Stays and a (Quickly) Upcoming Event!

I just got back from a trip up north with my family. Last week, I threw a few posts in the queue, grabbed a few projects, and off I went! So for a sewing update: I'm getting dangerously close to being done with the patriotic apron--only two more stars to go, attaching the bib to the skirt, and adding pockets (?) and I'll be finished! As a result, I'm going to wait until it's actually finished to post a picture, since it will be anticlimactic otherwise. The most notable progress of the week, which I will show you, was on my teal stays. I've never made anything 18thC before, whether a pincushion or a Robe l'Anglaise, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Minus the insane tedium of sewing approximately 27,316 channels, I haven't had any real problems as of yet.

Sorry for the pretty nasty photo quality--it was taken on
my iPad in the absence of my real camera. 

I used a stiff-ish moire fabric with pillow ticking for lining. And, in a move of grand experimentation, I went horribly unauthentic and attempted to use extra-large zipties for boning. I'd heard of others trying it, and thought it was worth a shot. It seems to be working so far... when they're done, I'll review it as a material. (Not that I have much to compare it to, as I don't own any other stays...)

18thC must wait a while now, though, because HASTINGS is THIS WEEKEND!! It snuck up on me like nothing else... at this point I am madly trying to finish up a few things, including the apron, the hat, and some trim on an old dress, which I'll post about next. Whew!