November 2025 – February 2026
These 18th century stays are made with scraps left over from my Colombina costume. There was plenty of fabric left, but not much of it was usable. All the best pieces had gone into the costume. So before cutting the stays I chalked out general pattern shapes. It was my self-imposed parameters however, that made the arrangement challenging. First, the colors had to be dispersed evenly throughout – no duplicates side by side. Second, the pattern pieces had to mirror left to right. To achieve this, some of the scraps were pieced. For example, a few diamonds were replaced with other colors. Finally, if 3 or 4 intersecting diamonds fell within a seam allowance, the layout had to be reassessed. Which meant further adjustments and re-stitching of diamonds.
The stays have a coutil/broadcloth strength layer and are boned in cable ties (with steel at center front). They’re bound by hand in leftover red taffeta. It’s the same pattern used for my Chintz stays. And like the chintz, they are cross-laced through small metal eyelets. This was a fun project.
