Feedback on my new stays/mockup
So this has a bit of a story behind it. I last made a pair of stays about 10 years ago, using elizabethancostume.net and was very happy with them. Recently I decided to get back into more historical costuming and my old stays are too big, so I obviously I had to make new ones 😅. Since I love off grid I hand sew everything, so I figured if I was going thru the trouble of making a mock up then I was just gonna go ahead and finish them. My family and I were going to a fairy masquerade ball so I made them to match my train. I added a pic of my costume for fun 😁.
I got clockworkfaerie's 1780's stays pattern and used size 18 and shortened it 1/2" according to her instructions. Coutil for the strength layer, and some quilting cotton for the fashion layer (I live in an area with a lot of quilting stores so that was easiest for matching my train). Petersham ribbon for binding. Plastic needlepoint canvas in the stomacher along with 1/2" steel bone down the center. Plastic boning. 1/2" satin ribbon for lacing. I used white generic buttonhole thread for the eyelets, and white generic all purpose thread and white cotton hand quilting thread for the rest of the sewing.
All in all I learned a lot doing this. My old stays weren't completely handsewn, these took me about a month. I also bought and used a sadiron off eBay because I live off grid and didn't have an iron. Personally I didn't love the plastic boning, I think I'll use zipties again on my next mockup, and maybe spiral steel in the future. I definitely need steel boning on either side of the eyelets. I think the size is too small also, I misread the size chart, I think next time I'll make a size 22, my waist is naturally 24-25". Also maybe try not shortening it.
Does anyone have any tips, or more nitpicking they can see? Sorry about the pics if they're a little frumpy, I borrowed one of my husband's tshirts because I haven't made a shift yet. I am definitely open to any tips or criticisms. Y'all are so inspiring and I love reading this reddit and seeing all the gorgeous creations.