delle wrote:Just be DAMN sure to fold over and finish the brocade so it doesn't frazzleup and moop all over the place.
I find that machine sewing on "edging" is an easy way to contain potential mess and create a clean and THIN edge to then (hand) sew (if necessary) on to the garment. The edging is cheap (dollar store, even, if you're lucky) -- and the different colours can be a bonus.
Fucking brocade. I love brocade. I've learned from my sewing and thrift-store shopping that I might have a bit of a fetish for brocade and velvet. But fuck, brocade is a MOOPy bitch. Other MOOPy fabrics to watch out for: satin, especially if it's lightweight, taffeta, organza. I was complaining to a friend over email about organza, and how while I was crafting something from it, I would find threads of it all over the apartment like cobwebs, and she said something about "organza meltdowns" on Project Runway. I haven't seen it, but I'm not surprised.
Edging is cool and very convenient.
Another trick: Since I am not great at hemming, and I don't have a convenient place to buy edging, I have found that sometimes you can get away with just doing a really dense zigzag stitch (set on a stitch length of about 0.5, so the stitches are right next to each other), right along the very edge of the fabric (kind of overlapping it, like a pseudo-serger). It works great with really heavy fabrics (like canvas), but I have also used it with some medium-weight ones (heavy satin, ultrasuede). I plan to try it on some medium-weight brocade, too.It will, however, just destroy more delicate fabrics: The needle holes actually perforate the fabric, and your stitched edge will tear right off. Testing on a scrap is probably a good idea.