Jump to content

Stays ~


Mary Diamond

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 239
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Cool, I'm glad to see a "baleen" like boning. What width should we go with?

The 5mm, it is the smallest and close in size to the baleen strips in many of my antiques. You could even cut those down the center for even thinner strips if you really want to go crazy.

Baleen was purchased as a chunk and stay makers cut off long strips by hand. This resulted in strips which were inconsistent in size and often no two were alike. In my antique 18th cen stays (where the boning is poking through) you can see a substantial difference in the diameter of one baleen frond compared to it's neighbor.

To use pasta as a demonstration tool (hey it works).... Some are like linguini where it's neighbor may be more like a squared off spaghetti followed by a fettucini. The most commonly used size is like the linguini.

(ironicly, old dry baleen is brittle like dry pasta and breaks as easily)

(hmmmm.....linguini with meat sauce...yes, that is what I will have for dinner...)

Lara

aka - Rose

www.LaraCorsets.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Stirling my good man, I really believe that we must get Lilly and LaraCorsets together for PIP next year. I believe that they will be a very entertaining addition. Please do your utmost in this endeavor.

Thank you,

Animal

Buccaneer - Services to the highest bidder!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Stirling my good man, I really believe that we must get Lilly and LaraCorsets together for PIP next year. I believe that they will be a very entertaining addition. Please do your utmost in this endeavor.

Thank you,

Animal

Animal...you have NO idea!

Mother Rose and Mistress Lilly have alot of history and unfinished business

(Lara and Lisa are good friends)

I would LOVE to go to PIP but from what I understand this year it is the same wekend as RF Philidelphia.

That is a big problem, for many of us.

Lara

aka - Rose

www.LaraCorsets.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lara...

Mickey and I have used the half moon reed boning from Kass for oh....4 sets of stays now...I think. We love it. It is easy to work with. But...something we found after the first set of stays....if you soak the reed in a lukewarm bath and then let it dry flat overnight, tis much easier to work with. Common sense, I guess....but we figured it out trial and error. Or trial and struggle....whichever you fancy.

Banner.jpg
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lara...

Mickey and I have used the half moon reed boning from Kass for oh....4 sets of stays now...I think. We love it. It is easy to work with. But...something we found after the first set of stays....if you soak the reed in a lukewarm bath and then let it dry flat overnight, tis much easier to work with. Common sense, I guess....but we figured it out trial and error. Or trial and struggle....whichever you fancy.

Kate, tell me more about the benefits of soaking and how it becomes easier to work with please. Is it simply to remove the curve from it being coiled or is there another benefit?

I have been looking at my pile of reed with scepticism (I got a coil of each size to play with). I tend to be set in my ways and the stuff is completely alien to me.

Lara

aka - Rose

www.LaraCorsets.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lara...

Mickey and I have used the half moon reed boning from Kass for oh....4 sets of stays now...I think. We love it. It is easy to work with. But...something we found after the first set of stays....if you soak the reed in a lukewarm bath and then let it dry flat overnight, tis much easier to work with. Common sense, I guess....but we figured it out trial and error. Or trial and struggle....whichever you fancy.

Kate, tell me more about the benefits of soaking and how it becomes easier to work with please. Is it simply to remove the curve from it being coiled or is there another benefit?

I have been looking at my pile of reed with scepticism (I got a coil of each size to play with). I tend to be set in my ways and the stuff is completely alien to me.

Lara-

I believe soaking the reed was one of the suggestions I discussed with Michael last year. I figured it out the hard way while constructing my 1690 stays a few years back.

I have found that when using the *full* round reed the pieces, especially those nearest the center of the coil, are too tightly wound to straighten enough to put into channels. Soaking in very hot water & hand straightening, then allowing the pieces to dry well & very lightly coating with a rubbing of bees wax removed most of the curl and made every inch of the roll usable.

I have not, however, had any trouble with either the flat oval or half round reeds I've used for other projects. Both these are much more flexible that the full round reed & are able to be straightened by hand without the aid of the hot water.

HTH.

Chole

"If part of the goods be plundered by a pirate the proprietor or shipmaster is not entitled to any contribution." An introduction to merchandize, Robert Hamilton, 1777

Slightly Obsessed, an 18th Century reenacting blog

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kate, tell me more about the benefits of soaking and how it becomes easier to work with please. Is it simply to remove the curve from it being coiled or is there another benefit?

I have been looking at my pile of reed with scepticism (I got a coil of each size to play with). I tend to be set in my ways and the stuff is completely alien to me.

Well....the lukewarm bath relaxes the reed....kinda like how bubble baths relax people. So once it dries, while it is not always perfectly flat, it is easier to work with because it it's not all curled up. Also, it seems to make it a little more flex-y....but I could be imagining that.

