How To Sew Velvet And Pile Fabrics Without Pins Or Pucker
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- Опубліковано 29 жов 2019
- Here I show how I sew velvet and other pile fabrics for curtains and drapery. Practice this method to create beautifully flat seams with no puckering or gather so that your velvet curtains hang flat. This method is one I developed over many years of running a professional curtain making workroom and requires no pins or tacking first. Just take the velvet to your machine and sew. Velvet, corduroy and other napped fabrics can be very tricky to work with as the pile causes seams to creep making sewing a real challenge. this method utilises an industrial sewing machine but may be possible to replicate on a well fixed domestic machine.
🕑 TIMESTAMPS 🕑
00:10 - Comparing methods, the velvet pile, how velvet creeps when sewn, handling, time saving & domestic v industrial sewing machines
02:52 - Sewing velvet at the machine
04:21 - Test seam
04:48 - Method to sew velvet without puckering or creep demonstration
08:08 - Impromptu bobbin refill
09:45 - Sewing a full velvet seam end to end
11:01 - Pressing the seam
12:41 - Showing the full seam on the right side
13:33 - completed double pinch pleat curtains
#CurtainMakingTutorial #HowToMakeCurtains #HowToSewVelvet
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I am singing your praises tonight. Your video helped me so much! I sewed and unpicked two curtain panels, then sewed one again, then found your video. So I tried the technique on the second panel and it was a success! Thank you so much for sharing this information.
Oh I'm so pleased it helped. Thank you for your kind comment. It's all about handling and showing that velvet who's boss 👊
Decided to tackle my first velvet project - 10 ft pleat curtains in a gorgeous gold just like the video! Of course I cut one panel too narrow and had to rejoin it. I wish i could include pictures, it is a flawless seam thanks to this technique. Used a regular home machine as well with no trouble, just pinned it all and went in short 10 inch bursts. Saved my fabric and my sanity
Oh that's brilliant 👏 👏 I wasn't sure how it would work on a domestic, but it sounds like you managed very well 🤩 Thanks for commenting 😀
I recently bought velvet fabric and am so thankful for useful information! I've only heard velvet is hard to sow, but never knew why and what to do. Thank you for making us the wiser!
Oh you're very welcome and I'm so glad it helped you 💛
So happy to watch your video. My first time sewing with velvet and I learned A LOT from your tutorial. Thank you!
Oh that's so good to hear. I'm really glad it helped, velvet can be such a pain, and thank you for your kind comments.
These really are professional tips. So good of you to share. I do this already. I never pin silk or heavily piled fabric but you explain it so well. Loved the matching pattern video. You also do that without pins! I pin for my life with pattern matching but in the end as the fabric moves one on top of the other as you stitch, your method is best. Genius stuff!
Thanks Nicola. Lots of practice 😂
Great tutorial. Iv been getting very agitated with the velvet I’m sewing but this video has been of great help and Iv got the hang of it now. 💕
That's so good to hear. Velvet can be very tricky so I'm delighted the video has helped.
It is 11:12pm at night and I realize this video is over 3 years old. I want to tell you thank you! Thank you sooo much! I have been practicing this simple technique for the past hour and finally got it right! I thank God for you, as you don't know how much this means to me. I was adjusting my stitch length, my thread tension, all to find out, that I needed to pull the bottom fabric. I am working on velvet circular ottomans, not only was I but the puckering, my color not matching, excess fabric at the end....
It does take some practice to get right so well done you 👏 and I'm really glad the video helped you. 😊
Used this technique on my heavy duty domestic machine with great success . Thank you
Oh fabulous, I don't have a domestic machine to test it so I'm really glad it worked out well. Thanks for commenting 😀👍
Oh thank you for sharing this with us!!! You're a WIZARD! So grateful to you!
