Blue Velvet- for Spoolriver’s first birthday

Here I am dressed up in velvet in honor of the one-year anniversary of my blog. Happy Birthday Spoolriver! Am I impractical to be wearing Blue Velvet (cue Bobby Vinton)? Absolutely not! Am I involved in a noir mystery directed by David Lynch? I don’t think so! No, I am simply honoring a monumental year for me. And, actually, this was a private party.

So, here is why velvet is a practical party top. I wore this top on Christmas Eve and Christmas day and was absolutely comfortable- even while sweating over cooking and serving sit down dinner for 13 and organizing next day’s pot luck dinner for 36! And, unlike the sequined top I made for New Year’s Eve- I don’t leave a trail of sequins wherever I roamed.

I was struck by this beautiful blue silk velvet at the Fabric Store and knew it would be perfect for festive winter occasions. Velvet may put people off, and I admit, it can be a little finicky to work with. But silk velvet is both cozy and breathable -it’s a natural fiber. It is sumptuous and luxurious, yet if you don’t lead a luxurious life- (read, I do the dishes) it is not precious. I wash my silk velvet on delicate in the washing machine. And I wear it outside!

I chose an easy silhouette for this fabric- which I recommend when sewing velvet. Even though this is essentially a boxy top, I included subtle shaping with darts and gathers. This model is self drafted. Sewing velvet requires a little extra care because of the nap or fuzzy pile to the fabric. There is a nice beginners guide to sewing velvet at Seamwork. With this simple top, I really only had to take a few extra steps.

I make sure (double check) that all my pattern pieces are laid out on the fabric in the same direction- top to bottom of the garment. I choose to lay them out the direction of the nap. To figure out the direction of the nap, I simply run my hand slowly up and down the fabric- the direction that feels smooth is the direction of the nap or where the pile (or nap) is running down the fabric. I choose that direction –pile running down- when I layout my pattern- because that’s what I was told- long ago. But I recently read that you may want to choose the other direction (against the nap) if you want the garment to look more saturated. Whichever direction you choose, just make sure all pattern pieces are running the same way.

I use tailors tacks to mark darts or notches. But- I typically use tailor tacks to mark- so this is no big deal

Last, I pin (with so many pins) all seams to avoid fabric creeping. This is actually the most important precaution. Velvet shifts when you sew it because when you put two layers of fabric- right sides together – the nap (pile) causes the fabric to shift against itself. Trust me- it really moves- it may even be worse than sewing with slippery and shiny fabrics! I know the recommended and best way to avoid creeping fabric is to hand baste seams. But I simply can’t be bothered with hand basting. When I made my first silk velvet garment long ago, a sewing friend gave me the following advice: “Just pin the *&%$!# out of it.” So that’s what I do- and it works for me. I pin at least every 1/8th inch.

The only other fiddly aspect of the top was the hem. I originally hand stitched a hem- but the hemline looked all wobbly and terrible. Here is the wobbly hem on Christmas Eve before the guests arrived.