And now for something completely different... sort of...

Don't worry- I'm in media res with work on my 1812 dress form. (More to come on that later, I promise!) The problem is, I keep thinking that I need to be working on my stays for 1768. Like, problem as in I was awake in bed last night thinking to myself, " You need to work on your stays, too. You can't just stop making clothes for the 1760's because you've decided you need to go to Waterloo... you can't just abandon your first time period like that..."

So, to keep me on target to finish my dress form by the end of February while still working on items for my other period, I decided to compromise. I will make a second pair of 18th century stays using my pattern from my Burnley and Trowbridge workshop in November, but I'll machine stitch the channels and (since I won't be able to acquire and work on the baleen for my delicious teal stays) I'll use riven oak splits for this  pair.

My stay pieces cut and ready for basting. My handy dandy
Burnley and Trowbridge workshop folder in the background.
Those folders are magic! =P

So, to construct this second pair, I decided to use materials on hand (minus the oak splits, which I just ordered today.) I used some leftover linen from my B&T workshop, another piece of natural colored linen I had around the workroom, and I'll probably use the leather I bought for my teal pair to bind them. (I can pick up some more when I go to the breeches workshop next weekend...)

I've got my pieces cut and chalked (see photo). Two panels are prepped and ready for channels, so only eight more to go! I'm really hoping by making this pair first I can make most of my screw ups with binding, etc. on this pair before I go all out with my teal stays--plus these will go together faster as I'm using the machine for channels (the rest will have to be done by hand) and using the oak gives me time to arrange for obtaining the baleen and the tools needed to work it into stays. Plus, theoretically, using the same pattern should allow me to then make a plaster mold for my 1760s dress form while wearing this pair, allowing me to drape another gown or two that will fit over my teal pair of stays once they are finished.

I so dig it!