I never got quite as far as making stays but since it seems that you don't necessarily need to wear them underneath that style of gown I didn't worry about it too much.
Here you can see a linen chemise and a poly-organza petticoat.
All the seams on the chemise are flat felled, the hem is just a simple (but rather broad) double turned hem and the neckline is gathered on the front half with a thin satin ribbon that I fixed at each shoulder. Unfortunately everything but the neckline and eyelets the for the ribbon to go through is machine sewn, I was in a mood to get it done quickly and didn't feel like hand sewing it. I used about two metres of linen, following instructions that I found here. In retrospect I should have made the gores for the sides a lot wider, it's comfortable and easy to walk in but I'd prefer if it flared a little more.
Both petticoats - I made another cotton one after this photo was taken - are also entirely machine sewn. I used (I think, this was a while ago now) four metres of poly-organza for the one pictured and four metres of white polycotton for the other. My mother was out at a gallery and passed a market where they were selling the cotton for £1 a metre so I asked her to buy six for me.
I used the same method of pleating as on the petticoat I made at university except I did mine the proper way, in two halves, the top edges bound with cotton tape. I left the sides open for 9" for the pocket slits.
Underwear wise on the day I wore; my chemise/shift, a bumroll that I originally made as a bustle pad (stuffed with fabric scraps), the two petticoats I mentioned above and some cotton knit stockings from Nehelenia Patterns.
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