I was able to spend a significant amount of time working on the stays today.  There are some differences in construction when including a busk pocket, so I photographed them for those who are curious.  Click the images for larger resolution and more detail.

I want the busk pocket to be within the bottom edge binding, and the pocket is going to cover the center boning channels, so I inserted and secured ONLY the boning in the center front.

The busk pocket is created by sewing a rectangle with silk on one side and muslin on the other.  The silk is folded over on the top, so the top 1″ or so is silk to silk.  The buttonholes are for the busk ribbon if one is used.  The sides are folded under by about 1/4″ and a double row of stitches secures the panel in place.  The finished pocket is big enough for a 2″ wide busk.

After the busk pocket was in place, I edge stitched the bottom, including around where the tabs will be cut.  Then I trimmed it all nice and smooth, removing any small discrepancies between the layers.

This is one of the places where work order gets a little tricky.  I want the lining to be within the edge binding, but it’s easiest to bind the edge BEFORE inserting the boning so the tabs can be moved as needed.  I also don’t want the securing stitches for the boning to go through the lining, so I double-checked the placement and length of all boning (since I use pre-cut lengths – if you cut to size you won’t need to worry about checking) and placed the securing stitches for the bottom of each boning channel.

Next I edge stitched again, this time with the lining in place.

After that I cut each of the tabs free from each other and started stitching the bottom edge binding.  Silk taffeta makes fantastic bias tape and I had enough left, so I decided to bind with self fabric.

There’s not a whole lot left before these stays are finished.  I just need to finish the bottom binding, insert and secure the boning along the top, bind the top edge, and grommet it.  Hopefully I’ll have it done in the next day or two, time allowing.