Brocade fabric - resources?

[MadL]

Seeking resources for Brocade patterned fabric - NO POLY or Rayon

I have found a couple scattered sources but only Red or bright Blue patterns available at this time; I am looking for earth tones or greens (not lime or florescent)

Any suggestions for finding brocade natural fabric by the yardage?

[Capt. Sterling]

Try googling silk brocade...

[hellfirehannah]

Asian style designs or more European? I'll look around and see what I can locate.

http://www.goodorient.com/Silk_BAsian style brocadesrocade_C551

More Asian style brocades thes are 75% silk the rest rayon.

On short notice this is what I was able to locate. I'l look later when I can use the big computer as that is where all of my bookmarks are.

Found something interesting, lime green in brocade was period though, I didn't know that.

I love learing new things

Edited April 8, 2009 by hellfirehannah

[LadyBarbossa]

Hmmm....

Oh, wow... I had some links to this... alas, they were trashed from the comp viral issue.

My best suggestion... is check with the local city to find an Upholsterer. The more Arab, the better. No, seriously! :) There's an Arab Upholsterer in Cedar Rapids and I wish I had thousands of dollars... he had lots of silk brocades and more and several were in patterns for the era.

But, Google is a good place to start. And unfortunately, you do have to be critcal of what silks place you find.

If I find the link to this one online store that I went nuts over, I'll put the link here.

:::Goes off to find it and comes back:::

Hmmmm....

I believe Mickey or Kate pointed this out and it had some rather fabulous silk brocade.

http://www.renaissancefabrics.net/index.php

A couple silk brocade items there.

Not much there as to silk brocade but worth a shot:

http://www.housefabric.com/defaultproduct.asp

:::Shrugs::otherwise, just google. Tough finding wha tye want particularly unless you shop around.

~Lady B

[MadL]

yup, have spent the last 6 to 8 hours on Google and Ebay; came up with Nata.

went through renaissance fabrics a few hours ago, their "brocade" is rayon but they do have a silk Damask Gold, but I don't want one that bright.

I did find one place with a brown version of the Damask Gold; but alas it was "Out of Stock"

Well, guess that is it after more then half a day o' scouring Google and Ebay, this morning I even took a drive to Joana's (?) in town, searched for all kinds of "brocade" (silk, cotton, linen (came up nada), hemp, and several other search definitions)....looks like natural fiber brocade is dead in America...

Rather then poly or rayon I would prefer to go solid color..

Warning: should I ever come t' visit and find ye have natural fabric draperies with brocade pattern - "Hey, Look'ee That O'er There!!!" *snip snip snip*

[hellfirehannah]

Honestly if you were up here or I closer to St. Paul I'd suggest checking out S.R. Harris. From what I understand its easy to spend a day out there, but alas I have yet to make it out there. If I make it out there I can certainly look and see what they have, but I do not know when or if tht may be, mayhaps some of the other pub members up here can check them ou?

[mcdrago]

Laddie...have ya no heard o' the Garment District in Angeles Port? Tis like market place in Cairo. They have everything. Ya do need a guide however. I kin ask some o' me lady friends if'n ya like. P'haps they can set ya a course to the best port. Let me know if'n ya want me to do er.

[MadL]

Aye Mcdrago, I have heard o' th' garment dist, however I do not know just 'where' it be for all me life here other then China Town 'n Alvera Street I avoid downtown Los Angeles like the scurvy I do. I have heard ye do indeed need a guide as well as need t' know yer fabric for a fabric neo-phite such as I walk in and ask (provided ye can understand th' language spoken) it be ALL "Exactly what ye want, yes, yes, this is it, this is ALL it; you buy now! you buy now!"

I have listened in on a few conversations of folk who have been down there, bout all I know is they say "Avoid the place that calls itself 'The Ren Shop'" for apparently all they sell be crap and th' shop keep will rip ye off (could be just someone's personal experience, could be true...).

