How do I sew velvet without marking it?

Velvet has two problems: the pile crushes permanently under heat and pressure, and the layers creep as you sew.

Never press directly. A hot iron on velvet flattens the pile and the mark does not recover. Press face down on a needle board, or on a scrap of the same velvet laid pile-up, so the pile of one meshes with the pile of the other. Steam from above, without letting the iron touch.

Sew with the nap. Run your hand over the fabric: one direction feels smooth, the other rough. Sew in the smooth direction, and cut every piece with the nap running the same way — velvet reads as two different colours depending on nap direction, and mixing it is the classic ruined garment.

Pin only in the seam allowance. Pinholes show in the pile.

Stop the creep. A walking foot is the real answer. Failing that, hand-baste rather than pin, and sew slowly. Velvet layers slide against each other more than almost any other fabric.

Use a fine sharp needle — 70/10 or 80/12 microtex — and a slightly longer stitch, around 2.5 to 3 mm.

And cut single layer. Folding velvet to cut two pieces at once shifts the layers and the pieces come out different sizes.