Printing on Velvety Fabrics

Get ready to fall in love with our stunning Velvet Shimmer fabric. Featuring a soft and smooth face and a print that can't be beat, this wonderful fabric is just begging to be part of your next project. To stroke it is to love it!

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Surface textures

Velvet has a very distinct handle and appearance, and our Shimmer is no exception. It has a very short pile, which is an attribute to velvet fabric. Velvet Shimmer is soft, with a slightly coarser back, and slides over skin without any resistance. This is a stiffer fabric, which holds shape very well.

Print detail

Printing on velvet fabric is fun and easy with Shimmer. It produces super sharp prints with very clear details. With the shiny shimmery finish to the face of Velvet Shimmer, images look impressive with the added sheen. Its shiny surface reflects light well and catches the eye when either stationary or moving. It's possible that the pile will be pressed into different directions during the print process, resulting in a varied colour and shine finish depending on where the light falls.

Usage

Printing on velvet is great fun and works with a wide range of uses. With a great recovery, these fabrics are highly suitable for use in cushions, upholstery, bags and many more homeware and accessory options. Velvet Shimmer works brilliantly for upholstery velvet, so why not create printed velvet upholstery fabric? There are so many options and printed velvet fabric is a wonderfully versatile textile, so whatever you make, you are sure to have a great result!

Sizing For Hemming And Shrinkage

We have a full Cut & Sew service here at Contrado, and are able to hem your fabric prints for a small additional charge. We create a small one- or two-fold hem that typically uses 0.2" to 0.75" (5-20mm) of material, depending on the thickness of the fabric. So, for example, if you want a finished piece of fabric that measures 39.37" x 39.37", you will need to order a size of 39.96" x 39.96" to allow for the hem (on top of that please also allow for shrinkage of min 2%). The thicker the fabric, the bigger the hem will be. You can choose to have your prints hemmed with either Black or White thread. On our silk and other light woven fabrics, one hemmed edge will be straight (vertically down the roll) and the other will be slightly rippled. The hemming material allowances are as follows and you need to make your print bigger to accommodate the hem:

• Light Fabrics (0.59oz-2.95oz): For silks and other light fabrics, we use 0.24" - 0.32" / 6mm-8mm in the hem (2 fold), so overall width/height will be minus 0.48"-0.56""/ 12-16mm
• Medium Fabrics (2.98oz-5.90oz): For medium-weight fabrics that fray, we use 0.5 - 0.75" / 15-20mm in the hem (2 fold) so overall width/height will be minus 1.4" - 1.6" / 35-40mm
• Stiff/Heavy/No-fray fabrics: we use 0.5 - 0.75" / 15-20mm in the hem (1 fold) so overall width/height will be minus 1.5" / 35-40mm

All of these measurements are approximate and can vary. Including with shrinkage, it can mean a fairly significant difference to ordered dimensions, so please plan your print accordingly. Depending on how open the weave is, our fabric can shrink anywhere from 2% to 8% with the average being 2.5%.

How Would you Like the Edge?

• As it comes. We cut around your image, leaving a simply scissor cut, perhaps uneven white fabric border. 
• Hem with thread. We can hem your fabric with a choice of black or white thread. Please allow 1-2 days additional production time. See below for information on how hemming affects the size of your print. We offer an overlock hem, as well as a folded hem (one or two fold depending on the fabric) however not all fabrics are suited to both hem types. If you can see both options, it means both are suitable, and you will be able to choose whichever you prefer. 
• Cut on the line. We will cut neatly on the edge of your design. This means that if you have a border around your design we will cut around that border, if your design takes the whole space of the fabric, then we will neatly cut around the edge of that image. Please be aware, when we cut along the line, we have to cut against the grain of the fabric. This is the standard procedure for fabric cutting. This means that with some fabrics, for example, Georgette and Mulmul, which have a slight wave in them, some fraying will occur. This is unavoidable, as the cut follows the grain of the textile. 

All of our fabrics are cut manually by hand, with the utmost care and attention. If your fabric has a slightly uneven look on the edges or a touch of fraying, this does not indicate a flaw in the textile. It is not always possible to achieve a perfectly straight cut with certain fabrics, so please do bare this in mind when it comes to your design. If you have any queries or would like to know about our cutting methods in more detail, please get in touch and we will be more than happy to discuss them with you.

Please note: As we make everything by hand, all sizes may vary slightly.

For further information about our fabrics see our FAQs.

What is the difference between the 'Velvet Shimmer' and the 'Plush Velvet'?

The Velvet Shimmer has a reinforced woven back which makes it stronger, whereas the long pile Plush Velvet has a stretchy quality, which it wouldn't have if it had a structured back. The surface qualities are completely different too, you may want to test them for yourself by ordering a swatch pack and feeling the samples.

Can I use Velvet Shimmer to make clothing?

Velvet Shimmer is a stunning fabric, that has a beautiful, shimmery surface. Although it would look beautiful made into a more structured item such as a coat, because it doesn't have a lot of stretch, we prefer using it for DIY projects such as upholstery and soft furnishings. For fashion, we recommend using Plush, Soft, or Marbled velvet.

Would you recommend using printed velvet fabrics in the home?

Absolutely - not just in the home, but in the workplace and your wardrobe too! There are so many uses for these velvety fabrics. They are perfect for upholstery and accessories such as cushions and curtains. The smooth surfaces with their velvety sheen give them an elegant finish that can give any room a tasteful finish. Washable velvet can be cleaned in a cold wash.