I should mention that I finished binding the handsewn 1780s stays! Yay! I finished it on the plane over to Paris, where I ended up having a funny conversation about them with a fight attendant who had a friend who was a stage costumer.
I ended up using the silk petersham ribbon sold by William Booth — it’s REALLY pretty, although a tiny bit more delicate than I would like. We’ll see how it holds up over time. I used vintage rayon seam binding for the welting.
Anyway, now all that’s left is lining… except that the front lacing holes are starting to rip! I’ve NEVER had that happen to me before, but I think it’s because I’ve been using a gros-grain ribbon to lace it shut, and I’ve been wearing them a lot (lots of try-ons lately). So, I’m planning to restitch the eyelets in front, and then lace a ribbon through each side as a protection against the lacing ribbon.
Speaking of which, does anyone have any good sources for period appropriate lacing? I always end up using narrow satin or gros-grain ribbon, which works but it’s not the kind of the cord they would have used in the 18th c. So far, I haven’t found a good alternative except for a waxed cord that is sold for beading, but it only comes in black, which would look bad on these stays!
hi, try renaissance fabrics, they have waxed cords in several colors, and linen cording as well
If your lacing holes are big enough there is some cotton twill tape that is really narrow. I picked some up from William Booth, Draper in an off-white, I like that it is flexible but not slippery, and since I bound my stays with twill tape, it all matches!
Have you thought about making your own cord, either with a lucet or finger-loop braiding?
That is a beautiful pair of stays!