I was looking at this set of stays on Augusta Auction's website, when I noticed something odd, to me. If you look at the inside-out views, you can see that the seam allowances between the sections are stitched down with the boning stitches (I hope that makes sense). They aren't whip-stitched down, which is what I did when I constructed mine. This ( Read more... )

Since my fashionable fully-boned stays aren't conducive to chopping wood and cooking over an open fire (or bending over, or reaching in any direction), I've been working on making a working pair of stays ( Read more... )

After six months of off-and-on work, my stays are finally finished. Of course, the eyelets could use some work and the whole thing could be lined, but it's good enough for me.

( bad pics )

I haven't given up on my stays. However, the binding process is going very slowly because I get bored with it easily. This is what I've got so far, though.

( Progress pic )

Jumping on the bandwagon of demode_kvc's WWKD, I've been trying to get some serious work done. Plus I've only got ONE month before the POTC DMC premiere. It's been so far away for so long, I've started to think that it will never come and I have all the time in the world to make our outfits ( Read more... )

I'm riding a high right now, because I finished enough of my eyelets to try my stays on for real, without the false eyelet strips. I was actually able to tighten them down enough to bring the edges within 2-3 inches of each other, rather than the 4-5 inch gap I had before. I think the straps are going to work out too! I can't imagine trying to do ( Read more... )

... a poem lovely as a tree-

( But I prefer ones that stand. )

My stays are coming along, I guess. I'm not certain that they will fit properly, but there's not much I can do about it now. They feel like a bullet-proof vest!

( More here )

Jack Sparrow frock coat is coming along...

( More and pics )

Three months down, probably another to go on my stays. They are fully-boned with reed and I am hand-stitching the cover fabric down between each bone with 9 stitches per inch. *insert maniacal laughter here ( Read more... )