The Countess' New Clothes- Stomachers

Proof that some sort of progress is being made, I am kicking off my whole new 18th century wardrobe by finishing some old projects. The oldest of all is a stomacher that has been languishing in my sewing pile for twelve years. Yes, twelve years is a long time for a project that was so close to completion even then, but at the time I had nothing to put it on and ended up changing the color scheme of the dress I had intended it for.

In order to be finished all I really need to do is finish adding the pearl beads (as seen in the closeup), bind the bottom edge with a white or coloured bias ribbon, and add tabs on the sides so that it can eventually be pinned onto a robe a la francaise.

There were as many different ways to decorate a stomacher as imagination allowed, so I thought I would include some beautiful examples.

English embroidered stomacher

Mid-18th c. crewelwork

Ribbon rose decoration

These are all floral designs, as is mine, but lace, undulating pinked fabric swirls, beading, crossed fabric, and especially echelles "ladders" of bows were all popular.