You're very welcome. Glad it was useful 😀👍
Great video for beginners, l make drapes , cushions, tie backs and anything else in fabric for a living and yes yes velvet is the tricky but once you work it out it’s well worth it when you see them transform into drapes there beautiful they would be my most favourite fabric to make in drapes doesn’t matter the colour 😊
Completely agree 👍 I'd make everything out of velvet if I could 😊
Thorough demonstration & explanation. Thank you!
You're very welcome Karl and thank you for your lovely comment 🙏💛
Love this tip and will most certainly try it. I don't know how many times i've been making cushion covers only to run in to this problem!
You've just got to show that velvet who's boss and keep it under control all the way 👍
Thank you so much for this tutorial. I'm sewing a zipper into a velvet cushion and getting alot of puckering. I thought it was my feed dogs but now understand how the pile was causing this. Ripped out and back to the sewing machine!
Yes it can take some getting used to working with velvet. You've just got to keep a really firm grip on it and don't let it creep. Show it who's boss and good luck 💪😁
So informative, thank you.
You're very welcome Lara, I hope it helped 🙂👍
Fantastic instructions thank you so much I’m definitely going to use this method awesome great video to thank you
Oh great. I'm so glad you found it helpful 👍
Wow, thanks. Was just looking at three different machine feet which claim to be especially designed for velvet. So glad I found this before I started spending money needlessly and waiting for gadgets to arrive in the post. Looks like this takes practice, but it’s a great simple method. Thanks so much.
It does take some practice but very much worth the effort as you'll get a much better seam that any you'll get from any of the feet or gadgets. Good luck 👍
Awesome thanks for sharing!!.. now I know next time I work with velvet and velveteen...!
It can be tricky stuff. Hopefully this will help a little 😊
Glad I found this before touching a beautiful but pricey (and discontinued :O ) velvet.
Oh heck! Yes, take your time but keep a tight grip on that velvet and show it who's boss 💪. Hope the tutorial helps you.
Thanks. So Much to sewing and this is so helpful.
You're very welcome. I hope it helps you 👍
really useful tips, thank you
You're very welcome. I hope it helped 👍
Thank you. That was helpful.
You're very welcome. Glad you found it useful 😀
That makes sense. Thank you so much!
Great 🙂👍 I hope it helps if you try it
Fantastic - thanks so much! 🌟
Thank you for your comment and I'm so glad you liked the video 👍
Wow I learned so much thanks for sharing.
Oh brilliant, I'm so glad you enjoyed the video 🙂👍
Thank you a million! :)
You're welcome, glad it helped 👍
Omg, an actual wizard!
😂😂😂... I've been called some things in my time but never a wizard.... I like it 😁🧙♀️
@@WindmillCurtainRoom you worked that velvet like magic! When the ends met up perfectly & you were so nonchalant about it haha. All jokes aside, this video was extremely informative even though I’ll be sewing velvet with a shorter pile for a cloak 😊
Oh that's so nice to hear, thank you. I'm glad it helped with your cloak project 😃... a wizard's cloak maybe 🤔🧙♀️
You've just saved my life lol...thank you x
Oh that's so good to hear, I'm really happy it helped you 🙂👍
Super star 😊 thank you!
Thank you 😊 I hope it helped
Thank you so much for this video. It is really very helpfull. Velvet can be a nightmare. Although I saw thousands of videos on YT nobody explained it how to sew it properly and what should I do with my hands to avoid the discrepancy between two layers of velvet. Thank you thank you thank you :)
Oh I'm so glad it helped you. It's actually very hard to break down exactly what I'm doing with my hands and how I'm holding things as I've been doing it for so long now without thinking. I worry that my explanations may not make sense! I'm relieved they do 😁👍
Thank you for sharing. I notice
You're welcome
Thank you so much ❤
You're welcome 😊
Oh and it worked fine on my non-industrial machine.
Oh that's great to know. I worry that some things I wrestle through my machine might not be possible on a domestic 👍
This is great advice and with just one go I can see a vast difference in the sewing of velvet - but I have an added problem of pattern matching the velvet as well! Any thoughts ? Any videos for this ?
Hi Natalie, thanks for your comment, I'm so glad the video helped you.
