Hello Sewing Friends!
Today I am happy to bring you some new additions to the BROCADES & JACQUARDS COLLECTION, but first… I am often asked about the difference between a brocade and jacquard, and the answer is none really—because a brocade is but one of many types of jacquard.
Part of the confusion comes from the fact that brocade predates jacquard which is named after Joseph Marie Jacquard, the man who invented a loom with punch cards that replaced draw boys and revolutionized the production of elaborately patterned fabrics forever.
Brocade is a term used today to describe the aesthetic of a fabric, more than a specific weave. Brocades tend to be fabrics with elaborate embossed or embroidered effects. The name actually comes from the Italian brocatto, meaning ’embossed cloth’.
If punch cards with holes that weave patterns sound like an early computer – it was. The Jacquard loom is considered a critical innovation in the emergence of the computer. The loom for making “fancy fabric" was in reality the first machine to use interchangeable punch cards to instruct another machine to perform automated tasks. Mic drop.
So we can thank fabric looms for our smart phones!
Happy Sewing!
