Editing Velvet

{{Short description|Type of pile fabric}}
{{About|the fabric}}
{{Redirect|Panné|the wetland feature|Salt pannes and pools}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2021}}
[[File:Blue velvet (cropped).jpg|thumb|Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric]]

'''Velvet''' is a type of [[woven fabric]] with a dense, even [[pile (textile)|pile]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Velvet {{!}} fabric {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/velvet-fabric |access-date=2023-03-24 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> that gives it a distinctive soft feel. Historically, velvet was typically made from [[silk]]. Modern velvet can be made from [[silk]], [[linen]], [[cotton]], [[wool]], [[synthetic fiber]]s, silk-cotton blends, or synthetic-natural fiber blends.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.onekingslane.com/live-love-home/guide-to-velvet/|title=The 7 Things You Need to Know About Velvet}}</ref>

== Construction and composition ==
[[File:Velvet warp crop.svg|thumb|Face-to-face method of weaving. A knife cuts through the middle during weaving to produce two layers of velvet cloth.]]

Velvet is woven on a special [[loom]] that weaves two thicknesses of the material at the same time; the two layers are connected with an extra warp yarn that is woven over rods or wires.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Reath |first=Nancy Andrews |title=Weaves in Hand-Loom Fabrics |journal=Bulletin of the Pennsylvania Museum |date=April 1927 |volume=22 |issue=112 |pages=358–366 |doi=10.2307/3794632 |jstor=3794632 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3794632 |access-date=23 January 2024|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The two pieces are then cut apart to create the fabric's pile, and the two lengths of fabric are wound on separate take-up rolls. This complicated process meant that velvet was expensive to make before industrial power looms became available, and well-made velvet remains a fairly costly fabric. Velvet is difficult to clean because of its pile, but modern [[dry cleaning]] methods make cleaning more feasible. Velvet pile is created by cutting the [[warp (weaving)|warp]] yarns, while [[velveteen]] pile is created by cutting the [[weft]] yarns.

Velvet can be made from several different kinds of fibers, the most expensive of which is [[silk]]. Much of the velvet sold today as "silk velvet" is a blend of silk and another fiber, often [[rayon]] or [[cotton]].<ref name="Stauffer2004">{{cite book|author=Jeanne Stauffer|title=Sewing Smart with Fabric|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8_-NkR8TEyEC&pg=PA73|date=1 January 2004|publisher=DRG Wholesale|isbn=978-1-59217-018-0|page=73}}</ref> Velvet made entirely from silk is rare and usually has market prices of several hundred US dollars per yard. [[Cotton]] is also used to make velvet, though this often results in a less luxurious fabric. Velvet can also be made from fibers such as [[linen]], [[mohair]], and [[wool]]. A cloth made by the [[Kuba Kingdom|Kuba]] people of the [[Democratic Republic of Congo]] from the [[raffia palm]] is often referred to as [[Velours du Kasai|"Kuba velvet"]]. Modern velvet can be [[polyester]], [[nylon]], [[viscose]], [[acetate]], or blends of synthetics and natural fibers (for example, viscose mixed with silk produces a very soft, reflective fabric). A small percentage of [[spandex]] is sometimes added to give the final material a certain amount of stretch (hence "stretch velvet").<ref>{{cite web |title=What Is Velvet? A Guide to the Different Types of Velvet |url=https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-velvet |website=MasterClass |access-date=23 January 2024}}</ref>

Velvet has a thick pile and can be cut 'pile up' or 'pile down' for more shine or more saturated color.<ref>{{cite web |title=Velvet vs Velour vs Velveteen: how to Choose, Sew and Care |url=https://www.dalstonmillfabrics.co.uk/fabric-blog/velvet-vs-velour-vs-velveteen-how-to-choose-sew-and-care |website=Dalston Mill Fabrics |access-date=23 January 2024}}</ref>

== History ==
[[file:Medici velvet.jpg|thumb|Velvet with [[Medici]] arms, Florence or Venice, 1440–1500]]
Because of its unusual softness and appearance as well as its high cost of production, velvet has often been associated with nobility. Velvet was introduced to [[Baghdad]] during the rule of [[Harun al-Rashid]] (786–809) by [[Kashmiri people|Kashmiri]] merchants and to [[Al-Andalus]] by [[Ziryab]]. In the [[Mamluk]] era, [[Cairo]] was the world's largest producer of velvet. Much of it was exported to [[Venice]] (whence it spread to most of Europe), Iberia and the [[Mali Empire]]. [[Mansa Musa]], the ruler of the Mali Empire, visited Cairo on his [[pilgrimage to Mecca]]. Many Arab velvet makers accompanied him back to [[Timbuktu]]. Later [[Ibn Battuta]] mentions how [[Suleyman (mansa)|Suleyman]], the ruler of Mali, wore a locally produced complete crimson velvet [[kaftan]] on [[Eid ul-Fitr|Eid]]. During the reign of [[Mehmed II]], assistant cooks wore blue dresses ({{lang|ota-Latn|câme-i kebûd}}), conical hats ({{lang|ota|کلاه}}, {{lang|ota-Latn|külâh}}) and baggy trousers ({{lang|ota|چاقشیر}}, {{lang|ota-Latn|çakşır}}) made from [[Bursa]] velvet.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}}

