Nap direction

[GirlChris]

I'm currently working on a Tudor gown, complete with big flared sleeves. The gown is navy blue velveteen

I'm doing the turn backs in the same fabric as the dress itself. I found portraits of Princess Elizabeth and Princess Mary where the turn backs are the same- if it's good enough for the princesses it's good enough for me, and that also means I don't have to deal with sewing or carrying around fur.

My question for you lovely people is this- which way should the nap go? On most of the dress it points down, but because the sleeve gets turned it points the opposite way of how it was originally sewn. I think I'm just getting myself confused, but I wouldn't mind a second (or third, or fourth) opinion on this.

[LadyStitch]

My questions is "Are the turn back seperate pattern pieces or part of the sleeves themselves?"  If they are part of the sleeve piece it's selve I'd cut the sleeve with the nap going down. If it is a seperate piece cut the velvet so that the nap will lay down after the turn backs are sewn on and laying correctly. 
That's my 2 pense.

[Kate XXXXXX]

The pile on velvet and velveteen USUALLY points UP so that it looks a deeper and richer colour.  Longer pile fabrics like panne velvet usually point down as this wears better (it's also why the pile on velvet chairs goes DOWN the back, and from back to front of the seats).  Whichever way you cut your velvet, cut the turnbacks so the match when turned back, or they will look a different colour.

[gem]

I was never able to determine the direction of the nap on my peacock blue velveteen dress. I had to mark the selvedges with arrows before I cut anything.

That said, I agree with Lady Stitch. And I'll go one farther to say that if they're *not* cut as separate pieces, I would probably cut them that way (adding seam allowances, of course) so the nap once they're folded up in place will go in the same direction as the rest of the gown.

And I know Kate's right about the nap being softer-up, but I like to pet my velvet, so I try to make it go soft-down (just a personal preference). 

[GirlChris]

The turn backs are indeed seperate pieces. I'm using the Tudor Tailor method- the outer sleeve is one piece and in "top" fabric, and the lining is lining fabric for the upper arm and contrast fabric for the lower part, which becomes the turn back.

This is going together ridiculously fast. I've now cut the turn backs (so that the nap goes the same direction as the rest of the dress when it's turned. Thank you!) and attached them to the upper arm lining. I've even got the one sleeve attached. I gave it a quick try on and had to adjust the bodice- with all the weight from the sleeve the shoulder straps were coming down. But the forum came to the rescue again! I did a quick search for "shoulder straps" and found someone who had the same problem. All I had to do was take in the back seam so that the straps hugged the shoulders a bit better. Now it supports the full weight of the sleeve, even though it just barely sits on my shoulder.

It's going to look so pretty!

And I know Kate's right about the nap being softer-up, but I like to pet my velvet, so I try to make it go soft-down (just a personal preference). 

That was exactly my reasoning. I know the official way to do it is nap going up, but it's so much nicer feeling when it goes down! *pets it*

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

I am going to be doing  a Tudor gown ensemble out of a Dark Green Jacquard, rather than a nappy fabric. For the sleeves, I plan to use a gold netting on black veiling for the contrast underlining as shown in this portrait of Jane Seymour. That could also be used with Velveteen.



When using Velveteen and Corduroy, I have the nap going downward. It feels so soft that way.

[Molden]

I usually like a slightly warm spring or autumn afternoon, in a hammock outdoors...

oh...wait...not THAT kind of nap!

Nevermynd....

[operafantomet]

I usually like a slightly warm spring or autumn afternoon, in a hammock outdoors...

oh...wait...not THAT kind of nap!

Nevermynd....

Horizontal naps, then?