The Beginning

Over a year ago, I made a lined draft of the Style Arc Bobbi Bomber Jacket. There were no sew-along videos–only brief Style Arc instructions. With help from Karen Dolan @intostitches at a Coat & Jacket Retreat at @stylemakerfabrics I got it done.

In anticipation of finishing the draft, my fashion-forward friend Amy and I visited @pacificfabrics. Usually, a fashion-forward friend + fabric store = danger. In this case, Amy helped me make both the right and more courageous choices. We selected a turquoise brocade and cinnamon ribbing for the real version.

Brocade Know How

I discovered that brocade was challenging to sew. The fabric shrinks, frays, and snags. My advice?

• Serge a test square to see if it shrank when serged
• Iron a test square to see if it shrank when ironed
• Then serge every single piece the moment it is cut. If you serge after fraying starts, then the frays poke through the serged stitches.

At the retreat, @madsgambino made a beautiful corset and dress out of brocade for the first time. Watching her learn then and make a beautiful garment helped me persist later as I worked through construction puzzles.

Construction Puzzles

Borrow Good Instructions

The way the collar, the zip, the zip guard tape, and the zip guard join was a mind bender. I used the instructions from Jalie’s Charlie Bomber Jacket to see me through. I only had to unpick the intersection once.

Use Vintage Techniques: Hand Baste

To align the ribbing at the waist and collar, and the zip top and bottom was sewing sudoku. The magic of hand basting meant perfect horizontal alignment.

Hand basting is a temporary stitch used to hold the layers of fabric together before a more permanent stitch. You can machine-baste. However, for tricky sections where precision is key, hand-basting takes the win.

I hand-basted the zip guard tape to the front bodice. Then I hand-basted the zip guard/zipper assembly. Doing it this way allowed me to precisely align the tops and bottoms of the zipper. It also ensured the horizontal lines of the waist ribbing and the collar were aligned. I didn’t have to unpick!!

The Surprise: Design Details

Secret Inside

The draft had lining. But, I wanted to show off Brocade’s hidden talent. The right and wrong sides of the fabric are completely different. That makes the inside a surprise! Binding all the seams kept the inside looking neat and tidy.

Tell me–would you line your brocade or show off the wrong side like I did?

The Pockets

I wanted the pocket bags to be Brocade, but the fabric is thick and doesn’t accommodate the sharp turns required. So, I tried an experiment with silk organza. In retrospect, I would have bias-bound the pockets. Or I would have changed the color of the serger thread to match the interior.

How would you have done the pockets?

The zippered pocket in the sleeve is a great design touch by Style Arc. I auditioned 4 different colors of zipper tape before settling on a neutral.

The Finale

I’m waiting to capture the perfect photo of me wearing the jacket in the wild. In the meantime, this one, taken by my husband, is the best.

Do you have a brocade project in the works? What is it?

Footnotes

The material cost of this jacket was roughly $145. Here is the material list:

• Pattern: Style Arc Bobbi Bomber Jacket
• Fabric: brocade and ribbing from @pacificfabrics in Seattle
• Zippers: from Zippers and Thread
  • #5 Separating Vision zipper Y05MO36 Color 549 (22”)
  • #3 closed golden brass zipper XI-3B9-C (4”) pocket zipper
• Bias tape: 11 yards of distressed linen look printed bias tape from @stylemakerfabrics. Thanks to Michelle for recommending this bias tape and for finding 2 more yards when I ran out.  Thank you to @intostitches Karen Dolan for teaching me bias binding. 
• Serger Thread: All of this colorful stitching is hidden underneath the bias tape. I did it anyway because what is unseen matters. Maxi-Lock Poly from Wawak in
  • Aqua 444835, Lauren 44781
  • Salmon Pink 32216
  • Radiant Turquoise 32265

In case you want to work with Brocade, be fairly warned. According to Claire Schaeffer’s Fabric Sewing Guide, 2nd edition (2008), Brocade

• requires a nap layout (more fabric)
• is easily marred by pins
• frays badly
• is thick and bulky to sew with
• is difficult to ease
• is easily damaged in pressing

Brocade is a thicker fabric with a Jacquard weave that is shiny, smooth, and soft with moderate drape. (Textilepedia: The Complete Fabric Guide by Fashionary, 2021)

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