For those asking about washing: I machine wash them cool and line-dry them. They've been through several times, and so far the boning is fine. No warping, no rust, no punctures.
@@justme9818 They won't loose shape or stretch out like an elastic bra. I think how long it lasts will depend on how well it's made. For this one, the binding is all solid, so are the eyelets, the only area I'm concerned about is the boning possibly wearing through the channels. To prevent this, I should have sewn in thicker, tighter woven boning channels, rather than just relying on the strength of the layers of linen.
Me too. I have the walking skirt I need to finish and the coat that I need to re-line. Buuuut at least this idea works with another of the projects I’m currently working on? Bras are expensive and stupid and I was planning on figuring out how to make a replacement at home. This will suffice. 😂
While not an 'actual athlete' I did wear a metric ass ton of sports bras in the Army doing EVERYTHING. Running, rucking, working with heavy equipment, dragging people and equipment around. Honestly; I wish I had something like yours. Athletic sports bras are NOT some super special awesome article of scientific clothing. They squish and wick. The expensive ones squish and wick more comfortably. Whatever you pay, it's a restrictive band around the chest. Add a bullet proof vest and I was ready to kill for some decent lifting support.
Did you find anything in addition to this video? I can sew but not at this level. I'm feeling desperate for some good support (used to shop at bravisimo but sick of standard bras) but don't want a full corset.
@@Emily-re5kq Nope. The closest I found was one of the short regency stays, but still not quite what I'm looking for. I want something that has some of the nice shaping of stays but is discrete under clothing and very breathable. Unfortunately I'm also not at the level to design and make something like that, but maybe one day!
@@dakotalee6990 If you give me a bit more about what you want I maybe able to help (I'm a seamstress that's made corsets/stage costumes/etc. For 15 years). Discrete under clothing, what parts are the issue for you (lacing showing/seams/boning channels), and for shape what kinda shape are you thriving for (the 18th flatter smooshed up or more shapely Regency like)?
Perfect timing! I've been on the hunt for something as well. I ran across this pattern recently & will probably give it a go.. redthreaded.com/products/regency-short-stays-pattern-individually-sized-paper-pattern
I literally screamed like a banshee on a zipline! I had this wonderment of an idea of a corset, but sports bra. It was inspired by the lack of stability in my currently modern sports bra. And let me tell you, the girls meeeeean business when I have to do any kind of jumping. Thank you for coming up with the same idea, and trying it out!
I watched a video of someone's where they wore corset for a week and their consensus was that it offers so much more comfortable support than any modern bra, and as a person with very large breasts where I primarily only wear sports bras because they offer much more support than a regular bra I was actually wondering since then if anyone has actually tried to "modernise" or make practical a pair of stays in a hybrid kind of way! This is so cool!
I'm a busy person as well, and I've been considering making some type of stays for daily wear. I've tried bras from literally every place I can find that goes about a DDD and I just HATE all of them. Even Third Love the bestest bra company every just gets a "meh" from me.
I wore cheap fashion corsets for work for several months as a truck driver and working in the yard. While I can’t recommend the plastic bones, (mine got very hot and deformed a lot), the corset idea remains the single best idea I’ve ver had for workwear. I eventually upgraded to a costuming bodkin with side lacing from Etsy and while I still ran into the same problem with the plastic bones, it only really proved the corset works so much better than a bra. You don’t really need to modernise them so much as just get a pair that fits. Even my cheap-ass fashion corsets fit well enough to prove the concept; they didn’t get any warmer than the T-shirt, work shirt, bra combo I had to wear beforehand. I’m saving for another bodkin or corset...cannot recommend highly enough.
@@DeniseSkidmore:I ratchet the shoulder straps up to the point where there is no bounce...only shoulder flex. That being said, I gave up on sports bras because they just can’t do the job; I use regular full cup bras and tighten the straps.
@@lord0jackostar Baleen and its synthetic substitutes are supposed to mould to the body, but in order to do so the garment that the boning is in has to be a decent fit to begin with, so if the fit, or even just the placement of the boning channels, was off, the plasticity may have ended up exacerbating existing fit issues.
