Sewing Brocade

In the comments to my previous post, I was asked about special tips on sewing brocade. I really don't have any magical tidbits. I used an 80/12 universal needle (as this was a heavy brocade) with plain old Gutterman thread and a straight stitch length of 2.0 mm. The only words of caution I can offer are: make a muslin of your garment first. You want to know that all the fitting tweaks have been made prior to sewing up your brocade. Taking in seams is okay, taking out seams is not. This fabric has a long memory - once a needle has pierced it, this fabric will always show the holes. If the project is particularly special to you, you may want to even confine pinning to the seam allowance. Also, be sure that you use burr-free pins and needles, as this fabric can snag fairly easily.

Writing this made me think about a few of the gorgeous brocades at Thai Silks. I prefer the silk/rayon brocades to any of the yucky polyester ones. So, for your viewing pleasure, here are some of my major picks:


I really want one of these fabrics to make the pattern below. I'm really partial to the second one at the top. C'mon Thai Silks, it's time to put that one on sale!