CHICAGO — Satin is not a fiber! Yikes!@#&!
Did you realize?! (Bet you didn’t!)
Consult any dictionary and you will find something like: “A smooth, glossy fabric, usually of silk, produced by a weave in which the threads of the warp are caught and looped by the weft only at certain intervals. Think of flowing skirts made of satin.”
Wikipedia enriches us further with their smooth talk: “The satin weave is characterized by four or more fill or weft yarns floating over a warp yarn, four warp yarns floating over a single weft yarn. Floats are missed interfacings; for example where the warp yarn lies on top of the weft in a warp-faced satin. These floats explain the high luster and even sheen, as unlike in other weaves.”
Trying to describe satin, Norman Oehlke pens in American Drycleaner’s Complete Spotting Guide: “This is a smooth, lustrous weave.” Calling it a, “Floating yarn that adds luster and sheen to fabric.”
Wefts?
Yarns that float?
Warp?
….What is this a Star Trek convention?
It all feels a little confusing. Here’s all we really know for sure about satin:
The Moody Blues sang, Nights in White Satin, never reaching the end, letters I’ve written, never meaning to send—
So from these lyrics we learn all we need to know about this silky weave.
Apparently people long ago, when wearing satin, didn’t care to mail their letters. Sounds like they had issues with their local postal service. It becomes quite clear we can probably blame any faulty mail service on satin!
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].