Working with velvet or velveteen can be challenging. If you don’t sew with it correctly, it can end up looking like multiple colors of fabric, or you can ruin the fabric entirely.
I always avoided working with velvet, but it’s become more and more popular over the years and I decided to find a tutorial and give it a try. It’s actually not as hard as it looks!
Once you have these tips down by Professor Pincushion, any sewing with velvet is possible.
The reason velvet is so difficult to work with is because of something called nap, which basically means that the fibers stick out of the fabric.
This is why when you put your hand over velvet, it appears to change colors. It’s also why you want to store this fabric rolled up and not folded.
When you sew with velvet, you want to make sure this nap, also known as grain line, is going in one consistent direction.
So when you sew two pieces together, you’d have to position the fabric so when it’s opened, the grain all goes in one direction.
Using a silk thread may work best with velvet, especially if the velvet is made with silk. The smaller the needle, the better, just so very few holes are visible.
Alternate between long stitches and short stitches, or use a zig zag. Keep the stitches in as straight of a line as possible.
Check out Professor Pincushion’s tips on working with velvet below. In just 10 minutes, I feel like I became an expert on this stuff!