But it would seem t' me that if th' Port o' Los Angeles' garment district would have brocade in natural fiber then it should also be found 'Outside' th' garment dist; on-line suppliers, costume makers, local fabric stores, etc. For after all, th' garment dist is th' main west coast port o' entry for all these others, right? Unless them Hollywood designers go there each week 'n buy it all up so none ever get out....

[LadyBarbossa]

Now... question, MadL... are ye really looking for brocade? or are ye lookin' for a damask or something else. Oddly enough, there is a difference between the damask and brocade. And finding 100% of what you need is difficult. I honestly don't know of brocade in a solid color as it is a woven pattern.

The LA Fabric district is awesome but can be overwhelming from my understanding.

Don't give up, MadL... keep searching. Fabrics come and go. :) Takes time to find what ye really want.

~Lady B

[MadL]

damask/brocade - I have actually ran searches on both. I am not seeking a 'solid' color, I want something with a pattern and texture to it, like the broad leaf pattern or renaissance type cross or other such pattern.

At Johann's today I found two patterns in brown that are EXACTLY what I would like...however...one was 100% polyester and the other 40% rayon, 58% ch????, and just 12% cotton, but both had wonderful tones of brown and tan and hints of gold thread, one had a small red spot on the end of the largest 'leaf' - very renny, bold, but not too 'flashy'

There was another shades of green that claimed to be 100% cotton, had good texture but the back side was solid White, bleached white, somehow that did not seem right? The brocades I have seen have a 'reverse' side to them, not solid white. If that got a tear in it then it just wouldn't look right, so at 35$ a yard I passed (one do'n me vest says I need at least 1.5 yard at 45" wide - for the front)

My searches have include: "brocade" "brocade fabric" "cotton brocade" "silk brocade" "rennaisance fabric" "hemp brocade" "velvet brocade" "bamboo brocade" "natural fabrics" "authentic fabrics"....and some others I forget, names I came across while reading descriptions.

It does appear that Natural Fabric Brocade be Dead - LONG LIVE TH' POLYESTER KING!!!!

NO! GO *F* TH' KING!!!!!!

(sorry, it be a Pirates Charles thing...)

Edited April 9, 2009 by MadL

[hellfirehannah]

Check this out

Maybe a bit to fancy/floral but worth a look. This site has a lot of jacquard fabric which is similar(in my eyes)to a damask.

[MadL]

Aye Hell Fire Hannah, a bit too 'girly' t' eyes...would like nice on ye however

When I think 'brocade' I think o' patterns like these:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...a/Brocade_5.png

http://www.renstore.com/multimedia/images/...rocadeT-300.jpg

http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/942/60024541.JPG

https://www.visionarydance.com/vdp%20brown%20brocade.jpg

http://www.bigdaddygypsy.com/fabric-catalog/brocade-fabric

http://www.renstore.com/multimedia/images/...rocadeA-300.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RkdN7kEoRcE/SKhp...400/521_109.jpg

Twin Rose Designs has some great examples on their men's page, thou they do not make th' waistcoat I want nor do they sell their fabrics.

[michaelsbagley]

MadL, good brocades are extremely hard to come by.... The last seriously awesome brocades I saw (and I've lost the link) were from some company from France and were over $100 per yard!

One substitute you might want to consider that is a bit easier to find is Jacquard (sp?). Jacquard tends to have smaller pattern and repetition than true brocades, and the jacquard technique postdates the period by over 100 years, but at a casual glance they are close enough and more than good enough. I was lucky enough to find 10 yards of 100% silk jacquard on eBay about a year ago for $50... That kind of luck comes rarely, but fabric_store.com carries some linen and cotton jacquards, and I am sure a google search will find you plenty of other sources.

[hellfirehannah]

OK this looks a bit closer to what some of your examples showed.

Nice silk damask

Hope this helps.