I love how this looks more than modern sports bras. This looks like it would last much longer than the cheap fabric used on a lot of athletic clothing too
I love the way you mix modern and vintage techniques to make something to be used now in everyday life. I also love to watch the other historical practice/costume youtube but I am not hand sewing an entire set of stays not even for myself. But you mix techniques jumping from modern to vintage and back again showing you can have both skill sets and create beautiful and useful pieces.
Given that some of it has to be done by hand, boning,pressing seams, second seam on the binding...its going to be so expensive few could afford it. Sadly.
Your video autoplayed...while I was in the middle of cutting out the pattern for a modern sports bra to match the legging I made 😂 This is super clever and I'd love to see other clever historical hot takes on modern fashion!
Aaaaaa those eyelets!! The were the bane of my existence when I made my stays. Took forever and looked terrible. Yours are *chef's kiss* mwah! Perfection
I've had an unfinished pair of corded stays in my UFO pile for years, and I've been thinking of converting them to a modern bra substitute, so this video is very timely! I do have to say that your technique of marking the eyelet placement with a strip of folded paper and pins, is brilliant! Why didn't I think of that before??? I've been measuring and marking each one separately with my seam gauge and a pencil, and then re-measuring and marking when the marks look wonky ...
I noticed how un-gendered the language in this video was, which is a serious challenge when the subject is bras. I'm not sure if it was intentional or it just turned out that way, but I want you to know how much I appreciate it. Thanks for another awesome video :)
Speaking as a GUY with a medical excuse to wear bras, I agree! What's really frustrating is, I really like stuff that is considered feminine, so therefore I'm "not allowed" to wear! 😞
@@emilyporter1186 thank you! I appreciate that! I just wish it was that simple. I have had some awesome emotional support from some of my coworkers, but just wearing skirts (the main one was a gift from my boss, and her mother) has gotten me some VERY negative comments! SKIRTS WERE INVENTED FOR MEN, PEOPLE!!!! Society is so dumb. 😞
@@freakygardener8033 oof I'm sorry. Gendered clothing is such a stupid concept, but I hope you find a community where you get more support and acceptance for your interests! I love when guys wear skirts and girls wear suits and enby ppl wear whatever they want. It is *aesthetic* and fun
So many good ideas in one video. The eyelet trick is frickin genius. I love the modesty panel at the top. I been looking at various stays and bra patterns and have settled on regency short stays as probably meeting my support and fit needs the best, and your comment at the end confirmed my thinking. And Im going to steal your panel idea because the one thing I didn't like about regency stays was the girls just floating up there threatening to pop out wouldn't work for the cut of some everyday clothes. Add that bit of drawstring panel and BOOM problem solved.
i love your approach to this kind of stuff. im the kind of person who has these.... weird ideas but never does them bk i thinks they are dumb. ur videos really inspire me to give myself the room to make the ideas for no other reason other than.... i want to. its amazing and im super gratefull for your channel ( sorry if the english is bad, its not my first language)
I love the fit those give you, I am considering making something like this but not for sports, just as a regular undergarment (I dream of non-aching shoulders and freedom from a tight underbust band).... it loons really great, thanks for showing us!
It does distribute the bust better horizontally across the front, so yes, the tight underbust band is solved, but because these don't reach to the hips, the weight is not vertically distributed, so I don't think short stays will do much to ease shoulder pain.
@@MariahPattie Thank you!! Thank you for saying this, I'm trying to figure out what I want to try making for myself and that definitely answers my question if I should try shorter options! Really appreciated 😁 Video's great by the way!
Wow, this is awesome! Also, I have to say: even if you did nothing else, the paper method of setting up the eyelets for spiral lacing: Brilliant! But you did do something else! This gives me a great reason to level up my sewing (a lot!) so I can start making , essentially, some longline bras like this from natural materials. the fancy modern materials are starting to create some skin reactions on me :( So thanks so much!
