Soooo ... since, despite the fact that the fraying is a nuisance, I bought two more Chinese silk brocades (the butterfly vest looks great and got rave reviews at work, so I'm onto a good thing here). One length in red with tiny flowers and leaves (this picture isn't an exact match ... the flowers and their density are the same, but the curving stems on mine have a different pattern that doesn't create diamond shapes where they touch). The other is in gold, with bamboo leaves in a paler gold and bronze (didn't find it illustrated on the site, but if you want a feel for the gorgeousness of these fabrics, click here to see an excellent selection of colours and designs. Wish my store had had the dragonfly design (and some of the other colours ... they mainly stocked blacks and reds) ... so very Lexxy, no? If I can find another brocade site with my exact fabric patterns, I'll post it later.
Also a bit of pattern indulgence ... I was intrigued by the Vogue 2556 dress after reading the review in Australian Stitches, so got that. When and if I'll ever get 'round to tackling it will depend on whether I see the "right" fabrics/colours ... in the meantime I'll just blame
When I'm going to do any/all of this is anyone's guess ... but the planning and imagining is a big part of the fun!
UPDATE: This is the pattern of my bamboo brocade, just not the colorway that I have (mine is, as I said, a gold background, with the lighter leaves in a paler gold and the darker leaves in bronze). More scrummy brocade images here, plus a few other VERY interesting adult odds'n'ends. ;-)