King [[Richard II of England]] directed in his will that his body should be clothed {{lang|la|in velveto}} in 1399.<ref>{{Cite book |author=L W Cowrie |title=Dictionary of British Social History |year=1996 |publisher=Wordsworth Reference |page=304 |isbn=1-85326-378-8 }}</ref>

[[file:Chasuble abondance.JPG|thumb|A [[cope]] in pile-on-pile velvet]]

The [[Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition|''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition]] described velvet and its history thus:
{{blockquote|VELVET, a silken textile fabric having a short dense piled surface. In all probability the art of velvet-weaving originated in the Far East; and it is not till about the beginning of the 14th century that we find any mention of the textile. The peculiar properties of velvet, the splendid yet softened depth of dye-colour it exhibited, at once marked it out as a fit material for ecclesiastical [[vestment]]s, royal and state robes, and sumptuous hangings; and the most magnificent textures of medieval times were Italian velvets. These were in many ways most effectively treated for ornamentation, such as by varying the colour of the pile, by producing pile of different lengths (pile upon pile, or double pile), and by brocading with plain silk, with uncut pile or with a ground of gold tissue, &c. The earliest sources of European artistic velvets were [[Catanzaro]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://velvet-bet.com|title = Top Velvet}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lopificio.it/en/blog/discover-the-velvet-hair-fabric|title=Discover the velvet hair fabric}}</ref> [[Lucca]], [[Genoa]], [[Florence]], and Venice, which continued to send out rich velvet textures. Somewhat later the art was taken up by [[Flemings|Flemish]] weavers, and in the sixteenth century, [[Bruges]] attained a reputation for velvets that were not inferior to those of the great Italian cities.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Velvet|volume=27|pages=979–980}}</ref>}}As mechanization was incorporated into the production of textiles in the 19th century, velvet became a more attainable fabric for the middle class. The development of "double velvet" in the 1830s allowed for two pieces of the textile to be woven at the same time on Jacquard looms which doubled the production capacity and cut the previous cost of the textile in half. <ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hartzell |first=Freyja |date=2009 |title=The Velvet Touch: Fashion, Furniture, and the Fabric of the Interior |url=https://www.bgc.bard.edu/storage/uploads/The_Velvet_Touch_Fashion_Furniture_and_the_Fabric_of_the_Interior.pdf |journal=Fashion Theory |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=51–82|doi=10.2752/175174109X381328 }}</ref>

