Almost Done

[atherleisure]

I'm nearly finished with a pair of Regency stays with springs. I just have to sew the straps in place.



I didn't want to sew down the straps until I tried the stays on under a dress to make sure I got them in the right place and to the right length.

Thanks to koshka_the_cat for giving me information about hers.

Comments

[marianme]

Springs?! Interesting.

[mala_14]

I'm so fascinated by this style of stays! Please let us know what it's like to wear them. Are they very different from more structured ones? I know Katherine finds them comfortable and likes the silhouette they give her.

[atherleisure]

I'm really curious too. They definitely feel different from more structured short stays. My fear is that they're too soft to pull the bust up into the raised Regency position, but I haven't tried them on with a dress yet so that's still hypothetical. I meant to try everything on yesterday, but I forgot.

[mala_14]

Interesting!

[danabren]

...springs?

[atherleisure]

There's a whole write-up about stays or a bodice with springs over at Kleidung um 1800 - https://kleidungum1800.blogspot.com/search/label/1801%20Corset%20de%20Soie. She made one as outerwear, and Katherine had found something that indicated they could be underwear too and made herself a couple of pair. She said they were really comfortable so I thought I'd try making some too. Instead of boning and working through tension in the fabric, they have springs running horizontally through them to add some tension. We'll see how they work.

[koshka_the_cat]

I hope they work for you! They look great!

[atherleisure]

Thanks! They were comfortable for a short try-on. Here's hoping they work under a dress.

[chocolatepot]

I have always wondered, where do you get the springs? Can you just buy a big roll of spring somewhere and cut it to size?

[atherleisure]

I don't know if you can buy a roll. It would be nice because my springs ended up being just under 4" long, and I could get two out of each piece with another piece a little under 3" long left over. I got mine from Amazon - https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000WPAI0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1. I believe that's where Katherine got hers too - I think she has a link somewhere in her journal. I needed 2 packages.

I do know that they did not have them at my local hobby shop, nor did they know what I was talking about when I said I wanted fine springs that I understood were used in some connection with model railroading.