Reversible Stays

Personal Project

I drafted these stays based off of a pattern in Patterns of Fashion 5 from The School of Historical Dress. The extant garment is reversible, and I decided to continue that. I altered the back closure to a front closure, and sized up the pattern considerably, as well as altering the shape of the bottom tabs.

I made them from a layer of canvas as an interlining, with casings sewn on, then a layer on each side of fashion fabric. The boning is heavy duty zip ties cut and filed to length, and the edge is bound in handmade bias tape. The eyelets are hand worked.

Photo of extant garment. 17th century reversible half-boned stays.

Photo of extant garment. 17th century reversible half-boned stays.

I copied the book draft directly, then made a cardboard mockup to check where it needed to be altered.

I copied the book draft directly, then made a cardboard mockup to check where it needed to be altered.

The base was made of a layer of canvas with the boning channels sewn to that.

The base was made of a layer of canvas with the boning channels sewn to that.

I then pad stitched both layers of fashion fabric to the interlinings before binding the edges to keep it secured.

I then pad stitched both layers of fashion fabric to the interlinings before binding the edges to keep it secured.

One side is this floral cotton, and the other is a striped linenish fabric.

One side is this floral cotton, and the other is a striped linenish fabric.

The finished pair is a reversible half-boned pair of stays, with a center front closure.

The finished pair is a reversible half-boned pair of stays, with a center front closure.