A shop owner has given me a box of beautiful jewelry displays,
risers, etc. that I may use in his shop. However, they are covered
in red velvet, which would not work out for either of us. The owner
told me I could recover everything w/ black velvet, but that seems
like way too much work. Plus, some pieces would never look as
beautiful as they do now if I recovered them. Any ideas/suggestions?
I’m wondering if I could dye them black? I guess some of the cube
risers could be draped w/ black fabric, but again, any suggestions
would be greatly appreciated!
I can’t recall the subject line of the recent thread, in which there
was a question of changing the color of velvet displays. As it
happens, I unexpectedly find myself wanting to do something similar.
The velvet in question is a synthetic, not silk or cotton, as it is
an upholstery fabric.
I am interested in stenciling it, and would prefer not to use
ordinary spray paint as I assume this would be stiff and scratchy.
Does anyone know of a type of dye or paint that would “take” on
synthetic velvet but not be stiff or scratchy?
I would go to a place like Michael’s if you have one in your area.
They’re all about arts and crafts and fabrics and paints and dyes
and such, and have a knowledgeable staff.
Talk to Dharma Trading Company in San Rafael, CA
(dharmatrading.com). They are experts at fabric coloring, etc. If
there’s a way to stencil on synthetic velvet with no resulting
stiffness or scratchiness, they’ll know what it is.
I would suggest contacting Jacquard Products to ask about
airbrushing the paints onto velvet. Otherwise, you can paint it onto
fabric that doesn’t have a nap.
You might also want to check into floral spray paints for silk
flowers, etc. It might work better than regular spray paint. Have
fun!
If you use diluted bleach it will change the color. Test an area.
Also test different strengths of bleach, as they may give you a range
of colors. There will be no stiffness, as you really aren’t "adding “
anything. The colors you get will depend on which dyes were used to
create the fabric. When you use bleach on some black fabrics, you get
a really rich gold color. Apply it with a cotton swab or paint brush.
Dishwasher liquid works in much the same way, and you might like the
thicker consistency. You can also use steam to crush part of the
velvet, giving it a very subtle color difference. Cut a design from
1/8” closed cell foam. Place it on an ironing board with a towel
underneath it. Lay the velvet right side down over the foam and steam
press for at least 30 seconds. I haven’t done this in a while, so I
am not sure I am correctly remembering the length of time you must
steam it. These are some low cost options if you don’t need several
colors.
There’s another group you may wish to contact - bear in mind I’ve
never used any of their products so can’t guarantee that they will
be your solution, but I would think in this case that any and all
would be of value. Contact Deval Products, LLC
(devalproducts.com). They make “Simply Spray” Fabric Paint and
according to their website they have spray paint that does not cause
fabric to harden. But check with them if it would be suitable for
your uses.