Waist stays: possibly one of the most useful sewing trick/tip/construction pieces I've ever come across. Also, judging by the instructions on many patterns that would benefit from a waist stay, extremely underutilised. Not just for patterns either! Some store bought dresses could seriously benefit from a waist-stay as well.
What is a waist stay?
It is a ribbon, cut exactly to your measurements (zero ease), sewn onto the waist of your dress to...well...help it stay put! Basically, they help hold the weight of heavier skirts to keep them from pulling down the bodice of the dress. Using Butterick 5814 as an example, the waist stay keeps the bodice from being pulled down by the drape on the skirt. That, with the boning, keeps the bodice from moving, the shoulders from slipping, and the low neckline from flashing people.
It's usefulness is most obvious in strapless dresses. Just picture yourself in a strapless dress and then picture yourself constantly pulling it up throughout the night. A waist stay would prevent the dress from sliding around. They were seen in the construction of a lot of vintage (and couture) dresses, mostly because later we moved away from silhouettes with fitted waists. With vintage dresses with fuller skirts, it is hard work on the seams to try and hold up the weight of all that fabric!
Sewing and fitting ::
Before discovering waist stays, I had trouble fitting some of the vintage garments that I've made. To keep the dress in place, I had to cut out nearly all of the ease in the waist area, which, among it looking tight and stretched, makes it really hard to breathe. There is a reason for wearing ease! Freedom! Movement! Breathing!
I have another dress that I finished years ago that I recently added a waist stay to. It is a shirtdress halter. The heavy fabric and weight of the skirt always pulled down the bodice. The dress pulled on my neck and the back, with nothing to hold it up, just dragged down. Couldn't make it too tight because it would have just pulled at the buttons on the front. I tried everything I could think of at the time to fix it! Problem now solved!
Two Stays
From what I could gather in my research, there are two different types of waist stay, so don't get confused. One is with stay tape, sewn (or fused) directly to the seam, to keep the fabric from stretching. The kind that I'm talking about it the waist stay made with ribbon. It is NOT sewn to the waist seam of the dress but tacked onto the vertical seams of the inside. And think about it, sewing it to the seam would completely negate the wearing ease in the dress.
Petersham v. Grosgrain Ribbon
Before I get into sewing it into your clothing, a note about the ribbon. Grosgrain is a woven ribbon with a bound edge, the kind of ribbon most of you are probably familiar with. It is often used as a waist stay because it is cheap and readily available in every craft store. Don't get me wrong, it is perfectly acceptable to use this as a waist stay! If you are going all out, however, I want to introduce you to petersham ribbon. I was unable to find it in any store in my area, so I went searching online (links at the bottom of the post). Petersham is very similar to grosgrain, except it doesn't have the bound edge. If you use grosgrain as a stay and it is cut exactly to your measurements, you'll probably notice the edges digging into your skin a bit. A little itchy and uncomfortable. Petersham has more flexiblity and contours to your waist much nicer. I highly recommend it over grosgrain for waist stays!
Adding it to clothing. So easy! ::
I've seen quite a few tutorials on this second kind of stay which have you sew it directly to the seam. I'm here to tell you: this isn't the way! The waist stay should hover over the fabric, tacked to the side and other vertical seams around the waist.
Cut the ribbon 2 inches longer than your waist measurements. Fold over an inch on the two ends (double over for a nicer finish) and sew it down. Hand sew hooks to one side and eyes to the other (or whatever hook method/contraption you prefer!).
Then, we tack it to the dress. Distribute the difference between the waist and stay evenly (hardest part!) and tack it at the side seams, the front, if there are vertical darts or a center seam, and at the opening (side, back, front, zipper, buttons, whatever). Don't sew it directly to the opening though, leave an inch or so free on each side so it goes under the opening, 1)you don't want the ribbon pulling at the opening and 2) leaving it free makes it easier to clasp when you are putting the dress on.
That's it! Good job! Wear with freedom and joy ;) I have a dress I finished a while ago that needs a waist stay put in, I'll put up in-progress pictures soon to help illustrate the steps! If you need some clarification, let me know! I've never done a tutorial before, so I could use some tips ;) I know I'm a little wordy.
~Nikki
Where to buy ::
Obviously look around at the stores near you. If you can't find any, or need a more specific colour or width, here are some of the places I've found online. I ordered 1 inch widths, anywhere from 1/2" to 1" should work :
I ordered from A Fashionable Stitch. It felt great to support a small sewing business and the ribbon was fantastic quality! I haven't tried any of these other stores.
Hart's Fabrics :: Many colours and sizes
The Sewing Place :: Many colours and sizes