I rarely post comments on RU-vid but I just hope you know how well made your videos are. I hope they start getting the attention they deserve. Amazing artistry and presentation!
@Anne Bennett • So many other historical dress sewers really don't set their videos up as "how-tos" but are really more VLOGS of "What I went through." This is really helpful.
wow, I'm surprised that it didn't hurt when you did situps. I love the frilly modesty panel. Really beautiful work. I especially admired your eyelet sewing, very neat, and even! new subscriber here. thanks for sharing.
Ahh! A fellow sewing leftie! These stays are lovely and ironically one of the first and only truly Ye Olde items I want to make for daily wear is a pair of Regency stays. I wear only vintage, ethically made small business brands, and clothes I sew myself so I totally support your goal of making all your own clothes and I really look forward to seeing your video about that process!
Im so glad you uploaded a full video on this stays! I had used your glimpse of it from the silhouette video to draw inspiration from for my DND characters clothing design. She is a Monk, which in DND is a very athletic martial arts type class, so your insight on a modern sports bra with historical methods was def just what I needed. I'm still playing around with the overall design of it, since it is fantasy, so I can mess with the specifics of things for aesthetics more, but I absolutely loved drawing inspiration from what you have made.
This is really cool. I remember seeing regency stays for the first time and being suprise by how much they looked like modern (sports) bras to me. I’m planning to make some for (hopefully) everyday wear and maybe binding purposes. This video is extremely helpful and you did such a good job explaining what you did. Can’t wait to see your future projects.
My grandmother had one just like it-- she was a dressmaker before she got married. It's great to see one still running, as my grandmother's one is probably gathering dust in one of my relatives' houses now 😞
I loved it! I’m an older (50’s) woman. I have thought of something like this. But.... ok so I thought it was crazy. So why hasn’t this been done? There must be a reason. I was so glad someone tried it ! You did awesome! Great presentation and lots of technical support while you worked. Would love to see more. The music was a bit loud. But even that was great.
Dang, RU-vid not only spies on me, it reads my mind too! I was literally designing a leather half jumps/stays yesterday and today! Edited to add that yum (!) Your machine is beeauuutiful!
I love how serious the video was until the very end and there is Toph lol. I also like how a victorian half-corset with matching gym shorts don't look out of place together.
@@verybarebones To be fair, the type of person who would seriously say "You can't breathe in a corset thooooo" would likely also call stays a corset. OP was joking anyhoo. :/
It's not all black & white you know, not everyone who mentions the breathing thing is misinformed. Back when women wore all forms of corsetry daily, they weren't all as active as women are now, gentlewomen only exerted themselves as far as their daily stroll around the park, so yes, they were mostly fine in corsets, but they weren't as strong or as healthy. Women nowadays are far more active, playing sport, running to catch the bus, running while playing with kids, or to get to the shop before it shuts - all that wouldn't have been acceptable in the distant past, but if they tried, their lungs couldn't expand far enough to take in the Oxygen required & expel the Carbon Dioxide, causing hyperventilation. (You can see what this looks like in Elin Abrahamson's video "I ran 4km in a 'corset'" - although she herself didn't know what was happening at the time). Remember also that corsetry was designed not just to support & shape the body, but to help carry the many kilos of skirts - also not good for running. The rib cage needs to expand much further for our physically active lifestyle e.g. running, athletics, contact sports etc. It's not just the lies that Victorian men told about corsetry harming women, there are modern studies showing that even moderate physical activity in corsetry does not allow sufficient oxygen to the brain for full function (Lipscomb 2013). The brain needs Oxygen to function & if people ignore ongoing hyperventilation, there are serious consequences - like Cerebral Hypoxia, Brain Damage & even Brain Death (ref Kilburn 1966, Rotheram 1964). So Mariah's right, athletes should wear something that not only supports the breast tissue to stop bounce & tear, but also which allows the rib cage to expand wide enough to take in sufficient Oxygen to fuel the activity that the 'sports bra' is being worn for.
