:''This article is about velvet, the fabric. For other uses of the word, see
velvet (disambiguation).''
Velvet is a
textile woven on a special
loom. It is a tufted fabric in which the cut threads are very evenly distributed, giving it its distinct feel. Velvet can be made from any
fiber.
Two pieces of velvet must be woven at the same time. They are then cut apart and the two lengths of fabric are wound on separate take-up rolls. Looms which weave velvet must have two takeup rolls.
Velvet's knitted counterpart is
velour. Velvet was very expensive.
Corduroy and velveteen, when first produced, were considered the "poor man's velvet".
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 color it exhibited, at once marked it out as a fit material for ecclesiastical vestments, royal and state robes, and sumptuous hangings; and the most magnificent textiles of medieval times were Italian velvets. These were in many ways most effectively treated for ornamentation such as by varying the color 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, etc. The earliest sources
of European artistic velvets were
Lucca,
Genoa,
Florence and
Venice,
and Genoa continues to send out rich velvet textures. Somewhat later
the art was taken up by
Flemish weavers, and in the 16th century
Bruges attained a reputation for velvets not inferior to that of the
great
Italian cities.
External links
Some images of items made of, or covered with, velvet:
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