[MadL]

Hell Fire Hannah; THAT IS PERFECT!!! only they will not sell just half, at that price it would double the price o' me whole waistcoat but that is exactly what I have been searching for, color, pattern - it is Perfect!!! ....if I had th' cash

Michaelsbagley; that is one of the fabrics I searched for from a 'keyword' I came across in my other searches. However I have not found any that caught me fancy - but I am wondering, does jacquard have a 'texture' to it or is it more of a 'print' - some I have found appears t' be reliefed while others appear t' be printed...I a Google on it a few days ago and it does appear t' pre-date th' GAoP...but as I stated I have not found anyone carrying any in a pattern that caught me eye...other then a few that were "xx% Polyester" - - Who Th' Bloody 'Ell Is This 'Polyester' Cur Anyway? Who Gave Him Permission T' Take Over Th' Textile Industry???

[hellfirehannah]

Glad you liked it. Now they do have some in smaller yardages I havent seen the chocolate yet but, I did see a nice copper/sage green color.

Sage & copper

another one

Those are the shortest yardages I saw. Hopefully some of those will work for you. I only looked at the brown section not the greens who who knows what else they may have.

[michaelsbagley]

Jacquard is textured like brocade... The main difference is the type of loom it is done on. It is a much more modern style of loom, capable of finer pattern repetition (which is why jacquards tend to have smaller patterns that repeat with greater frequency). Another small difference is brocades are almost reversable (and definitely reversible in some cases) whereas most of the jacquards I have seen only really look good from one side.

So the differences are there, but only a fabric snob or someone getting too close to you will notice.

Hell Fire Hannah; THAT IS PERFECT!!! only they will not sell just half, at that price it would double the price o' me whole waistcoat but that is exactly what I have been searching for, color, pattern - it is Perfect!!! ....if I had th' cash

Michaelsbagley; that is one of the fabrics I searched for from a 'keyword' I came across in my other searches. However I have not found any that caught me fancy - but I am wondering, does jacquard have a 'texture' to it or is it more of a 'print' - some I have found appears t' be reliefed while others appear t' be printed...I a Google on it a few days ago and it does appear t' pre-date th' GAoP...but as I stated I have not found anyone carrying any in a pattern that caught me eye...other then a few that were "xx% Polyester" - - Who Th' Bloody 'Ell Is This 'Polyester' Cur Anyway? Who Gave Him Permission T' Take Over Th' Textile Industry???

[Black Syren]

Glad you liked it. Now they do have some in smaller yardages I havent seen the chocolate yet but, I did see a nice copper/sage green color.

Sage & copper

another one

Those are the shortest yardages I saw. Hopefully some of those will work for you. I only looked at the brown section not the greens who who knows what else they may have.

I loved the color on both of these..

[MadL]

Hell Fire Hannah/and any others knowledged in Fabric: These last two are certainly getting within me price range and Great in color and pattern, but there is one thing that bothers me; If it is "High End Silk" but also "Upholstery Weight Fabric" then what exactly is the high end silk woven 'into'? Grant ye I know little of fabric other then ye make clothes, bags, pouches, and other things with it but th' term "Upholstery" makes me think 'very heavy/or stiff', often stain proof (by means of man-made material - polyester, rayon = *Blah*)?

I have searched their site for more detail on fabric content in the categories of "Silk" and "Damask Upholstery"; many do state "polyester" and such but some do not - so how are they making something as fine as "High End Silk" into a fabric that rates as "Upholstery Weight"

Checking the three wonderful silk ones Hell Fire Hannah has spotted the only description they give are:

High End Silk Tapestry Upholstery Fabric

Uses - This high end woven upholstery weight fabric is suited for uses requiring a more durable designer fabric. Uses include any upholstery project, sofas, chairs, dining chairs, pillows, certain types of window treatments, handbags and craft projects.

Backing up to browse other patters under 'Silk' I find many stating:

high-end woven 60% Rayon, 40% Silk

High End Stabilized(??) Silk Damask

And other various "high end woven silk" "high end Romanian..Italian..silk", but all end somewhere with "upholstery weight.." - and since none show the back side of the material it leaves me wondering "What are 'weaving' the fine silk 'into'?"