Costube guide brought me here, and I'm hooked. This is so up my alley! My only synthetics are workout wear and I've been seriously thinking of how to replace them.
I may need to try something like this. Honestly, when I was running while in the air force, I made my own sports bra which was practically a chest binder as I don't have much up top. The bottom elastic of sports bras always felt like they were restricting my breathing.
Omg im so glad i found this video I've been looking into short stays as a modern bra alternative for the past few weeks since they look like they would provide a better and more balanced support and feel comfortable. Finally my youtube reccomendations havent failed me
I came across your channel randomly but knowing you were using Janet Arnold as a reference point when I had the same book at the foot of my bed sealed the deal. I knew I had to subscribe.
When I was planning the clothes of my fantasy world, I wanted to ban bras completely but thought, well for sports... maybe there's no other way... Now seeing these sports stays I can continue calling it a braless culture and rest assured that it works just fine 😁😅
Also, speaking on behalf of bigger-breasted ladies, it's uncomfortable to go without bust support much of the time. These things are heavy and they pull on you.
@@lady_sir_knight3713 that's true, sport's bras tend to be uncomfortable in the neck area 😬 my favourites are always clothes with enough built in breast support so I don't have to wear regular bras underneath them^^
Amanda H ‘binding’ can be unsafe if you aren’t careful, though. FTM people have all kinds of helpful info about it. Plus wrapping yourself up every day would get annoying. Some kind of structured vest seems likely to develop pretty quickly once people start sewing and fitting stuff instead of just draping lengths of cloth around yourself.
This is incredible! The idea, the making, the editing and thanks for sharing your experience in wearing! I'm so glad to have found your channel. I've always thought that the modern sports bra was lacking. I fail to see how this is a dumb idea 😂
Hey, I know it’s not much of a chance that you will read this comment, but I just wanted to express how I appreciate the honesty about the process of improving and discovering errors/finding room for improvement in finished pieces. It makes me feel a bit less intimidated about sewing myself to see that side of the craft on video. Thank you so much for your content ,transparency, and honesty.
You make this look so reasonable and relaxing and I just know if I attempted this it would take me 2 weeks of screaming incoherently to myself while making innumerable ridiculous mistakes and then crying myself to sleep. So I will just continue to watch your beautiful flowing videos of calm expertise
You mention I the beginning of the video that you had to set strict guidelines to end up making your own clothes. I was wondering if you could go more in depth with how you were able to accomplish that task. I’ve really been wanting to try and start making my own clothes but don’t really know where to start on what to start on.
I decided exactly which types of clothes I would allow myself to buy, and which types I needed to make. I started out with exceptions for any type of underclothing, athletic wear, swimwear, socks, sweaters, outerwear, and blue jeans (if I was truly in need of any such item). Over time my skills have grown, and I've also learned how to mend clothing and just make what I already owned last longer. I've progressively tightened the list to challenge myself more. Now I'm down to underwear (which I still think I can learn to make, plus there are historybounding alternatives to explore, but when you need it, you need it) and knitwear (I hate knitting and as an alternative, would rather start buying from hand knitters, to support other craftsman). It also helps more than I'd ever imagined to have some kind of social media outlet to share my progress. I would definitely not have made it this far without that.
@@MariahPattie It will be great if you can make video about mending clothes and taking care of clothes so they last longer. I just start learning how to sew but my future plan is to also stop buying clothes. Until now I was a user of fast fashion. Those clothes just don't last.
Really nice eyelets. The stays are a brilliant idea. I love your video. You let the camera do the talking, and talk when necessary. It was easy to follow your process. Excellent video. Thanks for posting.
I think your sports bra is brilliant and something I may have to try myself. I like the idea of the support coming from the fabric and stays as you showed. And it looks SOOO protective and amazing.
I havent even made my first pair of 18th century stays for my cosplay. But this is certainly going on my list to hopefully replace those dreaded wired bras 😮😍
Well done. I have been thinking that what my bras lack is boning. Thank you for recording in detail your experiment. It is also a beautiful garment that could be worn as a summer top.
