Different Types of Velvet and Their Uses – let’s explore this beautiful material.
The word “velvety” literally means soft, which is the perfect description of the fabric that lends its name to the term – velvet. For many generations, velvet signified luxury and excess. This textile, favoured by royalty, has a shiny yet plush appearance.
Until today, velvet is considered one of the most high-end materials for making interior décor, clothing, and fashion accessories.
Different types of velvet and their uses
Different Types of Velvet and Their Uses
Velour, velveteen, and velvet: understanding the differences
#These three are often confused and interchanged by fabric buyers. In a way, these are similar as all have a soft texture and are easy to drape. The differences lie in composition and type of weave.
- This fabric is not velvet but resembles its properties. Velvet fabric UK sellers describe velour as knitted textile primarily composed of cotton. It is stretchy and used in making sports apparel, dance costumes, and tracksuits.
- The thread pile is shorter than velvet, and the threads are weaved vertically. Velveteen fabric is less shiny and doesn’t drape as well as velvet.
- High-quality velvet is traditionally woven with silk. The resulting pile of yarn is what gives this fabric its characteristics.
Nowadays, silk velvet is rare and expensive. As an alternative, most velvet textiles sold in bulk are woven from synthetic fibres like rayon and nylon. Some still contain a mixture of silk, which best approximates traditional velvet.
Types of velvet and their uses
The method of weaving and the finish creates a variety of velvet fabrics suitable for a variety of uses. The following are the different kinds of velvet fabrics and their popular applications.
- Crushed velvet. The crushed appearance of this fabric results from twisting wet velvet, or by pressing down on the textile in various directions. The crushed pattern and shine lend a unique texture to the material. Crushed velvet is a popular fabric used in upholstery for furniture, pillows, drapes, and curtains. There are many options available online for the best upholstery fabrics that you can choose from. It typically requires backing to reinforce the fabric and make it more stable.
- Panne velvet. Similar to crushed velvet, the pressure applied to the material pushes the piles of thread in a single direction.
- Embossed velvet. Using a heat stamp, you can add prints and patterns to velvet fabric. This type of velvet is popular in interior design applications such as furniture upholstery and curtains.
- Stretch velvet. Incorporating spandex into the material gives it a stretchy texture. Stretch velvet is commonly used for making sports clothing such as leotards and leggings.
- Plain velvet. Plain velvet is heavier and usually made with cotton. It has a bit of stretch and is less shiny than traditional silk or nylon velvet. It is used in a variety of applications including clothing, accessories, and home décor.
Understanding the unique properties of different types of velvet is essential in making sure that you choose the right application. In making sports apparel, for instance, it is not ideal to use silk velvet that doesn’t stretch.
If you are an aspiring fashion designer, mastering the characteristics of velvet, especially different kinds of velvet is key to producing functional and fashionable clothing.
Different Types of Velvet and Their Uses
Types of velvet and their uses is a feature post – you might also like my post on outdoor fashion
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