[hellfirehannah]

Michaelsbagley Thank you for the description on the differences on fabrics, it was very informative.

MadL,

Hmm maybe it means the fabric is treated with something to help resist stains?

Maybe its made uphosltry weight by way of layers?Or it could have like a vynil backing too.

I did see there was a link for questions/comments maybe you could ask the sellers and see what they say?

New linky that may have some stuff you may like.

Jacquards and damasks, and some really pricey silk damasks(but oh so pretty)

Interesting fabric from same site as the stuff you said was perfect.

Edited April 11, 2009 by hellfirehannah

[Capt. Sterling]

Jacquard: About 1801 Joseph Marie Jacquard (1752-1834) invented the weaving apparatus that bears his name. It was NOT a loom but an appendage employing wire needles and a series of punched cards, not unlike a piano roll, which mechanically selected the warps threads and raised them when necessary. The services of a drawboy who manipulated the warp cords according to the weaver's directions were thereby eliminated. During the nineteenth century, this attachment was widely used in coverlet weaving in the United States and Canada.

Page 271 Montgomery "Textiles in America 1650-1870"

from page 213 of same text:

Damask: A reversible patterned fabric made from several fibers, or combination of fibers, and used as table linen, clothing and furnishings. "Damask is patterned by the contrast between the warp-float and weft-float faces of a satin weave" or "the patterning can be effected by contrasts between the two faces of uneven twill as well as satin." Flowers and other figures appear in relief above the ground. On July 21, 1695, Thomas Banister of Boston ordered "mock damasks and the best worsted damasks you can get and silk stuffs but the newest fashion." There is a sample of a Green wool damask woven in floral and leaf pattern. England Late 17th/Early 18th century from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation also on page 213.

[Iron Jon]

I found a green silk damask fabric and some matching linen on eBay pretty cheap a while back and finally decided to make something with it a few weekends ago. It's a sleeved waistcoat with lining from the Reconstructing History pattern. This was my first time sewing so I didn't try to hand sew it. I'll save that big leap for next time.

I think it turned out pretty good, even if I do say so myself!

(it's a little wrinkled, I machine washed everything before sewing it together)

Here's a closer picture to show the fabric detail...

[Gentleman of Fortune]

There are some really great folks chiming in here with info. I'll just add a little. You really have to watch the upholstery stuff, as it can be very thick/heavy as its intended for furniture not clothing.

Here is an Italian vendor, I have seen the stuff first hand.... Drop dead gorgeous.

http://www.luigi-bevilacqua.com/eng/index.html click catalogue, Damasks, then check out 31945

Which reminds me, sometimes the pattern/style of Brocade is wayyyy later than GAoP, so keep that in mind.

The absolute bomb... in my opinion, is this

http://www.e-luxus-fabrics.com/soie_us/index.htm

They make a reproduction Bizarre pattern that is to die for... if you are into such things.

I contacted them a while back... I think a 1.5 meters was going to run about $500, which would be enough for a waistcoat (using linen for the back panel :)

If you check out e-luxus above, make sure you check out the other time periods.... It will give you an idea of what styles were in fashion during each time frame.

and of course, there are always some useful links at my site

http://www.gentlemenoffortune.com/Links.htm

GoF

Edited April 17, 2009 by Gentleman of Fortune

[Shay of the Keys]

Seeking resources for Brocade patterned fabric - NO POLY or Rayon

I have found a couple scattered sources but only Red or bright Blue patterns available at this time; I am looking for earth tones or greens (not lime or florescent)

Any suggestions for finding brocade natural fabric by the yardage?

Try Britex Fabrics. Located in San Francisco they do swatch requests and are very knowledgeable about historic fabrics. Google Britex; their brocades, wools and silks are all on their 1st floor.

[Grymm]

http://www.durantextiles.com/siden/siden2.html