Although my stays have been finished for a month now, I haven't gotten around to write another blog post about them. My master thesis and my wedding past month have been pre-occupying my mind, plus due to the pandemic, I haven't been able to attend any events and actually wear the stays. I've only tried them on once after I finished them, to check the fit and also try on a spanish gown that I am currently working on, so the photos aren't that glamorous – apologies. Since my last post I've added the tabs, binded the rest of the stays and made all the eyelets.
I am quite happy with the fit apart from one thing... unfortunately the armscye is too tight. It was fine when I made the mock-up but for some reason it's tighter now. I may have gained 1-2kg since making the mock-up but surely that minimal weight gain doesn't make that much of a difference, does it? Of course it's annoying, but I'm still quite happy with the results. It gives me a nice shape and I can live with a tiny bit of discomfort underneath my armpits. Maybe it will become more comfortable once I lose weight again – at least I hope so.
I tried the stays on to fit my 16th century spanish gown and it gives me a nice shape. When I made the mock-up for the gown, I used my effigy stays, but the fit works well with both stays... but I will write more on that in a separate blog post.
Edit: Since wearing them once, I have altered them a little. The armscyes were too small, hence the tightness and discomfort underneath the armpits. I enlarged them by 2 cm by cutting into the fabric underneath the armpit, as the straps did not allow for any further alteration. The fit was immensely improved. I haven't worn them for almost 2 years now and I have gained some weight again, so currently (June 2023) I am not sure if they fit or not. I don't plan on altering them again though.
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