Easy way to steam a large piece of velvet

Question

I just got a large piece of velvet (cotton viscose mix) that has some visible damage. I assume that it was rolled up and the roll either layed horizontally or if it was standing up, other heavy rolls have been leaning against it. As a result the pile of the velvet was slightly bent (not completely crushed) in regular intervals. The damaged areas reflect light slightly different than the undamaged areas.

I know from experince that hot steaming the velvet from the backside can raise the pile back up and make the damage less visible. However, I've only done that with narrow strips that I could draw over the hot surface of my iron, which I held upside-down.

Since I don't own a special ironing board for velvet, I have no idea how I could apply steam and heat to the backside of velvet that is roughly 1.3 x 6 meters (1.5 x 6.5 yards) in one piece. I've though about first cutting it according to my pattern, but that still leaves big pieces for a long, full skirt.

Does anyone have an idea how to do this? Or a hack how I could improvise a velvet needle board? (I saw this video which uses velcro, but I have my doubts that it actually works).

Answer 1

TL;DR: There is no "easy" way to steam velvet, but the result may be worth it for large quantities of it.

My solution was this:

1. Put the roll of fabric on a dining table that is longer than the roll.
2. Let the velvet hang over the edge of the table with the pile facing the table legs and the back facing outwards.
3. Spritz water onto the backside of the velvet (the steam function of the iron didn't work because the of awkward position, see Cons below).
4. Apply the iron to the vertically hanging fabric to evaporate the water and let the steam penetrate the velvet.

The whole thing looked like this, including my facial expression:

Pros:

• The damage to the pile of the velvet was made much less visible.
• No need to buy expensive equipment (given that the table was big enough).
• Several meters / yards of damaged velvet were processed in one hour.

Cons:

• It was physically very strenuous to hold the iron vertically like that for a long time. My shoulders are very sore.
• Because the iron was vertically most of the time, the steam function didn't work and I had to spritz the fabric with water. The iron's steam function relies on it being applied to a horizontal surface so the water can run from the reservoir to the hot bottom.
• Accidentally pressing the fabric against any edge like a table leg creates more damage to the pile.
• After the whole ironing, the velvet is still damp and needs to dry before being rolled back up.
• It's very hard to steam the first and last meter/yard of fabric because I couldn't pull it taught evenly. That makes this method only viable for large quantities of velvet.

Answer 2

The simplest manner to steam a massive piece of velvet is to grasp it up and use a handheld garment steamer. Hold the steamer a few inches away, letting the steam lightly elevate the material. Alternatively, you could steam it within the lavatory with hot strolling water. Avoid direct touch.

Answer 3

I'm not certain about velvet, but with other heavy fabrics, you can hang them across a shower rail and use the shower to turn your bathroom into a steam room to remove creases of steam fibers. Just aim the shower at the wall and turn it up with the ventilation turned up.

It's slower but has a similar effect to a professional steamer.