Sewing Velvet?

Does anyone have any tricks for sewing velvet so that the seams are smooth and do not pucker? I bought a walking foot but it doesn't seem to work any better than myslef applying manipulated tension at the front and back to hold the seam taught while sewing. (That works better than doing nothing at all). So, I would love to hear from anyone with "tricks for sewing velvet." Thanks in advance, Joy

FEEL it! You can sometimes tell more by touch than sight... :)

Yup, stroke it like you're petting a critter. There's not just up and down, there's side to side as well.

My pet peeve (in my thrift shop hopping) is pile garments cut the "wrong" way. Not one panel going a different direction, but the whole garment with the smooth way going up. I want it to do down, the direction of my cats, and the direction that a dance partner's hand would likely go.

(Yes, I could make my own, but it was Boxing Day and I had a gig on NYEve and this was a $4 dress that only needed sleeves made from long to short and the shoulder pads moved to become side seam pockets. And I had to spend 4 interim days sitting at a desk in an office. This F-T job stuff sure messes up my sewing time!)

--Karen D.

Yup, stroke it like you're petting a critter. There's not just up and down, there's side to side as well.

My pet peeve (in my thrift shop hopping) is pile garments cut the "wrong" way. Not one panel going a different direction, but the whole garment with the smooth way going up. I want it to do down, the direction of my cats, and the direction that a dance partner's hand would likely go.

(Yes, I could make my own, but it was Boxing Day and I had a gig on NYEve and this was a $4 dress that only needed sleeves made from long to short and the shoulder pads moved to become side seam pockets. And I had to spend 4 interim days sitting at a desk in an office. This F-T job stuff sure messes up my sewing time!)

--Karen D.

O.K. then, suppose I finally get those seams in with the walking foot.....is there a trick to pressing velvet seams? I do have one of the less expensive nylon needle pads......but should I get out my teeny tiny applique iron and only go down the center seam or anything else odd so that the whole seam allowance doesn't end up showing marks on the front of the fabric? Thanks again, Joy

Fri, 06 Jan 2006 17:41:38 GMT, Joy Hardie wrote:

Finger press only! And from the wrong side, over a nice dowel or wooden broom handle, so you just run your finger down the actual stitching - and again, in the direction of the pile. Then steam when the garment is finished: put it on a hanger and hang it up somewhere so you can walk all round it, and just puff steam at it.

(100% cotton velvet is MUCH more forgiving, and can be washed and ironed on the inside, but is so much heavier and warmer that you don't want it for regular evening wear.)

Going up *is* the proper way. It's done that way to give a richer, deeper looking pile. Panne velvet, which has a longer pile and a knitted backing cloth, is usually cut with the pile going down.

And having the pile run up has the added benefit of making the wearer look slimmer. The light is absorbed instead of reflecting, and this does the magical illusion of making the whole garment look smaller, especially in dark colors.

Karen Maslowski >

Once I was shopping in a very expensive store (they were having a 90% clearance - LOL!) and on one of the 40% off racks was a velvet garment. The top had two front panels, and one of the panels was simply cut upside down. I was amazed that they thought they could sell that to anybody for any price. (which, at 40% off still same to $150 or something outrageous. This was in the late '80's too.)

The same garment was still being displayed on their full price racks, so it was obvious that they had noticed the flaw. Actually, it was impossible to miss - the velvet looked a different color because of the way it was placed.

I wondered why they didn't send it back and demand credit from the manufacturer.

Web stie for sewing velvet.

(Although I couldn't help but think, while waiting for the page to load on my slow dialup, that the background resembled my spider-veined skin.) ;)

Doreen in Alabama

Yes it is pretty annoying. I don't know why owners want all that junk. as you said it really is a pain on dial up and there are more of us that people think.