I think you already know... I love velvet!

Corduroy, wide wale, ribs, smooth, devoré... this material is absolutely not outdated but completely trendy! It is soft, warm, comfortable, ...

So I thought it was time to take another look at this beautiful material that we use so much for clothing as well as accessories.

I'll explain everything to you!

A bit of history: what is velvet?

The name "velvet" comes from the Latin vilosus (hairy) because of the hairs that velvet has, and this has been the case since its creation. Velvet has the particularity of having one side covered with hairs and one side cut close. The origin of velvet is India, in the Kashmir region around the Middle Ages. At that time, it was called "Swan down". Following the Silk Road, velvet arrived in Italy by way of Persia, which was then a huge commercial and exchange hub. 

It was the Italian merchants who spread it throughout Europe around the 14th century and who developed velvet weaving centers: Genoa, Venice, Milan, and Florence. At that time, it was woven in silk, which made velvet extremely expensive due to the quality of the fibers but also the weaving time. At that time, velvet was therefore reserved for the wealthiest!

In the 16th century, France also began weaving velvet, notably in Tours and especially in Lyon. It was not until the 19th century, with the invention in 1801 by the Lyonnais Joseph Marie Jacquard of the Jacquard loom, which allowed new weaving combinations and revolutionized the textile industry, that velvet became more accessible. 

And today, velvet?

Today, under the term velvet, we group together a variety of fabrics that share the common feature of having been woven in a complex weave called "velvet". This weave is characterized by including, in addition to the classic warp and weft threads, one or more additional threads called "pile threads". 

These threads will embed themselves in the weft and form loops on the surface of the fabric (on one side only). These loops may be left uncut (as in terry cloth), or cut (as in the case of velvet). Due to the presence of loops on only one side of the fabric, as you can imagine, the two sides of the velvet are very different and will influence how it is worked. The wrong side will often have a matte and smooth surface, and the right side will have a surface made up of small short hairs, upright and tightly packed in one direction. And yes, just like with a cat, the hairs of velvet have a direction and should be stroked in the direction of the nap...

If in the past, only silk was used to create velvet, today the industry offers cotton, silk, wool, but also polyester velvets at very variable prices. So be very attentive to the composition of the velvet you buy.

In our shop and in line with our desire to work as much as possible with natural materials, we have chosen 100% cotton mille-raies velvet and 97% cotton 3% elastane ribbed velvet to make perfectly fitting sewing projects 😂! 

What are the types of velvet?

There are many types of velvet: short pile, mille-raies, panne velvet, devoré velvet, ribbed, quilted,... some contain elastane, others do not... There is also the question of the material: silk, cotton, polyester which react very differently to body odors.   

The two most common types of velvet are mille-raies velvet and corduroy velvet, which is great because they are also the easiest to work with!

Corduroy / ribbed velvet
Corduroy velvet is a very commonly used fabric. Despite its vintage side, corduroy velvet has made a strong comeback thanks to the renewal of colors and more modern designs over time. Corduroy is a rather heavy material, ranging between 120 and 320 g/m2. However, this material is particularly soft to the touch and quite flexible. It is a warm and very durable textile. It is ribbed and the ribs can be more or less wide. 

What to sew with these two types of velvet?

Due to the characteristics of velvet, we will use these fabrics for mid-season and cold weather sewing projects. 

For clothing, we have a very wide choice to use these fabrics! 

I am thinking especially of:

- for jackets: the Nadine or Nadège jacket by Coralie Bijasson, the jacket from Atelier Brunette, the Hathor body warmer by Iam Patterns, the Narcisse overshirt by Coralie Bijasson, the men's jacket Le Citadin des Beaux Gosses, the Adeline jacket from Atelier des premières, the Artemis jacket (women, men, and children) by Iam Patterns

- for pants: Berlin by Ikatee, Paloma (in corduroy) by Coralie Bijasson, Pénélope and Philippine by Coralie Bijasson, Armor by Iam Pattern, the Atelier Brunette pants, 

- for straight or trapeze skirts: the Caroline, Nolwenn, Louise, and Julie skirts from Atelier des premières, the Roméo and Cindy from Iam Patterns, the Sandrine and Sabine by Coralie Bijasson, 

- for structured dresses: straight dress, structured/voluminous sleeves, shirt dress, "Courrège" style dress...: the Rita dress by Atelier Bernie, Anatoline and Alabama by Coralie Bijasson, the Toronto pinafore by Ikatee, 

- for overalls: Lyon by Ikatee, Bastille by Cozy Little World, London (baby/child) by Ikatee

For accessories, velvet has made a strong comeback these last two years, especially in making fanny packs, but also messenger bags, travel bags like the one from Ikatee, backpacks...

How to sew velvet?

After cutting your pieces in the direction of the nap (be careful!), choose a universal needle according to the thickness of your velvet; the thicker it is, the higher the needle size should be.

Preferably use a new needle to start your project and don't hesitate to test on velvet scraps before working on the final pieces. 

Depending on the thickness of the velvet, it can be more aesthetic to lengthen the stitch like when sewing denim. In the case of very thick velvet, a walking foot can be helpful.

To sew velvet, a good quality classic polyester thread will be perfect. 

The Caroline skirt and Marion top from Atelier des premières

So, are you ready to dive into sewing this beautiful fabric?

I have so many projects in my head and when I see the gems that have arrived in the shop, my brain is buzzing 😂! 

No, but these floral velvets with liberty prints and these big ribs in pastel colors... mama mia! 

Anyway, I'll leave you now, I need to get my thoughts back in order! 

To your needles!