Banner.jpg
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really didn't have any trouble with read except it catching on a loosely woven linen... but that was fixed bu simply rounding the edges...

Flattening was easy, I put my iron on a decent setting with some steam and sprayed a bit of water on the stays and basically steamed them flat once everything was in place, and just let them set straight on the table.

Please correct me if this is a bad method...

Cook and Seamstress to the Half Moon Marauders

Lady Brower's Treasures, Clothing and other treasures

Hell Hath No Fury like the Wrath of a Woman... No that's it. She doesn't need a reason.

www.myspace.com/halfmoonmarauders

www.myspace.com/faerienoodle

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really didn't have any trouble with read except it catching on a loosely woven linen... but that was fixed bu simply rounding the edges...

Flattening was easy, I put my iron on a decent setting with some steam and sprayed a bit of water on the stays and basically steamed them flat once everything was in place, and just let them set straight on the table.

Please correct me if this is a bad method...

That is exactly what I was planning to do first. Heat and steam does wonders for so many things.

Lara

aka - Rose

www.LaraCorsets.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

delete

Edited by Capt. Sterling


"I being shot through the left cheek, the bullet striking away great part of my upper jaw, and several teeth which dropt down the deck where I fell... I was forced to write what I would say to prevent the loss of blood, and because of the pain I suffered by speaking."~ Woodes Rogers

Crewe of the Archangel

http://jcsterlingcptarchang.wix.com/creweofthearchangel#

http://creweofthearchangel.wordpress.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

**shudders** Rose and Lilly? Together? At Pip? ack!!! **shudders again**

Honestly Animal, this year will be a problem as, after all my protesting, Reenactor Fest VI (East) this year in Cherryhill, New Jersey... is scheduled for the same weekend as PiP.

I will have Mistress McKinney in hand... **clearing throat** and ...ahem...elsewhere.. but we may miss out on the delightful company of my Sister as her motto is business first... which, in this case, would mean attending RFVI.

It's probably a good thing, Animal...it could get extremely warm in both the climate and in tempers!

photo-2975.jpg?__rand=0.71617700+1286403
Member of "The Forsaken"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

delete

Edited by Capt. Sterling


"I being shot through the left cheek, the bullet striking away great part of my upper jaw, and several teeth which dropt down the deck where I fell... I was forced to write what I would say to prevent the loss of blood, and because of the pain I suffered by speaking."~ Woodes Rogers

Crewe of the Archangel

http://jcsterlingcptarchang.wix.com/creweofthearchangel#

http://creweofthearchangel.wordpress.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I recently made a pair of stays and these are the final result. Since I wanted them finished in this century, the seams and boning channels were done by machine. (I did try at first but even following lines, my hand sewing stinks). Everything else was done by hand. The material is linen and I used 1/4" reed for the boning. For inserting the reed, I clipped the corners to remove the points and make it easier to insert. I didn't think about filing, I'll have to try that on the next pair. I also steam ironed the reed to flatten or when following curves in the channels. I didn't use a pattern but drafted one from the bodice of my ball gown. After I made the pattern I tried the cardboard mock up first. That didn't work well for me. While it did simulate the stiffness of the boned stays, it did nothing for simulating the flexibility of the fabric or my body's curves. So I dug out some scrap wool and had much better results for the mock up. Once that was done, I took the plunge and nine days later I had my finished product.

stays006.jpg

stays007.jpg

If you're gonna give me a headache, please bring me an aspirin!

http://www.forttaylorpyrates.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw them first hand at RF5, and they were great!

The linen she used on them was amazing, it was a a great weight and colour... I love that linen!

Haunting Lilly did an awesome job, and looked great in them as well... I'm sure Kate got at least one or two good pictures of her in the stays, and I would wager Fayma would have gotten many more...

Michael_banner.jpg
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you Lara and Michael.

There may be pics of them but I'm sure they are covered by my mantua. Unfortunately, I'm not comfortable posting cleavage pics so....................I won't be posting any of me in them. :blink::lol:

Edited by Haunting Lily

If you're gonna give me a headache, please bring me an aspirin!

http://www.forttaylorpyrates.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A damn fyne job, indeed! She looked stunning in them and her pretty blue Mantua, too! I do have pictures of her sitting quite poised at Tyburn Tavern looking like she was plucked from an oil painting.

Mister O’Keefe…ye are a lucky man to have such a pretty and talented woman!

Oh and side note, Lilly…next year we’ll mambo at the dance….you lead.

photo-2975.jpg?__rand=0.71617700+1286403
Member of "The Forsaken"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...
&ev=PageView&cd%5Bitem_id%5D=14118&cd%5Bitem_name%5D=Stays+%7E&cd%5Bitem_type%5D=topic&cd%5Bcategory_name%5D=Crafting Kit"/>