== Types ==

;[[Chiffon (fabric)|Chiffon]] (''or transparent'') velvet: very lightweight velvet on a sheer [[silk]] or [[rayon]] chiffon base.<ref name=maitra>{{cite book|last=Maitra|first=K.K.|title=Encyclopaedic dictionary of clothing and textiles|year=2007|publisher=Mittal Publications|location=New Delhi|isbn=9788183242059|page=479|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BAcAtLtdjh0C&pg=PA479}}</ref>
;Ciselé: velvet where the pile uses cut and uncut loops to create a pattern.<ref name=maitra/>
;Crushed: lustrous velvet with patterned appearance that is produced by either pressing the fabric down in different directions, or alternatively by mechanically twisting the fabric while wet.<ref name=autogenerated1/>
;[[Devoré]] or burnout: a velvet treated with a caustic solution to dissolve areas of the pile, creating a velvet pattern upon a sheer or lightweight base fabric.<ref name=autogenerated1/>
;Embossed: velvet on which a metal roller has been used to heat-stamp the fabric, producing a pattern.<ref name=autogenerated1/>
;Hammered: an extremely lustrous velvet with a crushed and dappled appearance.<ref name=autogenerated1/>
;Lyons: a densely woven, stiff, heavier-weight pile velvet used for hats, coat collars and garments.<ref name=maitra/><ref name=schaeffer/>
;Mirror: a type of exceptionally soft and light crushed velvet.<ref name=schaeffer>{{cite book|last=Schaeffer|first=Claire|title=Sew Any Fabric: A Quick Reference to Fabrics from A to Z|year=2003|publisher=Krause Publications|isbn=9781440220333|page=129|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WTadZIhgtUoC&pg=PA129}}</ref>
;Nacré: velvet with an effect similar to [[shot silk]] where the pile is woven in one or more colours and the base fabric in another, creating a changeable, iridescent effect.<ref name=maitra/><ref name=schaeffer/>
;Panne: a type of crushed velvet produced by forcing the pile in a single direction by applying heavy pressure.<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite web |url=http://www.fabrics.net/amyvelvet.asp |title=Fabric Properties and Distinctions - Velvet |publisher=fabrics.net |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101217030800/http://fabrics.net/amyvelvet.asp |archive-date=2010-12-17}}</ref> Sometimes, less frequently, called ''paon velvet''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Denny|first=Grace Goldena|title=Fabrics|year=1947|publisher=J. B. Lippincott Company|page=77|quote=Panne or paon velvet. Finish on lightweight velvet. Pile laid flat in one direction.}}</ref> However, since the 1970s, "panne velvet" as used in ordinary fabric stores has referred to a pile knit, perhaps better called a velour, with a short pile that falls in many directions; usually of polyester.
;Pile-on-pile, also called double velvet: a particularly luxurious type of velvet woven with piles of differing heights to create a pattern. It is one of the oldest known velvet weaving techniques.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rosaliegilbert.com/fabricsandsewing.html|title=Rosalie's Medieval Woman|author=Rosalie Gilbert}}</ref><ref name=elena>{{cite book|last=Phipps|first=Elena|title=Looking at textiles: a guide to technical terms|year=2012|publisher=J. Paul Getty Museum|location=Los Angeles, Calif.|isbn=9781606060803|page=81|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DDTeVwnfGfoC&pg=PA81}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Crowfoot|first=Elisabeth|title=Textiles and clothing, c.1150-c.1450|year=2006|publisher=Boydell|location=Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK|isbn=9781843832393|page=127|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CY-8T59wHHUC&pg=PA127|edition=New|author2=Pritchard, Frances |author3=Unwin, Kay Staniland |author4=photography by Edwin Baker |author5=illustrations by Christina}}</ref>
;Plain: velvet commonly made of cotton with a firm hand.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web |url=http://www.sewingtechnology.net/page39.htm |title=Free patterns - Velvet |publisher=sewingtechnology.net |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110223182352/http://www.sewingtechnology.net/page39.htm |archive-date=2011-02-23}}</ref>
;Ponson: A very heavy and quite expensive velvet made either entirely with silk or having a pile exclusively of silk, used at one point for women's dresses and cloaks
;Utrecht: a pressed and crimped velvet associated with [[Utrecht]], the Netherlands.<ref name=maitra/>
;Voided: velvet deliberately woven with areas of pile-free ground ''(''usually'' ''satin'') forming a pattern.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Landl|first1=Sheila|title=Textile Conservator's Manual|date=2012|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781135145200|page=199|edition=2, revised|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m1iIa--n8-EC&pg=PA199}}</ref>
;Wedding ring or ring velvet: another term for devoré and/or chiffon velvets which are allegedly fine enough to be drawn through a wedding ring.<ref>{{cite book|last=Strong Hillhouse|first=Marian|title=Dress selection and design|year=1963|publisher=Macmillan|page=[https://archive.org/details/dressselectionde0000hill/page/156 156]|url=https://archive.org/details/dressselectionde0000hill|url-access=registration|quote=Chiffon velvet is also called "wedding ring velvet," because it is supposedly so light _and soft it can be pulled through a wedding ring.}}</ref>

== Fibers ==
{{One source section|date=August 2021}}

;Cotton: Cotton velvet is highly durable, but lacks much of the luxuriousness of other varieties of velvet, and its colors tend not to be as deep or rich
;Silk: Silk velvet is one of the more expensive kinds of velvet, and is usually shinier and softer than the cotton variety<ref name=autogenerated1/>
;[[Microfiber]]: Microfiber velvet is a synthetic [[polyester]] variety of the fabric that resists stains easily and is lightweight
;Nylon/rayon blend: Nylon/rayon blend velvet has much of the feel and drape of silk-based velvet, but is usually much less expensive; also, it is easier to care for than silk velvet
;Polyester/[[spandex]]: Polyester/spandex velvet (often called "stretch velvet") can be made of polyester with a small percentage of spandex to allow it to stretch in one or two directions
;[[Viscose]]: In terms of quality, viscose velvet is more similar to silk velvet than cotton velvet as it is softer and richer than the cotton<ref name=autogenerated1/>

== Gallery ==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200px" >
File:Man's Coat and Waistcoat LACMA M.57.35a-b (2 of 3).jpg|Ciselé
File:Devoré velvet (also known as burnout technique).jpg|Devoré
File:Morris and Co Acorn embossed velvet 1912.jpg|Embossed
File:Textile LACMA M.55.12.27.jpg|Pile-on-pile
File:Textile LACMA M.55.12.48.jpg|Voided
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{div col|colwidth=23em}}
* [[Corduroy]]
* [[Flocking (texture)]]
* [[Terrycloth]]
* [[Velour]]
* [[Velvet painting]]
* [[Velveteen]]
* [[Velvet (given name)]]
{{div col end}}

== References ==

{{reflist}}

== External links ==

* {{commons category-inline}}

{{Textile}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Pile fabrics]]