1789 Strapless Stitched Stays, Patterns of Fashion 5 - how to sew 18th Century Stays video diary

Follow along as I sew 18th century stays using historical techniques! Historical costuming seems to be experiencing an uptrend lately, thanks to certain individuals becoming quite popular online. I know there are many people out there who are interested in learning to sew, or those of you who know the basics, but don’t know how to apply those skills to something as complex as a pair of stays. If you have been swept up by the notion of historical costuming, but just… haven’t had the confidence to start, this video is especially for you.

Though I do have a fair bit of sewing experience, I am not an expert, or a historian, and I am just beginning my own historical costuming journey. This is my first attempt at historically accurate stays, and my second hand-stitching project. I say this to encourage you. If you want to start historical costuming: go for it. The results will probably exceed your expectations, and it could be the start of something great. I'm sure I made many mistakes in this project that I'm not even aware of, so I do welcome your critique in the comments!

I let this video run quite long, because I wanted the breakdown of details to be as complete as I could possibly make it. If you have already purchased Patterns of Fashion 5, or Corsets & Crinolines, or if you have a stack of fabric sitting guiltily uncut in a drawer, my dearest wish is that this video will give you the courage to make that first cut.

SUPPLIES (nothing is affiliate)
The cover fabric was B&T medium weight “madder red” linen. It is currently out of stock but it was really not the right weight to use anyways.
(I swear I’m not trying to make this whole video a B&T ad)

Find me elsewhere:
Instagram - @mariahpattie
Pinterest - mariahpattie

Hair & Makeup by @marissalauren_hair on Instagram

[juliam]

I swear stays and corsets were women's secret body armor. The joy of punching yourself in the stomach while wearing one is I believe a shared experience.

[alethearia]

This is now, officially, my 2 year goal. In 2 years I want to be able to make this. Right now I'm starting off with simple, easy, peasant stays from various periods just to get my mind around how they work and the concepts, without having to worry too terribly much about quality/prettiness. Essentially I'm just going to make a handful of wearable mockups (and slowly replacing all my bras in the process muahahaha!)

[demonxkiller]

Me (A person with no sewing skill): Let's just glue it.

[jennieeveleighlamond]

"This has probably been very upsetting for any actual woodworkers out there to watch"...Oh darling, I just wanted to come help you (a band saw would have been so much easier, and less scary). Considering the tools that you had access to, you did great! In the future having a piece of wood that is a cut quarter sawn instead of dos, will provide you with a lot more stability because the grain of the wood can be very stable while being quite thin. Also, oak is a pain in the ass to work (so you deserve applause for working with that with inappropriate tools! It must have taken ages!) Your sewing was lovely and informative, thank you for such a great video!

[susancheveralllong]

Never ever doubt your sewing abilities. In the history of seamstresses they were taught by their mothers and grandmother's etc... No one had the qualifications that we have today. It was a share knowledge between women by trial and error. Just remember that every human body shape is different and they would have to compensate for that. So what you have achieved is a total triumph!

[penelope-oevr]

You're the only one who actually describes how they are supposed to fit correctly. Without watching you, I would have no idea where the tabs were supposed to start splitting. I learn a lot from you, I love your analyzation of things. I have to understand all the why's and how's before I can make something. Thank you! And I have this book on the way. Unfortunately, I missed the first 4 patterns of fashion books and they're a little beyond my price limit now

[kuronekochan]

Amazing job! These are beautiful!! I think you have trouble with the reed because the channels were a little too small. I use the same reed to bone all my stays. The reason the reed doesn't fit when soaked is because it expands, making an even tighter fit for the channels. Also, if the pattern was drafted for flat boning, the curve of oval-flat reed will take up space in the channel too. Whenever you get to make those fully handstiched stays, check your pattern channels against the size of the boning. I hope this helps, seeing as I had the same issues when first making stays. Much love from a fellow costumer! <3

[vivianc.c.]

Oh my god, simple alterations in the pattern makes a huge difference, it's insane!!! My major diffficulty is how do I know if I need anything to be altered when it comes to small alterations like this. Whether to keep as it is or not.

[smuj]

Loads of commenters have probably already said this, but ~thank you~ for putting yourself out there, showing off your amazing sewing skills and also promoting the use of protective gear, goggles, ear protectors, etc. In addition, I love that you're showing us your goofs as you make them, not pretending everything went perfectly first time, and also showing your solutions. I wish I had a brain that engineered and thought as laterally as yours :D

[lynn]

I know the “Is it clever or is it dumb?” game! We’ve always referred to it as “this is either gonna be brilliant or really stupid”. It amuses me to figure out why I’m not seeing other people suggest it, when it actually works really well. Have people really not stumbled on this solution? Am I in a unique situation, or have access to or knowledge of something very different than most people doing this would? Is there history or tradition involved? Has tech changed? In a different geographic region does weather, climate, circumstances, or availability change how well this would work? Is my female body - height, grip strength, etc, or compensation for previous injuries forcing me to find a different technique? It keeps my brain busy, and keeps me humble enough to keep trying stupid stuff.

[ThisChaoticKnight]

"As whalebone has become rather inaccessible" and "I don't know if I will ever work with reed boning again"
Someone else probably already mentioned this, but you can get synthetic baleen/whalebone online. It behaves really similar to the original stuff, and many prefer it compared to what else is available today. I was reading an old sewing book from 1915 that pointed out that whalebone boning is supreme to all the other types of boning, even when it comes to the "fake"(synthetic) whalebone. The whole book is a treasure trove of information and I can give you more details of pros and cons mentioned for differnt type of boning if you want. ^^
I hope this helps for your future stay making endeavors. :D

[deborahmelo]

Amazing video! Love the music, love the font, loved everything single thing about it! Thanks for sharing

[fireangelx]

Really enjoyed your video! For future reference, never wear gloves when operating rotating machinery. If you get caught at best you run the risk of breaking your hand. Not trying to be a jerk just offering free advice however unwarranted. The stays are beautiful and I love the detail you put into it and the positives and negatives of your experiences of making them. Thank you for your video!

[frank]

that paper trick for spacing the eyelets! Brilliant!!!

[MossyMozart]

The stays look so well on Ms Mariah Pattie as does that great hair style. All around nice!

[missdaytona]

That math struggle when trying to place the eyelets - SUPER relatable

[puggirl]

Gosh it was years ago when I decided to make an 18th century corset. I had had a couple of corsets made for me before that which were Edwardian and Victorian styles. I loved the 18th century style because I didn't have to fit the bust. Everything was fine machine stitching it but the tabs were impossible. I actually tried to machine sew them using bias tape. It was so hard. Why didn't I think of hand stitching them. Maybe now I can go back and sew some decorative tape on to snug up my tabs a bit. Beautiful work.

[germanantoniopiedrahita]

When I saw you wearing that grey NASA sweater I realized that you were involved in not only a costume project but also on a big structural project of
I use to for an aircraft repair and modification station and every time I see you all the corset crafters I just remembered all the structural and craftsmanship process we were doing on that place.
Once again

[honestaf]

Wow ! Impresive how beautiful it is.Great job.😊👍

[sheeelashell]

Wonderful. And yes, the red is beautiful against the natural linen, i fell in love when the linen stitching was applied over the top 😍.
And thank you also for showing how much hard work it is, i was looking at prices for custom made stays and they're mega bucks; and now I know why!
*sighs dreamily* i wish i had the patience and optimism to make these as they are beautiful. Well done!