Last week, one of our customers was wondering why we don’t carry velvet curtains. We carry almost 900 fabrics for our custom department and velvet is not one of them. Our aim is to offer fabrics that are easy to maintain. Unfortunately, velvet is not one of them.
While velvet is a rich and luxurious fabric, it requires much maintenance. For starters, you will need to dust it off on a weekly basis. It attracts dust like a flame attracts a moth. If soiled, more than likely, the damage can’t be undone. Velvet can only be ironed from the back. Many people don’t know this and iron the velvet from the front, only to find that the fabric melts in front of their eyes when they apply an iron to its surface. If you purchase high quality velvet drapes, think twice before throwing them into the washing machine, even if you choose the cold setting and hang them to dry on the line. Velvet can lose its sheen, its texture can wear off and it may shrink. Velvet can also fade easily, so be aware of that if you buy your curtains in vivid colors like red or yellow.
Now, keep in mind that there are ways around those disadvantages. To keep your velvet drapes beautiful, follow these tips:
And for one final piece of advice: when shopping for velvet curtains, make sure that you’re getting the real thing. Velvet curtains are very heavy. If you buy a lined pair of long velvet curtains, someone should give you a hand when you take them out from the store to your car. That’s how heavy they are. The reason is that real velvet has a heavy backing. If the velvet does not have this backing or it is a crushed polyester velveteen marketed as real velvet, think twice about the value that you’re getting.