As someone who has spent a ridiculous amount of time wondering what her athletic D&D character would be wearing for support in a medieval-ish fantasy setting, thank you for this science!
OMG I have been wanting something like this, but not so much for running as for daily wear. I've seen bralette designs from the late 1910s to early 1920s that look like this. As the actual corset went below the bustline, they started adding bras. Genius idea.
So this is very close to an idea I've been brooding over for a few weeks now and I'm elated! I want to adapt regency stays into a supportive, comfortable modern bra. I have no idea where to start since I'm not a historian (and just finished flipping my home, so I had no time anyway), but now I know it can be done! Thank you!!
ahhh i just found your channel and i'm so obsessed! Your energy is infectious and makes me feel like i need to get up and go work on my stays right this second!
I've been waiting for this video ever since you made the athletic shorts! I love your channel so much, it's an amazing mixture of historical inspired clothing, as well as character design!
Great idea and great video! I've had a similar idea based on the 14th century côtehardie (a beautiful fitted gown), but now I really want to push that project up to the top of my sewing list. It would work under both my medieval and modern clothes, so that's worth making it sooner, right? I have two ideas that might help you and your viewers. The first is using soap to mark where your eyelets should go, but not the way we normally mark with soap or chalk. Place the pins where you want your eyelets to go, but then rub the fabric right over the pins with a chunk of bar soap that's completely dry (hotel soaps are great for this, because they're already small and don't need to be used first). You'll get a nice, strong line with distinct edges, right where each pin is. Then you can take your pins out so you don't lose them or stick yourself. I use this trick all the time for placing buttons or anything that needs to be in a specific place. Because the soap sticks in place till you get it wet, you don't have to worry about your lines smudging or getting wonky. The second idea is based on extant 18th century stays, many (most?) of which are cut in two separate pieces, the left side and the right side. They lace up the back but also have a front closure, usually (?) heavy-duty hooks and eyes. You'd need a busk or at least boning on either side of the front opening, but they make two-part husks with integral closures now for reenactment use. Personally, I'll probably use flexible metal boning and large, sturdy hooks and eyes for mine. Either way, you get the adjustability and flexibility of a back opening with the ease of dressing of a front opening, which is probably why they had so many with both.
I absolutely love your Sports Bra Stays! That is so much boning! What a lot of work! Lovely job! I've been working on the redthreaded pattern regency short stays for a week or two now because I want to wear them instead of a bra. I too have a goal of a Me Made wardrobe but none of the modern bra's that I found seemed to do what I want them to. I really like the idea of putting the placket??? white bit at the top with the lacing....I might add that to the stays I'm making. And I might sew my straps on too. I keep forgetting, probably because I watch so many historical sewists vloggs, that I'm trying to make a wardrobe with historical touches & ways of sewing, not that historical accuracy is my 'jam' as everyone here seems to say. :) I like the streamlined loo of the sewing instead of ties in that area.
Thank you so much for sharing. Im planning on doing something similar but using a regency short stays as a guideline and loved some of your ideas, especially the mock chemise over the bust. I may try some thing similar using the 18c stays pattern too!!! Love this!!!!
This is actually really awesome because I think these stays could be VERY useful for those of us who struggle to find a bra that isn't a nightmare to wear.
Very interesting and inspiring video. While I'm not in the market for a sports bra it looks far more supportive than an actual sports bra. Love your sewing machine and the cameo with Toph at the end was brilliant. I also liked hearing that you have decided to make all (or most) of your own clothes. This is something that I shall aspire to (except for a modern bra. At a DD cup size I need the support and I can't get it by making my own. I think).
I’d definitely need the gussets as I’m rather larger than I’d like to be, but this is an excellent idea for those of us who tend toward the more gentle workouts!
You created a perfect combination for my tastes - an interesting project with a lot of research and attention to detail, a beautiful result which gives a lot of practical use, high-quality video which is just so pleasant to watch and inspires to create things. Thank you!
