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EMBOSSED VELVET SCARVES - ELEGANT CHRISTMAS GIFTS

At our last sewing guild meeting, our president Brenda, wore a lovely scarf under the lapel of her black coat. Sewers don't mind if you come up and snoop at their clothes, so I had a closer look. The scarf was black velvet, stamped with abstract motifs, fringed, and lined with pale lime green. It was stunning and I knew I had found the ideal gift for many women on my Christmas list.

A few tips from Brenda and I was on my way - to the fabric store, of course! Brenda loves rubber-stamping and she has done it on many fabrics. In fact, she was asked by Sew News to write an article on stamping faux leather. It will be in the February issue, so watch for it. But when Brenda started rubber stamping, it was primarily on velvet. From velvet cushions, to velvet hats, to a full-length velvet coat, she has done lots of stamping.

When you stamp a fabric, you are either transferring the design to the fabric with paint or, in the case of velvet, you are actually crushing the pile of the fabric to emboss it. Therefore, you have to choose your velvet carefully, because not all velvet works. Velvet made from 100% cotton can't be stamped because the nap will come back up when the velvet is laundered. The same goes for micro-fiber velvets, made from 100% polyester. So you need to choose velvet that is rayon or a high percentage of rayon. I chose velvet that was a blend of rayon and acetate for my scarves. Brenda's scarf was made from stretch velvet, with lycra added.

This is an economical gift, even though velvet is a pricey fabric. (I paid $30 for materials for 4 scarves; since I already had the stamp, I didn't factor that into the price). I purchased one metre of velvet (a metre is 39") and cut it on the cross-grain into four strips. So my unsewn scarves measure approximately 10" by 45". Then I also bought rayon fringe from the home decorating section of the fabric store. This is a very soft fringe, about 3" long and very fine and swingy. I sewed fringe to both short ends of the scarf, stopping the fringe about Ľ" from the edge, so that it is not included in the seam allowance of the sides. Then I cut the lining the same length as, but about 1/4" narrower, than the velvet. This is a great way to use up all that left-over lining we seem to have around. Where else can you use that small end of blue lining? or purple? or lime-green? They look wonderful with black velvet. Of course, your scarf doesn't have to be black. Burgundy, deep green, royal blue, rich purple, chocolate brown, all colours of velvet are truly beautiful. I'm going to make one scarf with gold lining for that lucky person on my list who goes out to a real dress-up party.

Picture of scarf lined with pink. Now, for the stamping. Rubber stamps can be purchased at many stores these days. Try stationary shops, craft stores, art supply stores, as well as fabric stores. If you can't find any in your town, try the internet. Purrfection Artistic Wearables has a great selection of rubber stamps; their URL is www.purrfection.com. The best stamps for fabric embossing have a deep-cut design. Go for something simple, such as a leaf, or primitive flower design. Stamps such as angels, Christmas-y designs, sewing designs, tend to be too busy to come out well. These look much better done in ink on paper. At the moment, I only have two stamps: one is a polar bear that is absolutely covered in ink since it was my business logo; the other is a simple fern. To stamp the velvet, use a dry iron on medium heat, place the stamp on the good side of the velvet. Then on the wrong side, spread a little water over where the stamp is (use your finger dipped in water or a plant mister), then gently but firmly press the iron down on the wrong side of the velvet and hold for 5 seconds. Do a test sample to see how much heat and time you need to emboss the velvet. Too little and the design doesn't make an impression; too much and you may damage the velvet around the stamp. On my first scarf, I stamped the fern design randomly down the length of the scarf for a total of about 15 impressions. You don't want to overdo this. Subtle is the way to go.

Three velvet scarves ready for gifts. Once you have your velvet stamped, ( which goes surprisingly quickly), it's time to sew the scarf and lining together. Pin the lining over the velvet, right sides together, tucking in the fringe so that it doesn't get caught in the seam. If you have never sewn velvet before, you will find out that it is not easy to sew. It slips underneath the foot and your two layers can slide right off each. It is also hard to maintain a consistent seam allowance. If you have a walking foot for your machine, this is the time to use it. If not, hand basting around the edges will definitely help. Sandra Betzina recommends diagonal basting on velvet. These are large stitches sewn at an angle along your seam line. The diagonal position of the basting keeps the velvet from shifting better than regular basting or pins will do. Sew the velvet and lining together with a 3/8" seam allowance, leaving a 5-6" opening to turn the scarf right side out.

Now turn the scarf and gently poke out the corners. Hopefully, you didn't catch any of the fringe in the seam and it will fall out gently. The fringe is such a nice touch to the scarf and adds extra length. Now, you will need to press your edges flat. Never, never touch the iron to the velvet. Instead hold the steamy iron about an inch above the scarf, let it get steamy, then finger press the edges flat, rolling the seam slightly to the wrong side. All you have left to do now, is to slip stitch the opening closed. Voila, a lovely velvet scarf for someone special on your Christmas list. Perhaps you need one too.

Any sewing questions? I would be happy to try and answer them: you can email me at mail@timmelfabrics.com