Regency Stays - Trial and Error Round One

Well I got my Regency stays finished to the point that I could try them on. So I did. And this is what I ended up with.

Still no busk in the stays and I didn't have a chemise on, but you can get a good idea about how everything is fitting.

Two things I found out very quickly though

• I accidentally sewed my bust ribbons into my bias trim, so they don't work completely
• Even if they did work, they wouldn't be able to take the excess material in enough to support my lack of bust.

Sigh.

I already have plans at this point to redo the stays, but I'll have to make further adjustments along the bust (on top of the ones I already made). Right now I'm thinking about taking one of the gussets out on each side and making appropriate changes.

Otherwise, everything else fits nicely. Cord lacing in comparison to metal boning support definitely has a different feel though. I opted to sit around in it for a few minutes (and remember, I don't have a wood busk yet) and it takes a little getting used to if you're used to more support around the waistline.

On the flip side, my cording did turn out very well!

So off to do some playing around and re-adjustments with gussets, then hopefully I can get started on Version 2 of this garment in the fall.