Peacock Blue Peony Gold Foil Stretch Velvet | Sold by the Metre

Peacock Blue Peony Gold Foil Stretch Velvet

Pink peonies, pale sage leaves and fine coral sprigs spread across a bright peacock blue velvet ground, with gold foil tracing the leaf edges and scattered through the smaller stems. The layout is open, so plenty of the blue shows between the flowers and the colour carries the fabric rather than the print.

This is a stretch velvet rather than a woven one. It gives across the width, has a slippery hand and a heavy, liquid drape that falls close to the body instead of standing away from it. 60 inches  wide, with a soft short pile and a printed face.

What to make with it: Abayas, occasion dresses, evening skirts, kimono jackets, Asian suits and dupattas. The open layout and large flowers suit full length pieces where the print has room to show, so it is better on a skirt or an abaya panel than on narrow cuffs.

Buy a little more than you think. Velvet has a nap, which means the pile lies in one direction and the colour changes depending on which way you look at it. Every pattern piece has to be cut facing the same way, so you cannot flip pieces to save cloth the way you would with a flat print. Allow around 20% more than a pattern states, and more again if you want the peonies to line up across a seam.

Fabric: Stretch velvet, foil printed
Stretch: Yes, across the width
Width: 60 inches / 150 cm
Print: Peacock Blue Peony with gold foil
Sold by: the metre, cut as one continuous length

Sewing velvet: Cut single layer with the nap running the same way on every piece. Use a ballpoint or stretch needle, lengthen your stitch, and let the fabric feed rather than pulling it through, as velvet shifts under the presser foot. Pin inside the seam allowance only, because pin marks can stay in the pile. Press face down on a towel from the reverse so you do not crush it, and test your iron temperature on a spare corner first.

Care: Do not pre-wash this one. Unlike our cottons and viscose, velvet is best dry cleaned, or washed cool on a delicate cycle inside out if you must. Never tumble dry and never wring it. Hang to dry and the pile will settle on its own.