Short order short stays!

Having seen reine_de_coudre 's latest post on her finished short stays, I remembered the pair I cut out ages ago and never got around to starting. Seeing as I'm all ready for the ball on Saturday I figured it was probably as good a time as any to start them! Originally I planned to hand sew them, but my shifts are all machine sewn, as is my petticoat, so I figured, what's the point? (Handsewing them was really going to be something to occupy me while on holiday anyway) Also, I've realised February is a very short month, so I need to get a move on with the things for the MA tea party on the 6th of March!

So I came home from work this afternoon, and got the pieces out at about 4. After pinning the gussets in and pinning the seams together I tried them on, altered them, tried them again etc. till they fit perfectly. I then stitched them together on the machine, and bound the edges (also on the machine, with only one pass because I'm lazy!) with cotton tape. I'd done 6 of the 10 eyelets (also by machine, I love my Husky eyelet plates!) by 7:10 when Gemma came round for supper! Another 10 minutes of eyelet sewing after supper and before Glee started and the stays were done!

I'm supper impressed with myself, and boy do they make the girls look good! It's really hard for me to get a cleavage because I have a pigeon chest (I come to a 'point' in front, my breast bone sticks forward instead of being flat, so my breasts sit in little 'hollows' either side of the bony bit) Although, I do need a longer lace, I had to pull a bit too much to get it to tie, so it's a bit too tight even for me!



I really need to tidy up!