Making 18th Century Stays + Chemise | Simplicity 8162 Review

And the best place to start is with the correct undergarments. Specifically, it meant making a pair of 18th centuries stays that would give the correct body shape/style of the era align with an era-appropriate chemise using Simplicity 8162.

 And while they are not perfect, they are super cute and I’m absolutely proud of them.

I mentioned above Les Fetes de la Nouvelle France which is a 17th and 18th-century festival event held in Quebec City (one of the oldest cities in North America) each summer for a week that I’ve been dying to go to for years (last years was canceled).  It involves re-enactments of the war and the daily life of the first French settlers in Canada, lots of food and so much more.

And is also one of the reasons I want to make the 18th-century outfit. 

People are greatly encouraged to dress up either as a common villager, a bourgeois, or nobles to further enjoy the event, and learning about this gave me the goal, or final objective, to make the dress that I’ve always wanted to make. 

related post: sewing my birthday skirt | Burda 9888 review

But before making the gown, I needed to make the undergarments.

Making My First Pair of 18th Century Stays (+ Chemise) | Simplicity 8162 Review

the pattern 

This American Duchess pattern was made for newbies like me and so the pattern and the instructions are quite simple and easy to understand. 

The first thing I did was make a mockup using cardboard to get a general idea of what it would look like and whether I’d need to make changes.

The only changes I made to the stays were that instead of them being half-boned (like the pattern showed) I made them fully boned so that they are stiffer and much more historically accurate, using American Duchess’ tips on their where to put boning video. 

This meant drawing dozens of lines or channels that took forever (well two hours) to draw as I didn’t have a quilting ruler. But besides that, I made no other changes.

For the boning, I used plastic cable ties from Dollarama (20 for $2) and after cutting them to size I sanded them down and slipped the right into the boning channels which meant that the binding had to be hand sewn which…

OH MY GOSH!

Also, after sewing the channels, I put in the binding then I staystitched the inside fabric then added the binding. The pattern had a different way of doing this part which was both complicated and totally unnecessary.  

As for the chemise, I had read that it ran large and so I sized down two sizes while cutting the sleeves in my size while fully doing without the ruffles as they were bulky (and somewhat ugly).

One thing that surprised me about this pattern was that it had godets in the sleeves as it was not only super easy to put but it made such a big difference in arm movement. I was able to raise my arms without worries that the arm seam would break. 

the fabric

Last year for a couple of home projects I used upholstery fabric and had quite a lot leftover and since stays are supposed to be supportive and thick, I decided to use those fabrics for the project.

For the main fabric and, I used a blue, yellow, and white floral fabric since it was the prettiest cotton blend material I had. As for the interlining (goes inside) I used an upholstery fabric that was much thicker than the aforementioned one.

The chemise was made out of a plain white cotton loose sheet that I found at Rennaissance (thrift store) for ~$5. The pattern called for 3 meters (!!!) of fabric and since finding good cotton fabric is a) impossible b) expensive and so using thrifted sheets was an amazing and affordable idea. 

related post: Linen Shorts from thrifted fabric 

Plus after cutting the pattern out I realized there was still a huge piece of fabric left which I hope to use to make the bum pad that I forgot to make. 

the final look

As you can see, I chose a bright blue ribbon for lacing and yellow binding that would complement the fabric of the stays which did much better than I expected. Plus I used some leftover ribbon for a chemise, giving it a matching and cute look. 

Not going to lie, I had to learn how to bend and in a certain way as the front tabs would poke if I bent over or if I slouched but at no point was it painful or terribly annoying. Frankly, I liked wearing them. 

The only downside of the stays is that my bust becomes nonexistent and that waist is somehow bigger than without. 

I do have a couple of issues with the back tabs as you can see that they refuse to stay apart but it doesn’t affect the look of the stays that much. Plus if I ever decide to make another pair (maybe in a couple of years), I’ll try to fix that issue plus since it’s going to be worn under the dress it is not much of an issue. 

final thoughts

I still can’t get over the fact that I made an 18th-century chemise and stays! 

It’s been a dream of mine for years and after following Lauren of Virtuous Courtesan on Instagram for years and seeing her handmade historical masterpieces and seeing other sewists take the plunge on historical sewing I thought why couldn’t I?

Plus the annual festival in Quebec City also pushed me further and gave me a goal that I hope I can accomplish (as long as it is not canceled)! 

Overall the pattern was beginner-friendly and easy to work work with and I definitely recommend it to all aspiring historical sewists. Along with using bedsheets from the thrift store as it makes the whole thing much more affordable. 

If there are no costuming groups in your area, like mine, there are some amazing Facebook groups filled with historical sewists who are quick to help and can make you feel part of a community. Plus there are countless youtube videos and blog posts that can aid in making a pair of stays.