Drying Velvet

What's the fiber content? Most velvet I know of is dry clean only, but if it's cotton you might do okay. If not, maybe a damp washcloth run over it would take them off.

Frosty772 wrote: > I have never used velvet before and im making a cape out of it. I just wanted > to be sure that it was ok to put it in the dryer. It has a lot of fuzzies I > want to get rid of. Heck just to be sure can it be washed as well

Hi, Most of the velvet I use is strictly dry clean only. However there are some plush 'velveteen' fabrics made of cotton. The cotton velvet can be washed

********very carefully******** in COLD water with mild detergent and very low temp dryer or better yet lay flat and dry. One thing you may want to be careful of is color change or color loss. Some of the really rich velveteen colors will fade when washed. And a quick note to anyone who may use the now popular "discount dry-cleaner" ($1.50 - or $2.00). Those places can ruin your fabric and your clothes. I found out the hard way. Dry-cleaning machines work very similar to washing machines except they have a toxic petrochemical to do the cleaning - not water. But just as in the washing machine -- if you stuff the darn machine so full that the clothes can not freely slosh about in the water -- welllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the clothes do not get cleaned and can actually get damaged. Same thing happens in these el cheapo drycleaner stores. (And yes I am aware that some of them are really good but none of the good ones are near me)

Oh and another tip. Do not leave your dry-cleaning in those bags. Either let them air out or hang them somewhere that they can get some air. I am not an environmentalist but hey - toxic is toxic whether we are stomping the campaign trail for environmental causes or not. Be REALLY careful when dry-cleaning children's clothing/coats. OK OK OK I will stop with the soap box................ Sun

As Melinda says, use a damp cloth, or parcel tape, to get rid of 'fuzzies'. I work a lot with velvet and some of it doesn't wash brilliantly - it'll come up clean, but ironing the pile back in on a velvet board (or another piece of velvet) is an absolute pain. (Sometimes the effect of it looking crushed is very pretty, and worth keeping, though.) If you're making a dress, inserting dress shields will save you a wash or two. If you're making a jacket, wear a silk scarf with it, to keep the oils in your skin from soiling the neck area too quickly (works with suede, also).

I would cut yourself a couple of 6in squares out of your velvet and put one of them through the wash, tumble, iron routine, then check one against the other - is there shrinkage, fading, loss of pile? If so, accept the cost of dry-cleaning it.

When washing velvet, whether cotton, silk or rayon, I run it on the wool cycle, with a wool detergent, and fabric softener, then a short, cool tumble dry. A hot dryer will set it like a panné velvet, as will drying it from a completely wet state. Watch out for marks from the clothes-horse - dry it flat if you can, on top of a thick Turkish towel.

If it washes up OK, but you can't get the pile neat again, it's well worth getting a good dry cleaner to press the item. I also use dry-cleaning sheets in the dryer for things like my velvet cloak - they work pretty well provided you don't let the item get too soiled in the first place.

HTH.

:) Trish

Cotton velvet can be washed, but velvet made out of anything else must be dry cleaned.

Be aware that washing and tumbling cotton velvet will shrink it. Do this before you make the garment.

I do wash my rayon and silk velvets - and in the machine too. But it's true I wouldn't necessarily RECOMMEND it ;)

Trish

Thank you everyone for your advice. I believe that the fabric is velveteen and have chosen to go with the damp wash cloth method offered. I would hate for anything to happen to the cape.

Tammy