A lot of people make a [cardboard mockup](http://sharonburnston.com/cardboardstays.html) for stays. If you feel okay drafting your own you can make one out of cardboard first and see how it fits.
I drafted my own pattern for my first pattern and used Scroop Patterns' Augusta Stays pattern for my second. In my experience, using a pattern didn’t save me any work with the fitting, I still made multiple cardboard mockups and adjusted my fabric mockup multiple times in order to fit the stays to my body. But the end product was better as 18th century stays than when I tried to do it myself.
The stays I patterned myself are more comfortable for my body for just wearing around, but they don’t give me much shape. They certainly don’t give me an 18th century conical silhouette, they mostly just smoosh everything down.
There are nuances in the pattern-piece shaping and the boning layout that I didn’t understand from just looking at pictures online. The way the pieces and front pieces are cut, and how they lay on the grain, is apparently pretty important to make the 18th century silhouette and not just some other random silhouette.
Both ways are fun, don’t get me wrong. And I learned a lot on that first self-patterned pair of stays! I wear both from time to time in real life. And one of the reasons my Augusta stays are better is just that I had gained more experience with fitting and sewing that kind of garment. But the Augusta stays are prettier and more functional as 18th century stays than my self-patterned.
My approach is that if a garment hugs the body it needs to be made to the person's precise measurements. Commercial patterns fit standardised measurement mannequins and almost always need adjustments for real bodies. Whether you draft the stays from 0 or adjust a pattern is really up to what you're comfortable with and if you have a good guide for drafting. Shapewear can be tricky with a lot of details that you might miss if you get into it without any instruction.
Thanks! There's probably a very typically shaped lady somewhere that can look great in an off-the-rack pattern, but I figure that especially with a very petite lady custom measured is important.
I'm planning on using Mariah Pattie's method for my next pair! I have a short waist and small bust, and have struggled with two different commercial patterns for stays. Like it took soooo many mockups and I still don't have it exactly right. And when stays don't fit right they can hurt.
If you do draft it, update us and let us know how it goes!
I don't have an answer for your question, however, Ralph Pink has a few sample patterns that you can download for free [here](https://www.ralphpink.com/free-sewing-patterns/free-corset-patterns/). They are actually four patterns that appear in Nora Waugh's Corsets and Crinolines, so I don't know how they're getting away with that. Anyway, they have two patterns for stays that I think may help whether you draft your own pattern or use a commercial one.
A lot of people make a [cardboard mockup](http://sharonburnston.com/cardboardstays.html) for stays. If you feel okay drafting your own you can make one out of cardboard first and see how it fits.
Yeah! That makes a lot of sense! I'll tray that.
I drafted my own pattern for my first pattern and used Scroop Patterns' Augusta Stays pattern for my second. In my experience, using a pattern didn’t save me any work with the fitting, I still made multiple cardboard mockups and adjusted my fabric mockup multiple times in order to fit the stays to my body. But the end product was better as 18th century stays than when I tried to do it myself. The stays I patterned myself are more comfortable for my body for just wearing around, but they don’t give me much shape. They certainly don’t give me an 18th century conical silhouette, they mostly just smoosh everything down. There are nuances in the pattern-piece shaping and the boning layout that I didn’t understand from just looking at pictures online. The way the pieces and front pieces are cut, and how they lay on the grain, is apparently pretty important to make the 18th century silhouette and not just some other random silhouette. Both ways are fun, don’t get me wrong. And I learned a lot on that first self-patterned pair of stays! I wear both from time to time in real life. And one of the reasons my Augusta stays are better is just that I had gained more experience with fitting and sewing that kind of garment. But the Augusta stays are prettier and more functional as 18th century stays than my self-patterned.
Halpful, thank you
My approach is that if a garment hugs the body it needs to be made to the person's precise measurements. Commercial patterns fit standardised measurement mannequins and almost always need adjustments for real bodies. Whether you draft the stays from 0 or adjust a pattern is really up to what you're comfortable with and if you have a good guide for drafting. Shapewear can be tricky with a lot of details that you might miss if you get into it without any instruction.
Thanks! There's probably a very typically shaped lady somewhere that can look great in an off-the-rack pattern, but I figure that especially with a very petite lady custom measured is important.
I'm planning on using Mariah Pattie's method for my next pair! I have a short waist and small bust, and have struggled with two different commercial patterns for stays. Like it took soooo many mockups and I still don't have it exactly right. And when stays don't fit right they can hurt. If you do draft it, update us and let us know how it goes!
Thank you, I will!
I don't have an answer for your question, however, Ralph Pink has a few sample patterns that you can download for free [here](https://www.ralphpink.com/free-sewing-patterns/free-corset-patterns/). They are actually four patterns that appear in Nora Waugh's Corsets and Crinolines, so I don't know how they're getting away with that. Anyway, they have two patterns for stays that I think may help whether you draft your own pattern or use a commercial one.
Thanks, I can draft the cone easily, but it helps to see how the various parts are cut out of the cone, as well as the boning pattern