some hand-sewing

[mandie_rw]

Because I'm done with the Ugly Scarf for the gentleman friend (who does in fact seem to appreciate it), I don't have a handwork project any more to bring with me to campus. And I like to have one - because of course I have schoolwork and things to read, but sometimes I need a break, or it's just the 15 minutes in between class where I can't really get too invested in anything.

So, something to sew? Why not!

I had to think a bit about what would be a small hand-sewing project, that I also don't need to finish for an event but would like to have for said event (because with no motivation at all it'll never get done)...and came up with new transitional 1790s stays. My existing pair is perfectly effective, but old, ugly, and not nicely put together. So the other day, I took that pattern (from 2011, and a mashup of what I liked from Waugh's two c1790s stays in C&C), redrew some seamlines, added some tabs, squinted, and said, sure, that'll probably work.

They're not going to be made of particularly correct materials, as I'm using strictly what I have on hand, apart from possibly getting some chamois for binding later. Cotton duck interlining, covered with dark brown linen, boned with cane (which, yes, I've broken all the tabs in my cane 1770s stays, but since this pair's tabs won't actually be at the waist, I have hope that I won't snap them all right away!) and sewn with cotton thread.

I indulged myself a bit today, since I had a good morning in school, and sewed in the afternoon before work, so got most of the channels on one back piece sewn. It's very narrow so that's not really much of an accomplishment - and I only figured out what I was doing with the stitches on the 4th row I was sewing, so the spacing's a bit wack. It's a good look. Didn't even consider picking them out, though! Don't care!

Comments

[koshka_the_cat]

*high five* for your patterning method! This sounds like an excellent downtime project :)

[mandie_rw]

I like to live dangerously with my stay-patterning - who has time for mockups, amirite? xD I figure it's a good compromise; something I'd LIKE to have finished for the spring, but I already have my existing ugly stays, so no undue pressure to finish. Ideal! We hope.

[elizabeth_mn]

I'm always so impressed that people actually hand sew stays!

[brickhousewench]

Me too! Corsets and stays are the sort of thing I'll gladly pay someone else to make for me. =P

[mandie_rw]

I wish I could afford to! But I can make *wearable* stays and corsets (stays are better than corsets, which are functional but crappy-looking), so I can't quite justify outsourcing to myself. (Someday in the misty future I want to throw money at Redthreaded to make a custom late Victorian corset...but since I haven't won the lottery yet, no dice, LOL!)

[mandie_rw]

I've actually never made a completely hand sewn pair before, and I probably wouldn't now if I didn't want a fairly portable hand sewing project, haha. Which is kind of silly of me, since there's so much hand work in stays anyway, the way I put them together, might as well just do the channels by hand too! So far they're quite ugly. xD

[robinsnest]

if you don't put pompoms on it we won't be friends anymore.

[mandie_rw]

Butt pompoms are the best invention ever! Rest assured they will be on this pair of stays.

[penwiper]

Underwear, don't care. ;) Yay for stash projects!

[mandie_rw]

Exactly! And this is why I have such a well-stocked stash...or so I like to tell myself. ;)