Yes, pattern matching velvet can be even trickier but it's the same method in afraid. If you find that you're starting with it matched but that it's running off as you go then you're just not compensating enough. Keep practicing, maybe on a scrap, until you can keep the pattern matched and level. Good luck 👍
Wonderful video, thank you very much for posting, I'm curious, where did you purchase that particular velvet from?
Thank you very much 💛
The Velvet was from www.Lizzo.net and was the most gorgeous silk rich quality.
This is the exact fabric I have and I’ve not used a sewing machine before but it looks actually quite similar tattooing with the tension stuff so I light brown ok 😅😅
Not sure I understand all of your comment but..... good luck 😊👍
Where are you putting more hand strength in? The left hand pulling the velvet or the right hand? It's hard to figure out from my point of view. I'm not getting any puckering but my edges don't line up. Hopefully, all will go well when I hem the curtains.
Hi there, I i keep the bottom layer taught mostly with my right hand but really the fabric is pulled between both hands before feeding through the machine. Imagine fixing the fabric in a frame and then running that through the machine. That's what I'm trying to achieve with my hands so you aren't pulling against the machine and needle which may break it or give you tiny stitches. Try doing smaller sections if your edges aren't staying together. It's probably the velvet piles pushing themselves away from each other. God luck.
Thank you so much for this tutorial! Im a novice on the sewing machine and intimidated with my first project with this fabric! Do you have any recommendations on needle size and thread thickness? Thank you so much in advance!
Hi Maggie and thanks for your lovely comment. Needle size will depend on your machine so it's hard to recommend something suitable. The needle in my machine is a very standard size though. As for thread I would recommend getting a good colour selection of Guterman threads. They are good quality and quite strong for machine sewing. If you want to get technical then I'd say they are 120's weight.
@@WindmillCurtainRoom thank you so much for your response ❤️
What thread did you use for this thick velvet? Thank you for answer :)
Hi Evelina, I use a standard polycotton thread in a 120's weight for both the machining and hand sewing although I double it up for the hand sewing.
What tension and length on the machine did you use because my velvet is not sewing together. Im doing a a hem on the bottom of a velvet skirt but its not sewing
I tend to use a largish stitch length on my machine as I'm seeing curtains mostly so of my 1-5 setting it's usually at 4. The tension is.... well, just the correct tension. There's no settings for tension, just keep adjusting top and bottom until you get the threads even so that there's no pulling when sewing without holding tight on the fabric. I use an industrial machine though which tends to be more stable in that regard. It may actually be easier to hand sew the hem on a velvet skirt if you're struggling with your machine.
do you sew the same way on the cut edge as you do the salvage edge on your machine
Hi Jeanette, yes just exactly the same although you generally don't machine the cut edge as they're usually positioned on the outside edges. Of course, it depends on the qty of fabric there is though.
Im just wondering if you do any online sew along classes for making curtains- id love to have help to make some! Ive sewing small projects but never curtains
Hi there. Yes I do plan to do some live sew alongs in the future but I'm without a workroom at the moment so it may be several months unfortunately.
My velvet rolls like a cream rool and I can't straighten it up. How to straight the rolled salvages?
That can be tricky as many synthetic velvets are 'knitted' these days which is what makes them curl. One thing you could try is to lovelock or zigzag the raw edges first. This may stop them curling enough to seam them.
what type of sewing foot do you use?
Sorry for the delay replying. It's just a standard foot so not a walking foot.
What kind of lining material would you recommend for Polyester velvet curtains ? Is the one in the video a polyester velvet ?
The one in the video is a cotton silk mix velvet and i used 100% cotton lining.
Most standard lining you can buy now (in the UK at least) is a polyester/cotton mix and would be just fine for a polyester velvet.
@@WindmillCurtainRoom . Thank you, thats good to know because I did end up choosing the poly-cotton.
How do you find the grainline of velvet fabric
Hi... it's the same as finding the warp or weft on any fabric. On velvet, it's best done from the back where you can see the weave.
