Velvet vs Velveteen

Humans wear clothes for protection and modesty, and through the years they have developed garments of different types and styles. They use different materials for their garments which are made according to the occasion that they are to be worn.

Everyday clothes are usually made of cotton, linen, and wool while clothes for special occasions are usually made of silk. These are woven to produce cloth or fabric which can be made into clothes. One of the most desired fabrics is velvet especially for use in clothing for special occasions.

In early times velvet was only worn by nobility. It was made in Kashmir and later brought to Baghdad, Cairo, Timbuktu, and made its way to the western world through Genoa, Florence, and Venice.

Velvet is a woven fabric which is very popular for use in clothes and other items. It is woven on a special loom creating a pile that provides it with a distinct feel. Its pile is made by vertical yarns woven into two thicknesses at the same time.

Velvet is made from a variety of materials. The most expensive and perhaps the most sought after is velvet made from silk which is very soft and shiny. Other fibers like wool, linen, and mohair are also used to make velvet.

Today, synthetic materials are also used to make velvet, and they are sometimes combined with natural fibers to produce several other types of the fabric. Aside from the different fibers used, there are also several methods used to produce velvet that has distinct patterns.

There is hammered velvet, embossed velvet which is heat stamped by a metal roller, crushed velvet which is twisted while wet such as panne velvet, and devore velvet wherein part of the fabric is dissolved in a caustic solution to produce a pattern.

Still another type is one made of cotton, but it is not called velvet. Rather, it is called velveteen. It is somewhat an imitation of the velvet fabric but is not as soft or as shiny as the one made from silk. Its pile is shorter, and it is set closely and made by fill yarns. It is fuller and is not as easy to drape as velvet because it is heavier. It is cheaper than velvet, though, but has a color that is not as deep as velvet.

Both are used to make dresses, gowns, and costumes for special occasions, but velvet is more durable and longer lasting than velveteen. For those who do not have enough of a budget for velvet, using velveteen will do.

Summary:

1.Velvet is a woven fabric which is made of silk while velveteen is also a woven fabric which is made of cotton.
2.Velvet is shinier and softer while velveteen is less shiny and less soft to the touch.
3.Velveteen is fuller and heavier while velvet is lighter and drapes easily.
4.Velvet is more expensive than velveteen which is an imitation of the fabric and used by those who do not have enough money to buy velvet.
5.The color of velvet is deeper than the color of velveteen.

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