Inside: 19 dazzling velvet embroidery ideas for all of your design ideas.
While diving into fashion fabrics and how to use each one in embroidery, you’re likely to come across many dazzling velvet pieces with stunning embroidery work on them.
It’s common and popular in Pakistani culture to wear brilliantly embroidered velvet for traditional events, and we always find velvet coming back into popularity in the colder months.
If you want some tips to embellish your velvet pieces this year, I’ve got some how to’s, tips, and ideas to inspire you on your velvet embroidery journey!
Velvet is always a beautiful fabric to use in the winter. It’s fabulously festive for the holidays and to brighten up your dreary January and February winter time. Adding embroidery only personalizes makes these pieces even more beautiful.
Metallic gold thread is always a cute vibe on a dark piece of velvet, but there are a hundred ways to make a stunning velvet embroidery piece!
How To Embroider On Velvet
Velvet tends to be technically listed as a more difficult fabric to craft with, but in reality, it’s not too tough to use for embroidery! Just sewing and clothing construction, due to the detail of the direction of the pile.
It’s not thick, it’s not tough, it’s soft and thin just like any other craft fabric you would want to use.
One concern I thought I would have with stitching on velvet is since it can have stretchy tendencies, I thought putting it on a hoop would over stretch and damage the fabric. For the most part, this isn’t the case. However, if you’re working with a garment that has more stretch than usual velvet does, pay more attention to the qualities of the fabric itself.
While it won’t ruin the elasticity of the fabric, it will leave an imprint on the pile, so you should avoid putting it on the hoop anyway. Hoop your backing fabric, and spray the adhesive on to keep the velvet in place over top of the hoop.
The best part is that there’s no damage from machine embroidering the fabric either, so whatever vision you have for embroidering on velvet, you’re good to go! Stitch away.
You do need to make sure you’re using a spray adhesive for the stabilizer, because velvet will need some extra support.
Velvet Embroidery Fabrics
When shopping online for fabrics, it can be hard to tell if what you’re looking at through photos is what’s actually going to be ideal for your project. So what are some qualities of velvet you should look for when shopping for it online, with the intended use of embroidery?
Velvet is a pretty standard mix of 10% spandex and 90% polyester, so making sure you don’t go over the 10% of spandex will help the velvet not stretch too much in the process. While you’re not hooping it, since it’s so soft and luxurious, you may still pull and stretch it during the working process.
Care
Caring for velvet is simple– just keeping in mind all of the elements that could alter the way that the pile lays is the best way to ensure you’re taking good care of your fabric.
Heat and water will affect it greatly– while it’s okay if velvet gets wet, it’s best to be left alone with no pressure applied. If an object is set on top of wet velvet, an impression is going to be left in its place.
Direct heat can also mess up the direction of the velvet fabric or cause it to lay flat.
Always steam and always hang dry your velvets. Never clamp in a clip hanger.
These are just a few tips for caring for your velvet! It’s all about keeping in mind the different elements that could crush the velvet pile.
Velvet Embroidery Blouse
In Pakistani culture, an embroidered velvet blouse or dress is incredibly common to be included in traditional attire. And let me tell you, when you see these blouses, they are stunning! I’ve included some in this list for those of us who aren’t used to this tradition, it’s beautiful work to be inspired by.
I remember when I visited India for the first time, I was blown away by the ornate and elaborate detail work on their clothing in the shops, it truly does influence the way that I see the possibilities of making my own work even more detailed. It’s a beautiful tradition.
If you’re making a velvet top of any style and want to add some dazzling embroidery, here are some blouses with lovely stars or other embroidered details.
1. Florals
2. Trimming
3. Elaborate
4. Collar And Cuff
5. Classic Florals
Dresses
Dresses in any aesthetic can always be made more stunning with just a little bit of detailing. Beading, embroidery, interesting layering… you name it and it can be done.
If you’re a designer and want to play around with the different ways of elevating a look, these dresses might just inspire you. It’s no wonder there are so many intricate details and looks on runways and in high end stores– the more you see elaborate detailing and the more inspired you become, the more creative your designs become as well.
Check out these velvet dresses with embroidery detail. It’s a stunning look and I know you’ll love incorporating it into your crafting!
6. Celestial
7. Puff Sleeve Florals
8. Floral Maxi
9. Galaxy
10. Ivy
11. Roses
12. Detailing
Jackets And Shawls
Velvet jackets are always cool– especially in the indie days that I remember so well from 2013 to 2014.
Cool bomber jackets made out of interesting materials and any and all details that you could add to them were all the rage!
Embroidery was really big then too, and we’re seeing it all come back in 2023. So check out these velvet outerwears with amazing embroidery detailing on them.
13. Florals And Leaves
14. Black Blazer
15. Leaves
16. Classy
17. Trim
Pants
Velvet pants. What a moment.
These are too cool for school and if there’s anything that could make them cooler, it’s embroidery detailing on all of it.
Some of these pants would be cool as they are if you picked them up from the store plain– but if you like to add your own personal look to it, here you go! Get some cool ideas here and get to work! You’ll surely love the outcome.
18. Dot Details
19. Angel Logo
20. Large Florals
21. Elaborate Hem
Every year velvet makes a comeback into our wardrobes, and I couldn’t love it more.
Even the most basic slip dresses are even more elegant in a soft gray velvet fabric, and adding embroidery to these pieces will always elevate it even more. If you can’t find velvet embroidery on the market, bring in your embroidery skills and do it yourself!
Sure, it’s a little bit more of a tricky fabric to work with than usual embroidery fabrics, but you can master it with some practice.
If you’re using your own embroidery practice to work on some cultural pieces, it’s going to be so special to present them, embellished with your own hands. This takes a tradition even deeper to be so personal.
If you want to continue playing with other difficult fabrics, here are 31 stunning leather embroidery examples you can use for fashion or for gifts!
I’m Victoria Hudgins and I believe in learning embroidery to express all the fun and joy that is within you. With the right instruction you can be sure your next threaded project is one you’ll love to keep or gift.