DIY velvet dress

Velvet is a luxurious and noble fabric, products from which never go out of fashion. Sometimes they forget about him for a while, but then he again enters the world podiums. It is understandable. A sophisticated velvet dress will give a special charm to any woman. Moreover, the modern fashion industry offers various variations of this material - velvet, panne velvet, velor on a cotton, synthetic or silk basis, velveteen. If you are planning to create an exclusive outfit with your own hands, you probably know that this material is very capricious in work. But do not be afraid of him. Now we will tell you all the details of the process, and you will learn how to sew a dress from velvet with your own hands.

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Velvet material

Noble and luxurious are the first words that come to mind at the sight of this material. Pile gives it extraordinary softness and unique play of chiaroscuro. For this velvet and fell in love many centuries ago. Since it was expensive material, few could afford it.

Important! In the middle of the 16th century, France even imposed a ban on brahat, because even the richest noblemen went bankrupt at its purchases.

Today, a velvet dress with your own hands does not seem so inaccessible. This noble material with a pile of various lengths and densities is produced by many factories. Thanks to modern technology, now any type of velvet is available to any buyer:

• Silk velvet is a very light, almost transparent fabric on a silk basis. Perfectly streams and shimmers in the sun.
• Velor velvet is based on a heavy canvas, most often with the addition of cotton or wool. Sometimes manufacturers include viscose or synthetic canvas. This type of velvet has a short pile, so it is not wiped and retains its original appearance for a long time.
• Plush or semi-velvet has a cotton base. At the same time, the length of its pile can reach one centimeter. Home clothes made from such a fabric are very comfortable and cozy.
• Velvet velvet also for the most part consists of cotton fibers. It has on its surface longitudinal scars from 1 to 5 millimeters.
• Cotton velvet is a pretty tough material. But also on a cotton basis with a short pile. Due to its rigidity, it holds its shape perfectly.
• Manufacturers add elastic spandex, lycra and elastane threads to velvet stretch. And for these properties, sportswear manufacturers are very fond of it. The fabric stretches well and perfectly fits the figure.
• There is also another, especially beautiful, flowing canvas - straightened velvet. This is a translucent lace fabric in which a short pile in the form of patterns is sewn onto chiffon.

As you can see, you can sew a dress from velvet with your own hands from a huge number of varieties of this material.

Important! The fabric with elastic fibers in the composition is suitable for tight-fitting models, and the mixed type is best suited for various types of draperies.

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Work with velvet

Before you sew a velvet skirt, you should know that this fabric is capricious and sensitive. Even experienced dressmakers do not always decide to work with her. Nevertheless, rich and aristocratic velvet is back in fashion, so it’s worthwhile to arrange a test of your own strengths and capabilities.

Decathing

Most often, the materials that are used to sew a velvet dress with your own hands do not need wet-heat treatment. That is what is meant by the word decaturation. But, if your fabric consists of natural raw materials, such as cotton or rayon, then this step should not be skipped. Otherwise, the finished product can shrink and a skirt made of velor with your own hands will simply become small. Therefore, we remember two ways of decoding the material:

• Type hot water into the bathtub and hang a section of velvet fabric over it. It is best to leave the material all night, tightly closing the door to the room. The steam that hot water will produce will do the trick. Velvet is simultaneously “steamed” and seated.
• Another option for the preparatory phase. Fold a piece of fabric in half so that the front is inside. After this, iron the material with steam from the wrong side, without stopping for long in all areas. This method must be tested in advance on a small piece of fabric.

Important! Note that material such as velvet should not be ironed at all from the front, even through gauze. All operations are ironed from the inside out. Otherwise, the pile is jammed and the fabric may lose its appeal.

Cut

When sewing a velvet skirt with your own hands, such a stage as cutting is no less important. Here, too, have their own characteristics:

• Please note that velvet has a significantly higher consumption than other materials. On average, you will need 30% more fabric than indicated in the sewing instructions.
• To accurately calculate the required length, you can adopt a simple method. Lay out your finished pattern on the table, arranging the details as if you were already working with the material. That is, if your fabric has a width of 1.3 m, then do the layout of the pattern to the specified width. Lay out all the details, and you can immediately see in which places it is more profitable to arrange these or those elements. And only after that you will get the required cut length.

Important! Please note that velvet has the ability to increase the volume of the figure. As for the style, choose a model with a minimum number of tucks and embossed seams. The winning silhouette for a velvet dress with your own hands is soft, with draperies and folds.

Since velvet has a pile, it is extremely important to carve out all the details with the same direction. It is not difficult to determine this - swipe along the front side with your palm in a fractional direction and vice versa, the pile will smooth or rise. Respectively:

• All paper patterns are laid out on velvet in one direction - either along the pile or against it.
• On velvet with a high pile, the patterns are laid out only against the direction of the pile. This means that on the finished product the pile will be directed from the bottom up.
• Before cutting on the wrong side, arrows can indicate the direction of the pile. If the velvet is thick, then it is desirable to cut out the details in one layer, since the fabric can move due to the pile. Or details chopped off with needles and cut in two layers.

