hair wider than 1/16". You'd be surprised how great they are when you've got a whole corset of them. :-)

[fiofiorina]

I have an inherited set of stays with cable ties, and they aren't comfortable. Not on long wear, not with many petticoats, and not in hot weather. I absolutely prefer reeds.
I did do two different sizes. Once with two halfround per channel, one with small 2.5mil round reeds. The smallsize reeds are much more work (more channels) to sew, but the fit and the look is much better, and even works for half-boned. To prevent tab-breaking I fully backed them with leather instead just around the tabs. I've seen this in many extants, and just thought it might be less troublesome to sew this way than around the tabs. The reeds having less stress was just another bonus :-))

To straighten reeds from the coil, I just iron them :-)

[chargirlgenius]

Iron - that sounds so much easier than soaking!

Do you have any pictures of your tabs that are leather backed? I'm not quite picturing how to do it.

Hot weather is a very good consideration. I'd been thinking about washability, but I hate being too hot.

[fiofiorina]

Oh yes - much easier. It also helps to straighten the bones again after a wash.

I need to rumble - the stays were exhibited at the museum Bärengasse in Zurich, but that closed it's doors in November 2009 forever. I'll rumage through the Swiss National Museums archive though, I only have my sketches at present. (No-one expects a National Museum's house to close!)

I do wash my stays - though I also have a lining attached, what can be exchanged. Nicole shows the same technique in her reproduction stays, with a nearly full leather backing of the tabs.
http://mantuadiary.blogspot.com/search/label/Stays

I just dislike the feeling of sweating into plastic, that's the main objective to cable ties. Otherwise it's nice and lightweight. but a full day isn't that comfortable, as they don't allow me to hang into the stays, the support for the "girls" is good, the back support is.. not so nice.