How to Unwrinkle Velvet

By: Grace Riley

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Velvet is a lustrous, light-reflecting material, which makes creases in the material impossible to ignore. Even the slightest wrinkle can cause the rumpled fabric to have color disparities, quickly betraying the garment’s less-than-immaculate surface. However, you cannot simply iron wrinkled velvet as you would iron most garments, because pressing velvet would crush the high-projecting, dense surface -- called the “pile” -- that gives the material its unique texture. Fortunately, your iron can still help you smooth over this problem, thanks to a commonly overlooked function that will thwart wrinkles and leave the velvet looking luxe and polished.

Preparation

Step 1

Check the fabric care label to ensure that steaming and non-bleach chemical treatment are safe for your garment.

Step 2

Fill the water reservoir on your iron and preheat it on the steam setting. You may use a hand steamer if you have one.

Step 3

Turn the garment inside-out. Steaming the front or "nap" of the velvet directly, if necessary, is usually safe. Steaming the reverse side is more cautious but equally effective in most cases.

Steaming Velvet on a Needle Board

Step 1

Set up an ironing board and place a velvet needle board on it. Lay the garment texture-side-down on the board's pins. A needle board is narrow and long so you will not be able to lay the garment on it all at once.

Step 2

Mist the velvet lightly with a wrinkle release spray. Hold the iron 1 inch away from the material.

Step 3

Glide the steamer slowly over the velvet from one side of the needle board to the other.

Step 4

Reposition the garment on the needle board. Repeat the process until you have steamed the entire garment.

Step 5

Turn the garment right-side-out and repeat the process on the front if there are any remaining wrinkles. Do not use the needle board if you steam the front of the fabric.

Steaming Velvet on a Hanger

Step 1

Hang the garment on a hanger.

Step 2

Mist the velvet lightly with a wrinkle release spray. Pull the bottom of the fabric taut with your hand. Hold the iron 1 inch away from the material.

Step 3

Steam the garment from the bottom to the top. Because steam rises, working from the bottom will let water vapor to penetrate the dense velvet for more effective steaming.