Important! For duplication of velvet, the most ordinary non-woven is ideal. It is pressed dry, without steam, with a slight pressure in the “silk” mode.

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Velveteen

If you decide to make a dress of velveteen with your own hands, then you should also know the features of working with this type of velvet. And they are as follows:

• Pile up a thin, soft velvet in a thin hem. Then the color will appear richer and denser. Pile up - the color seems richer, but dust and strings will “stick” to the finished product.
• Velveteen in a large rib, velveteen with a high pile cut pile down. Pile down - the color will be paler, but dust and threads cling less, it is more pleasant to straighten your clothes.

These are generally accepted rules. But you can carve out a detail based on your own visual perception. Examine the fabric carefully in both directions of the pile. Choose the option you like best.

If you decide to sew a skirt from velor with your own hands, then the recommendations for cutting will be the same, since it also has a pile.

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Sewing

If you decide to sew a velvet dress with your own hands, you already understand that the work will be painstaking. As in the preparatory stages, so with the tailoring itself. Here, experienced dressmakers are advised to abide by the following rules:

• For sewing velvet, use thin needles and threads for both handmade and machine stitches.
• A machine needle number 70 or 80 is ideal for such work, and if you want to sew a velvet skirt with elastane, take a needle for elastic materials.

Important! The peculiarity of such tailor's instruments is that the end of the needle is not sharp, but slightly rounded. It does not pierce the fabric, but rather spreads the fibers without damaging the material.

• Slowly loosen the thread tension and pull the fabric slightly while sewing on the sewing machine.
• You can also use a special Teflon or walking foot. Then the seam will be more even and the stitches will fall evenly.
• Recommended stitch length is 3-3.5 mm.

Important! Before doing any work with this capricious fabric, try sewing on a small piece. You will be able to understand what settings in the sewing machine you need to change so as not to spoil the finished parts.

• Lay the basting in two rows with oblique stitches, on the sides of the seam. This method will avoid displacement of fabric during stitching.
• After sewing, immediately remove the basting, cutting it every 10 cm and gently pulling out one stitch. Otherwise, the threads may leave creases on the fabric.
• All lines should be made in one direction, along the pile. Remember that it is impossible to tear a line on velvet - traces of stitches will remain.

Important! In order to make weld loops nicely, place an organza on the top and bottom, which you then carefully trim with scissors with rounded tips.

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Care

When your do-it-yourself velvet dress is ready, carefully study the following recommendation. Then your new thing will last you a long time and will always delight your eyes with its fresh look:

• In order to remove dirt from a fabric such as velvet or velveteen, it is best to use dry cleaning services.
• If this option is too costly, then remember, a velvet dress cannot be machine washed.
• The use of powders is also not recommended - they contain too many blowing agents. It is better to take a special gel for delicate washing - the thing will be easier to rinse.
• Never rub or twist velvet, just iron the fabric with your hands in several directions.
• Then lay the item on a large towel and pat it dry, curling it into a soft roll. After the water has absorbed, shake the product and leave to dry, spreading out on a flat surface.

Important! Keep a velvet dress with your own hands on a hanger, and if you need to pack it in a suitcase, turn the thing inside out and roll it up. Remove clothing from velvet as soon as possible and hang it on the hanger again. To freshen up a velvet skirt with your own hands, use vertical steam or hang a thing in a bathroom with hot water.

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On what occasion to wear?

Previously, when velvet was expensive, a velvet dress was worn at social events, receptions, concerts, balls and holidays. Agree, what theatrical or opera performance will do without women in beautiful dresses, arm in arm with gentlemen. Now the range of application of clothes made of this material has become much wider:

• Do-it-yourself velvet dress for work is best combined with a classic jacket or jacket. A leather jacket will sometimes be appropriate. Perfectly with velvet, the jacket will combine with a light, calm metallic luster.
• A DIY velvet dress worn in a nightclub looks great with a short leather jacket. Black leather jacket fits any color.Such an outfit looks both stylish and very sexy.
• If you put on a long dress to a performance or to a restaurant, then in this case his ideal partner is fur. A velvet dress with a lace bolero or a playful jacket will also look great. But this is rather an option for the warm season. The dress itself is also better to wear with short sleeves.

Important! A properly selected dress made of velvet with your own hands will not only emphasize the solemn atmosphere, but also convenient for everyday wear. Modest in the afternoon, it will sparkle with other colors, in the evening light with elegant shoes.

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Stock footage

As you can see, velvet clothes are universal, they can be worn both for work and for special occasions. And to sew a velvet dress with your own hands, you will need knowledge and patience when working with such capricious material. But the result will please you more than one season!