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Stays: SNO.1293

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Berrington Hall

National Trust

Stays: SNO .1293

(All photos courtesy of Berrington Hall and we are most grateful to them!)

Stays - SNO.1293 - HandBound Costume Research, eighteenth century period clothing, re-enactment costume research, georgian stays and corsets, original corsets, the history of undergarments, history of corsets, what people wore in the georgian times, 18th century corsets, fully boned stays, underwear, period costume, made to measure historical costume, bespoke reneactment clothing, custom made stays and replica costume, reproduction costumes from the 1700s,

Full and Proud Frontal View!

Details:
– 2nd half of 18th c.
– Fawn Linen with missing lining.
– In Nancy Bradfield’s Book ‘Costume in Detail’ p.44
– 11 x Eyelets
– 8 x Panels
– Leather binding and under-arm piece.

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Inside View of Stays

My Notes from the study session, although scribbled and probably not very readable for anyone else are, to me, just as important as the photos. It’s in these pages that I get to write down details and notes to go alongside the photos that a) help me to spot what details to look for in the photos but also b) things that can’t really be photographed. For example, this particular pair of Stays, although fully boned and containing many aspects of earlier techniques and therefore could be assumed to feel the same as those earlier specimens, actually has a lightness about it – as if the fabric and supporting fabrics are thinner or the bones are cut that bit more slender. it’s hard to know for sure but they definitely feel finer and not so bulky as other examples we’ve handled. It’s for this reason that I’ve included my notes here.

My Notes:
– Boning channels tend to be 7mm wide.
– Measurement of curved section at top hem is 14″. another 1 3/4″ down it is 12 1/2″.
– Bust seems to measure 31″
– Waist about 27″ wide and seems at a fairly higher height than earlier Stays.
– As seen in the photos there is a central stiffened canvas piece at the waist. Either with age or with some sort of stiffener, the canvas has become very thick and sturdy and set in it’s shape. Length of inner support canvas = 10 1/2″ and about 7″ wide (it’s hard to measure on such a curved panel!)
– Last 2 button holes are just mere holes and possibly later additions. Most of the Stays we’ve seen don’t tend to lace up all the way to the bottom and the other eyelets though visibly used, still have their thread attached.

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A close-up shot clearly displaying the severity of the curve of fully boned stays and also the narrowness of the cone-like shaping of the front section of the Stays.

Other Details include, the angle of the CF boning – coming at an angle into the CF seam.  Grainline for CF panel matches CF straight line. Grainline for Side Front panel is also straight, as if the panel had been laid out on the fabric with the tabs sitting on a right angle to the selvedge. Side back panel is different. You will clearly be able to see this in the photos and we will point it out later.

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Close up detail of the leather strip that is often placed here to protect the under arm. It is often pinked at the edge and this one here seems to possibly differ in colour to the leather used to bind the hems.

Standard construction techniques show that the panels have been made up and boned first and then the seam allowance has been lashed back and the edges butted up together and stitched. The thread used in this looks almost like string it’s so thick and coarse but probably incredibly strong. Inside backing to boning is, as in other Stays viewed, a pale beige slubbed linen canvas. You can see this here in this next image.

Inner View of Stays-SNO.1293-HandBound Costumes, eighteenth century period clothing, re-enactment costume research, georgian stays and corsets, original corsets, the history of undergarments, history of corsets, what people wore in the georgian times, 18th century corsets, fully boned stays, underwear, period costume, made to measure historical costume, bespoke reneactment clothing, custom made stays and replica costume, reproduction costumes from the 1700s,

Inside workings of the Stays show single layer of linen loose-ish canvas backing the whalebone, with the seams lashed down with a basic string and the seams sewn with a thicker thread.

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Another view of the Inner workings of the stays showing the lashed down Seam allowance and then the ladder-like stitching pulling the two panels together.

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This is the final tab nearest the Side Back Panel on SNO.1293. You can clearly see which way the grain is going.

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This is the Side Back panel (with the Centre back (CB) panel clearly laying next to it) and you can see here the grainline goes from the right hand side point of a tab to virtually it’s left hand top corner. Can’t work out if this was from trying to save fabric or because there’s a techincal logic behind it.

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Here you can also see the strange angle of the grain direction of the CB panel. You also get a glimpse of the hand worked eyelets and how deep they go!

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Tape measure showing the grain direction of the Side Front Panel from the Stays SNO.1293 at Berrington Hall, Snowshill Collection

 

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Tape measure showing the size of the curve at the CF of Stays SNO.1293 from Berrington Hall, Snowshill Collection

18th c. Stays Snowshill – HandBound Costumes Research

Notes from the museums sketches and drawings of costumes in the NT collections, 18th c corsets and stays research, replica stays and corsetry from the georgian period, handBound costume research into Stays, museum replicas 1700s, 18th c. underwear, historical costumes made to be based on museum items and replicas, theatre and film costumiers, made to measure historical costumes for theatre and re-enactment, bespoke 18thc garments, custom made historical costumes

Our Notes from the Study Session – 1st half

Notes from the museums sketches and drawings of costumes in the NT collections, 18th c corsets and stays research, replica stays and corsetry from the georgian period, handBound costume research into Stays, museum replicas 1700s, 18th c. underwear, historical costumes made to be based on museum items and replicas, theatre and film costumiers, made to measure historical costumes for theatre and re-enactment, bespoke 18thc garments, custom made historical costumes

2nd half of notes – SNO.1293 – HandBound Costumes

Nancy Bradfields Sketch and Study of these Stays -p44 of her Dress in Detail book.

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Hope you’ve found this useful and informative! We are planning on working on a replica of these Stays at some point and please email us if you are more interested in having a pair made.