Satin

Satin is a cloth that typically has a glossy surface and a dull back. It is a warp-dominated weaving technique that forms a minimum number of interlacings in a fabric. If a fabric is formed with a satin weave using filament fibers such as silk, nylon, or polyester, the corresponding fabric is termed a "satin". If the yarns used are short-staple yarns such as cotton, the fabric formed is considered a sateen.

A satin-woven fabric tends to have a high luster due to the high number of "floats" on the fabric. Floats are "missed" interlacings, where the warp yarn lies on top of the weft yarn, or vice versa. The floats tend to make the fabric look glossier as well as give it a smoother "hand" in most cases.

Many variations can be made of the basic satin weave including a Granite weave and a Check weave. Satin weaves, twill weaves, and plain weaves are the three basic types of weaving by which the majority of woven products are formed.

Satin is commonly used in apparel: satin baseball jackets, athletic shorts, women's lingerie, nightgowns, and evening gowns, but also in some men's boxer shorts, shirts and neckties, interior furnishing fabrics, upholstery, and bed sheets. It is also used in the production of pointe shoes for use in ballet.

Origins

Satin began in the Middle Ages as a term for the more lustrous types of the heavy and luxurious silk fabric samite. ["Clothing Of The Thirteenth Century", 1928 [http://www.oldandsold.com/articles09/clothes-22.shtml on-line text] ).]

ee also

*Sateen

References