Halloween is such a magical time! Front yards get decorated, people wear costumes, and the candy—oh, the candy that you can buy at the supermarket any day of the year but somehow just tastes better—becomes breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
For me, Halloween is everything I love as a goth—the macabre, the creepy, the ghoulish, it all comes spilling out into the “normal” world. Everyone gets a taste of what it feels like to picnic at a cemetery or book a room at a haunted hotel.
This is also a time for me to experiment with fabrics and techniques that don’t make much sense in my wardrobe anymore. I don’t have much use for vinyl or satin as I don’t go clubbing much anymore, so Halloween is my green light to spend time and money on materials that will probably only see the outside world once.
Costume materials can be a bit tricky, but with the right tools and techniques, you can minimize frustration and maximize success.
If you are using vinyl to sew your costume, I have a whole blog post detailing how to work with it. The shiny surface and body-con quality of vinyl make it a perfect choice for a superhero outfit—think skin-tight and flexible to help you fight the villain of your choice.
But maybe the Halloween costume of your dreams is more on the Dracula side. Stretch velvet is a great option when you want the look of royalty on a commoner’s budget.
Velvet is as beautiful as it is finicky. It takes a bit of work, but if you treat it right, it will reward you with lots of glamor. Stretch velvet gives you the luxury of velvet with the comfort of knits and is perfect for any costume application.
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Pre-Washing
Wash your stretch velvet in cold water. If using a dryer, go for low heat or tumble dry. Heat is the enemy of velvet, so keep things cool.
Before You Cut, Find the Nap
Velvet has a nap (a raised surface) that makes the fabric directional, so make sure to cut all of your pieces in the same direction!
Cutting
Velvet is famous for creeping—a very Halloween term for the shifting two layers of velvet go through when the right sides are facing each other. To avoid creeping, cutting in one layer is preferable. Any piece that is to be cut on a fold can be turned into one piece and placed on one layer of fabric.
The easiest way to do this is to fold a large piece of paper and place the half pattern piece on the fold. Trace it; then, cut the paper. You’ll have the whole pattern piece once you open your paper!
For even less shifting, have the right side of the fabric facing up when cutting.
With fabrics that are very shifty, I use a rotary cutter and fabric weights on a healing mat. It is an investment, but it allows me a lot more stability as the fabric is always in contact with the mat.
Be prepared to deal with a million tiny fibers all over your cutting table. I like to have a lint roller around for a time such as this.
Marking and Pinning
The wrong side of stretch velvet can prove to be a challenge for marking pencils. If that’s the case, you can use a chalk marking tool, but be advised: The chalk does not adhere to the sleek back, so you might lose all of your markings if you wait even a few hours to sew.
Because of velvet’s shifty nature, it is super important to do what you can to keep the pattern pieces from creeping once you sew. Baste your pieces before you take them to the sewing machine. If you are using pins, make sure to use ballpoint pins to avoid snags or runs.
Needle Choice
You will need a jersey/ballpoint needle to sew stretch velvet. This kind of needle has a tip that pushes the fibers to the side instead of piercing the fabric. Select a needle size based on the weight of the fabric (60/8-70/10 for light; 80/12 for medium; 90/14 for heavy).
Sewing
For stretchy fabrics like stretch velvet, you need to use a zig zag or stretch stitch. They stretch with your garment—unlike straight stitches that end up popping with the stress.
I personally do not use the stretch stitch setting. Having to unpick stretch stitches is a punishment I don’t wish on my worst sewing enemy. I like a zig zag that is 2.5 both in width as in length. You can always play around on a scrap of fabric to find the width/length combo that best suits your fabric.
Presser Foot
If you can adjust the presser foot tension, you can reduce it to avoid putting too much pressure on the fabric and squishing it. If you have a walking foot, this is a great opportunity to use it. It pushes both layers of fabric at the same time, avoiding both creeping and squishing.
Pressing and Ironing
Do not get an iron directly on your velvet fabric—it will crush the nap. I place stretch velvet under a towel and use steam to press it, but I ALWAYS try on a scrap first.
If you see yourself sewing many velvet garments—and paying the big bucks for the really nice stuff—you should consider buying a velvet board. It is expensive, though, so not worth inventing unless you plan to use it often.
How Will You Use Stretch Velvet?
Stretch velvet has that rare quality of bringing glamour and comfort together, so don’t stop at a costume. Find a beautiful dress pattern for knit fabric and make it extra gorgeous with black velvet. And if you are not afraid to walk on the wild side with colors, try jewel tones like amethyst green or ruby red. Turns out you can have your pretty party dress and eat all the cake too!