@@WindmillCurtainRoom Thank you so much!
tutorial how to avoid puckering would be helpfull as well :)
Where specifically are you getting a puckering problem Anna and is it on velvets?
@@WindmillCurtainRoom Not necessarily. I am upholsterer and small curved elements like front panel of arm in sofas or wingback chairs are some times frustrated when I sew piping to them. I loosen the tension of the upper thread, I oil it, I try to hold both elements with my hands, I use plastic clips or double sided adhesive tape but I am still not satisfied with the results. Sometimes I have to cut the fabric along the warp which may also cause the puckering but I have no choice if I need 2 meters width. Generally I think the piping causes the problem even if the fabric is rough.
Hi Anna, OK I see. You shouldn't need to adjust the tension of either thread on the machine and actually that may cause more problems. I suspect the problem is how you cut your piping and how you sew it on. For any curves you should really cut your fabric on the bias. Even if you are limited on fabric, if you join short lengths well enough they shouldn't be that noticeable. Another reason might be the cord you're using. Upholsterers tend to use the more rigid paper type piping cord which is ideal for the front seat areas where it gets a lot of pressure wear but not so good for smaller soft curved areas. I'd recommend using a cotton piping for those bits if you aren't already using it.
Finally, and the bit that's harder to explain. I'd suggest sewing the piping on to the piece that needs more easing first. You can pull the piping tight or stretch it out more depending g on how you need it to fit. Once you have one side fitting correctly then sew the other side on. Sewing with the first side uppermost helps you control any reading of the 2nd piece underneath.
I hope that helps a little.
@@WindmillCurtainRoom Thanks a lot. You are right. Every time I work with cotton piping is easier than with the plastic one. When I cut piping straight from velvet which is soft and flexible it is still OK. But with thick, rough fabrics like I had lately cutting on the bias sounds like a logic solution to solve this problem. Frankly speaking I never tried it as I always have as much fabric as is really necessary - which means minimum :). I will make a try and buy half a meter more just to do this test. I am not sure if I understood the last part - but I think I did :) I will make some sample tests and see how it works. Thanks a lot again. You were very helpful.
Ma’am do u use twin needle to sew in velvett
Hi there. No, I just use a standard single needle machine and standard thread etc just like any other fabric. 👍
@@WindmillCurtainRoom Thanks a lot... appreciate it..
Hello can you railroad velvet
Hi, I wouldn't recommend it. Most velvet has a very definite pile that falls either up or down. The shade of velvet can look dramatically different depending on which way you view it so if you railroad it and it's then going sideways the shade could look different depending on where you stand in the room. There are some velvets with a very short pile that may not have a dramatic difference so it's worth trying it first.
Thank you everyone much for helping me, I am making a wave curtain in two pieces, the top is a blackout linen which is double width and they want a dark navy 60cm boarder in velvet, I did not want to join the velvet fabric as the seam would fall dead center, it very short pile velvet, I thought it would be better to railroad it,
Well from what you describe it may be, especially if it's really just a border detail. If the velvet has a shirt pile and barely looks any different no matter what angle you look at it from them it'll probably be fine. Just make sure you orientate it exactly the same way on each curtain.
Thank you for replying I wish I could send you the photo so you can see what I am working with, your tutorial are a blessing , thank you
@@Sasha-ce4tu look me up on instagram, you can message me from there @thewindmillworkroom
Wouldnt a walking foot help?
Hi there.... not necessarily unless it was set at precisely the right 'walk' to counteract the velvet. Personally I've found it doesn't help much at all and I prefer this method that I can adjust accordingly.
Many sewers also don't have walking foot capable machines so it's a good discipline to get right. 👍
@@WindmillCurtainRoom thanks so much for that clarification- just wondering if it is worth attempting to make the curtains that are a bit out of price range ready made but i think perhaps too ambitious for me
Y is it not drawing..can someone help..cos my usual draw alot
Hello.... I'm sorry, I don't understand your question. Drawing?