Stretch velour is a comparatively inexpensive material that looks good and is simple to maintain. When I decided to make a sheath dress, this was the material I chose because of its stretchy nature – this means, it can be made into form-fitting garments, perfect for a sheath dress.  The stretch velour material shines like velvet, stretches, does not fray, and is straightforward to sew. What more do you want? Fewer challenges sewing it, perhaps?

Designing clothes for Stretch velour

Stretch velour looks a lot like velvet; it is the same pile and shine, but there is a significant difference. This has a knitted base, whereas velvet is always on a woven base. Stretch velour fabric is a double knit material and should be treated so, when designing, cutting, sewing and finishing.

It is a pain sewing zippers on stretchy materials, so design your pattern keeping this in mind. The material is said to have 25% -35% extra stretch – some even have 50%. The zipper tape does not stretch with the fabric and will bulge out. Good news is that, as the fabric stretches, there is no need for such openings and closures. So design without these extras , you will thank me later.

What you need to have and what you need to measure: Stretch velour fabric for sewing the dress, measuring tape and a sewing machine. You need to measure your bust round, waist round and hip round. Measure the distance from bust to waist, waist to hip and from hip to the hem (Or use standard measurements). Measure the neckline depth you need. This is to be measured from the bust line, upwards. If you are sewing with your own pattern, take the stretch into consideration when selecting your size.  The dress can be cut on the bias to utilize the full stretchiness of stretch velour. And the pattern will not have any ease. Because the stretch of the fabric takes care of this.

Pattern for the sheath dress

PATTERN FOR FRONT OF THE SHEATH DRESS

Using the measurements taken, draft the front part of the sheath dress.

M-B = 4 inches Or half of shoulder to bust length
B-D = Bust to waist – 6 -8 inch standard or measure bust to waist
D-F = Waist to hip – 8 inch standard or measure waist to hip
F-H = Hip to knee length

A-B = 1/4 of Bust round + 1/2 inch seam allowance
C-D = 1/4 of waist round + 1/2 inch seam allowance
E-F = 1/4 of hip round + 1/2 inch seam allowance

PATTERN FOR BACK OF THE SHEATH DRESS

Using the measurements taken, draft the back part of the sheath dress.

A-D = Bust to waist – 6 -8 inch standard or measure bust to waist
A-C = 1/2 inch
D-F = Waist to hip – 8 inch standard or measure waist to hip
F-H = Hip to knee length

A-B = 1/4 of Bust round + 1/2 inch seam allowance
D-E = 1/4 of waist round + 1/2 inch seam allowance
M-N = 1/4 of hip round + 1/2 inch seam allowance

The back pattern is the same as the front – just the top part will be missing. It will be a straight cut across at the chest line. Ensure both the front and back pieces are symmetrical and aligning at the sides. Just a 1/2 inch seam allowance is added around all edges of the pattern – no ease is added – this is taken care of by the stretch of the material.

Cutting the pattern from the fabric

As you already may know, the material looks different from front to back – the front is  a soft pily texture and the back has a matt, plain flat surface. So place the pattern accordingly. And, Remember that velour is a fabric with a nap – it will look different depending on which way you look at it. I mean, imagine it looking like you used two different shades of fabric for the same dress. It will be that dramatic. So you should consider direction of nap when cutting the fabric. Decide which way the nap should go – some like it shiny and some like it matt, it is a choice. After deciding, label your pattern pieces so they all follow the nap in the same direction. Find the bias grainline of your fabric at a 45° angle for bias-cutting. This will make sure that the greatest stretch of the fabric goes around the body. But for bias cutting you need way more fabric than when cutting on grain.

If you do not have enough fabric for bias cutting, Stretch the fabric in both directions, horizontally and vertically, and find which way has the most stretch. Now, lay out the pattern pieces so that the fabric stretches parallel to the body’s circumference. This will ensure that the garment will have the stretchiness where it’s needed -around the body and would not stretch out of shape in length.

Sewing tips for stretch velour

Start with a new needle. And, test that the sewing machine tension is fine and suitable on some scrap pieces.

Use a 10/70–14/90 needle to sew the stretch velour fabric. Sew with a narrow zig zag stitch for the best look – the straight stitch will break when the fabric stretches. Settings of the stitch .5 width and 1.5 length. Or, your machine’s stretch stitch. As it doesnot fray, No need to finish the seams. But, a big ‘but’, as the stitches can break on stretch velour, it is always better to have double stitches or a french seam. You do not want a hole in the seam of that figure hugging dress – when it happens, it always does on a bad spot.

If you sew the side edges with a french seam, it will give you a neat look on the inside.

And, though the edges do not fray, they curl. The cut edges of the velour material tend to curl because it has a single knit base. The curling is annoying. It can even get inside the seam, when you sew. One pet peeve is the slipping and shifting the fabric does as you sew. I can just say, have patience. And use a teflon foot, Walking foot or knit foot, whichever one you have. And use lots of pins –  use the pins so that they are parallel to the seam about 2 inches away. I would suggest to pin every 1/2 inch. Another option is to use painters tape on the seam -Sew directly through both the tape and fabric, and then gently remove the tape afterward.

Sewing steps for this dress :

Cut out fabric strips for sewing the neckline binding as well as for the straps.

Make straps for the dress

Make thin fabric tubes for the straps. Because of the bulk of the material, when sewing the straps cut close to the stitching line, before attempting to turn the tube with a thick needle and thread.

Bind the front neckline – sandwich the straps in between the bodice neckline and the binding strip. Sew the binding.

Sew the Strap ends to the back neckline edge. Sandwitch the strap ends between the edge and the binding strip.

Turn the binding to the back and Sew the binding in place.

Every sewing book I have read advice to let the garment to hang somewhere 24 hours before cutting and finishing the hem, especially that of stretch fabrics. This will take out the stretch it has and you can then cut the hem for a symmetrical look.

After the dress is finally finished, press the fabric from the inside. Otherwise the pile may be squashed. Many suggest laying it on a terry towel and using a pressing cloth. If you find the stretch hems challenging, use a strip of knit fusible interfacing on the seam line- this will stabilize the area and give you a cleaner finish.

Some disclaimers about stretch velour :

Though velour looks like velvet it may not have the same depth and texture as high-quality velvet. To keep lint from ruining the look of your dress and to prevent wear from flattening the soft surface, you’ll need to use a few tricks to protect it. I would suggest handwashing or machine washing separately and turning the garment inside out.

Related post: Discover alternatives in Velvet Fabrics