Choosing a Pattern Brocades Day to Evening Elegance

Look for simple lines in a pattern that will highlight the beauty of the fabric. Depending upon the weight and weave of the fabric chosen consider a jacket, simple day or evening skirt, sheath dress, evening coat, vest or accessories such as a menswear vest or cummerbund, a tapestry bag or evening bag. Consider combining one of these specialty fabrics with a solid, using the brocade fabric for the collar and lapel. One characteristic of brocade fabric is that it sometimes does not ease well, so keep this in mind when choosing your pattern. It may be necessary to reduce some of the ease in the sleeve cap of a jacket to compensate for this characteristic. To reduce the ease in the sleeve cap, make a small box pleat in the center of the sleeve cap of your pattern piece. Keeping the center circle or notch in the same place, fold a 1/4" tuck on either side of the notch. Use removable tape to secure the pleat until you cut your pattern pieces. This will reduce the sleeve cap ease by 1/2". Smooth the tucks out over the length of the sleeve.

Linings should be cut 1/2" longer than the hemmed length of the body and sleeves for the lining technique used in this article, so check the lining pieces of your pattern before cutting and adjust if necessary.