tabbed » By Sidney Eileen

Brown Silk Renaissance Stays

Conical stays with tabs were historically used throughout the 1600′s and 1700′s. The simplest designs are created with the price-conscious reenactor in mind. Fancier designs and subtle variations in silhouette are possible when using complex panel piecing and decorative elements.

This is a bespoke conical corset for Renaissance reenactment. It has a brown dupioni silk cover, busk pocket, and leather edging.

Brown Silk Renaissance Stays

Fabric: Two core layers of hemp/linen canvas, dupioni silk cover, and cotton muslin lining
Boning: 1/2" flat spring steel bones fanned for the front panel and 2 1/4" flat spring steel bones per tab
Piecing: Five panels total - one front panel, two side panels, and two back panels
Edging: Leather, hand stitched
Busk Pocket: Dupioni silk lined with hemp/linen canvas
Busk: Oak, 2"x12", hand made

These stays are constructed using modern materials and techniques to provide a beautiful foundation garment for modern reenactment.

Blue Taffeta Silk Stays with Busk Pocket

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This is a bespoke conical corset for Renaissance reenactment. It has a blue silk taffeta cover, busk pocket, and offset lacing.

Blue Taffeta Silk Stays with Busk Pocket

Fabric: Two core layers of corset coutil, silk taffeta cover, and cotton muslin lining
Boning: 1/2" flat spring steel bones fanned for the front panel and 2 1/4" flat spring steel bones per tab
Piecing: Three panels total - one front panel and two back panels
Edging: Bias-cut cover fabric
Busk Pocket: Cover material lined with muslin
Lacing Style: Offset lacing

These stays are constructed using modern materials and techniques to provide a beautiful foundation garment for modern reenactment.

The bottom edge is hand-stitched on the inside, as are the left and right edges of the lining.

Fully Boned Silk Renaissance Stays

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This is a bespoke conical corset for Renaissance reenactment. It has beige dupioni silk cover material, is fully boned, and has a pocket for a wooden busk.

Fully Boned Silk Renaissance Stays

Fabric: Two core layers of cotton duck, dupioni silk cover, and 100% cotton lining
Boning: 1/2" and 1/4" flat spring steel bones, fully boned
Piecing: Five panels total - One front panel, underarm panels, and back panels.

These stays are constructed using modern materials and techniques to provide a beautiful and sturdy foundation garment for modern reenactment.

Basic Renaissance Stays

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These are basic “renaissance” stays, all partially boned and created using modern methods and materials.

Basic Renaissance Stays

Fabric: Two layers of hemp or linen canvas. A couple examples have a cotton twill cover.
Boning: 1/2" flat spring steel bones fanned for the front panel and 2 1/4" flat spring steel bones per tab
Piecing: Three panels total - one front panel and two back panels, or two front panels and one back panel
Edging: Organic cotton ribbon edging.

These stays are constructed using modern materials and techniques, to provide the proper fashion silhouette for the modern reenactor seeking a quality garment without breaking the bank. This kind of corset is suitable as a foundation garment for any period of costuming that requires a conical silhouette. Fancier cover materials and historic construction and detailing are available as well.

Embroidered Renaissance Stays

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I made this corset years ago with a construction method I no longer use. It is included here to show the hand embroidery.

Embroidered Renaissance Stays

This is an older pair of stays I made for myself years ago, which no longer fits. The embroidery design is unique, and based on historic colonial American floral embroidery patterns. It is entirely hand-embroidered.

The corset itself is not constructed in a style I would ever repeat, and is included here purely to show the embroidery.

Basic Renaissance (Old Style)

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These corsets were made several years ago, and I no longer use this construction method.

Basic Renaissance (Old Style)

I no longer make stays in this exact style, with separate tabs.

Fabric: Two core layers of cotton duck, cover and lining 100% cotton denim
Boning: 1/2" flat spring steel bones fanned in front panels, and 2 1/4" flat bones per tab
Piecing: Three or Four panels total

These "stays" were made for Renaissance reenactment, using modern materials and techniques. My plain stays are now also made with hemp or linen material, instead of cotton, using a different assembly technique that is more efficient and produces as higher quality garment.

Some of the stays shown are back lacing only, while others have lacing in the front and back.

Peacock Silk Conical Finished

Corsets, Sewing No Responses »

Jul 092011

For those who followed the WIP posts, the bottom edging did not behave at all when I attempted to secure it with the sewing machine, so I ended up hand-stitching it on the inside. After finishing the bottom edge, I inserted and secured the remaining boning, edge stitched the lining to the top, and hand-stitched the left and right edges of the lining. Final details were edging the top and grommeting. The customer who commissioned these stays requested instructions on how to hand-stitch the eyelets, a detail which can be done instead of grommets, or over grommets to provide a more period look. Plus, it’s just darned pretty. So, there will be a tutorial regarding hand-stitched eyelets in a couple months. I wish it could be sooner, but that’s not possible due to other concerns which I am not yet free to discuss in an open forum.

These stays are constructed using modern materials and techniques to provide a beautiful foundation garment for modern reenactment.

Blue Taffeta Silk Stays with Busk Pocket

Fabric: Two core layers of corset coutil, silk taffeta cover, and cotton muslin lining
Boning: 1/2″ flat spring steel bones fanned for the front panel and 2 1/4″ flat spring steel bones per tab
Piecing: Three panels total – one front panel and two back panels
Edging: Bias-cut cover fabric
Busk Pocket: Cover material lined with muslin
Lacing Style: Offset lacing

Peacock Silk Conical – WIP2

Corsets, Sewing, Work in Progress No Responses »

Jun 282011

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.

Peacock Silk Conical – WIP1

Corsets, Sewing, Work in Progress No Responses »

Jun 262011

This is the latest project on my sewing machine. It is tabbed conical stays, with two layers of corset coutil for the core, and a cover of peacock silk taffeta. It is partially boned, and will include a busk pocket in the front. The lining will be white cotton muslin. Presently, the cover and core are sewn together, and the boning channels have been created. It’s about 25% done.

WIP 1 (main seams sewn only)

WIP 2

Basic Renaissance Stays – WIP 1

Corsets, Sewing, Work in Progress No Responses »

May 022011

These stays are currently on my sewing machine. The pattern has five panels to distribute the significant amount of bias needed to fit the customer properly. It is made with two layers of hemp/linen canvas, ready for full boning, and the bottom edge is bound. I ran short of boning, so I’ll finish this project after more boning arrives at the end of the week. At that point I will insert the remaining boning, secure it, bind the top edge, and grommet it. The shoulder straps are removable.

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