crushed velvet....mad to use if your new to sewing?

[taytotayto]

i have a meter of beautiful red crushed velvet and i didnt use if for what i originally bought it for. so i was thinking of making a very simple todder dress. im new(ish) to sewing so am i mad to try and use it? will it be really hard to use and also what will i use to line the dress....is a simple cotton ok?

I'd say yes you are mad, but what's wrong with being mad? Google for some instructions or tutorials on sewing with velvet, and lining dresses. All the answers you need will have been blogged about already.

Is it stretchy?

I made DD a little shift dress with knitted crushed velvet as one of my first sewing projects in 20 years. Its not perfect, but it came out OK and she was happy (possibly because we put really sparkly crystals on the front and the child is a magpie!) Looking back it wasn't the easiest thing to start with, but ignorance is bliss and by not knowing it should be hard somehow it wasn't too bad :)

My mum used to sew a lot and IIRC velvets were on her list of "fabrics that demand due care and attention" - lots of things she'd just pin, but velvets (along with slippery things like satin) would always get tacked together firmly to try and make sure they stayed put rather than sliding around as you sew up the seams.

If its a woven fabric then cotton should be OK to line it with, if its knitted you might want to consider something slightly stretchy so that the lining gives with the dress fabric.

Ultimately, how upset would you be if it didn't turn out well? If you'd shrug and move on then give it a whirl. If you'd be gutted then maybe put it away for a while and make the dress out of something less precious for a first attempt, gain some practice with the pattern and then get the velvet back out and have a go.

Good luck :)

ah thanks girls. i think ill give it a go. it didnt cost much and i easily get more. its stretchy one way only. is that normal? anyway i think ill give it a go over the weeked. ive been watching some youtube demos and apparently pinning and pinning is well worth the effort.
ill let you know how it turns out.

yes thats normal - & bar making sure you cut all your pattern pieces are going in one direction - it will have a pile that will look patchy, shaded, different colour if you don't do this - its as easy as sewing any other jersey - ball point needles, etc