Any fabric constructed by the satin weave method, one of the three basic textile weaves. The fabric is characterized by a smooth surface and usually a lustrous face and dull back; it is made in a wide variety of weights for various uses, including dresses, particularly evening wear; linings; bedspreads; and upholstery.Though originally a silk fabric, it is now made of yarns of other fibres. An all-cotton fabric woven in the satin structure is known as sateen.

Although satin-weave drafts superficially resemble those of twills, satin weave does not have the regular step in each successive weft that is characteristic of twills. Thus, there is no strong diagonal line, and the fabric is smooth faced, with an unbroken surface made up of long floating warp yarns. A true satin must have at least five warp and weft yarns in each complete weave repeat and thus requires at least five harnesses. Most satin fabrics are made of smooth, lightly twisted yarns that heighten the effect of light unbroken by visible crosswise bindings. The limited number of interlacings allows the weaver to use a proportionately large number of warp yarns and thus produce a heavy textured cloth that can be arranged in smooth, shadowed folds. Satins, having long floats, are susceptible to the wear caused by rubbing and snagging and are, therefore, generally regarded as luxury fabrics.Among the variations of satin weave are damask and sateen, a weft-faced satin. Damask is the most important variation of basic satin weave. Classic damask is a patterned, solid-coloured fabric with figures in warp-faced satin and background in weft-faced satin weave. The pattern is created by the difference in light reflection between the warp-faced and weft-faced areas. Silk damasks probably originated in China and came to Europe through Italy, the centre of European silk manufacture between the 13th and 17th centuries. During this period drawloom weavers from the Netherlands and Belgium also developed the art of linen damask weaving. Pictorial linen damasks, unlike most silk damasks of the time, often consisted of a single large repeat, picturing biblical scenes, contemporary events, or the arms of nobles and kings.

satin weave (sàt¹n wêv) noun A basic weave construction with the interlacing of the threads so arranged that the face of the cloth is covered with warp yarn or filling yarn and no twill line is distinguishable.

A method of making nonwoven fabrics in which a fibre web or batt is treated by immersion in an adhesive in liquid form.

A acquard harness that has a knot in each double harness cord below the comber board and above the mail so as to form a loop long enough to allow aproperdepth of shed. A i-od is passed through the loops of each long row of harness cords so that each is capable of lifting all the ends in this row independently of the figuring cords. The jacquard lifts the required ends to form the figure and the rods lift to form the ground weave. The harness is used in weaving jacquards with a finely sett warp and more open weft.See divided harness.

(skärf) noun A long piece of cloth worn about the head, neck, or shoulders. A decorative cloth for covering the top of a piece of furniture; a runner.

A seam, in sewing, is the line where two pieces of fabric are held together by thread.

Flax for seed is produced and harvested in about the same manner as wheat and other small grains. Yields and quality are best in relatively cool climates. Flax seed yields from 30 to 40 percent linseed oil by weight. The oil is used in the manufacture of paints, varnishes, linoleum, oilcloth, printing inks, soaps, and other products. In recent years the fiber from seed flax has been used in the manufacture of high-grade and special-purpose papers.

(sîr¹sùk´er) noun A light, thin fabric, generally cotton or rayon, with a crinkled surface and a usually striped pattern.

Sericulture, or the raising of silkworms, begins with the incubation of the eggs of the silkworm moth. After they hatch and become worms, they are fed chopped mulberry leaves. For six weeks, the worms eat almost continuously. The worms then climb branches placed in their rearing houses and make their cocoons in one continuous thread, taking about eight days.

The complete cocoons are boiled or treated in ovens in order to kill the insects. The cocoons are heated in boiling water to dissolve the gummy substance that holds the cocoon filament in place. The filaments from four to eight cocoons are joined and twisted and are then combined with a number of other similarly twisted filaments to make a thread that is wound on a reel. When each cocoon is unwound, it is replaced with another cocoon. The resulting continuous thread, called raw silk, consists usually of 48 individual silk fibers. One or more threads of the raw silk are then twisted into a strand sufficiently strong for weaving or knitting

Production of silk involves (1) the care of the domesticated silkworm (Bombyx mori) from the egg stage through completion of the cocoon and (2) the production of mulberry trees that provide leaves upon which the worms feed. The silkworm caterpillar builds its cocoon by producing and surrounding itself with a long, continuous fibre, or filament. Liquid secretions from two large glands within the insect emerge from the spinneret, a single exit tube in the head, hardening upon exposure to air and forming twin filaments composed of fibroin, a protein material. A second pair of glands secretes sericin, a gummy substance cementing the two filaments together. Because an emerging moth would break the cocoon filament, the larva is killed in the cocoon by steam or hot air at the chrysalis stage.Silk is a continuous filament within each cocoon, having a usable length of about 600 to 900 m (2,000 to 3,000 feet). It is freed by softening the binding sericin and then locating the filament end and unwinding, or reeling, the filaments from several cocoons at the same time, sometimes with a slight twist, forming a single strand. Several silk strands, each too thin for most uses, are twisted together to make thicker, stronger yarn in the process called throwing, producing various yarns differing according to the amount and direction of the twist imparted.Silk containing sericin is called raw silk. The gummy substance, affording protection during processing, is usually retained until the yarn or fabric stage and is removed by boiling the silk in soap and water, leaving it soft and lustrous, with weight reduced by as much as 30 percent. Spun silk is made from short lengths obtained from damaged cocoons or broken off during processing, twisted together to make yarn. The thickness of silk filament yarn is expressed in terms of denier, the number of grams of weight per 9,000 m (9,846 yards) of length. Silk is sometimes--in a process called weighting--treated with a finishing substance, such as metallic salts, to increase weight, add density, and improve draping quality.The degumming process leaves silk lustrous and semitransparent, with a smooth surface that does not readily retain soil. Silk has good strength, resisting breakage when subjected to weights of about 4 g (0.5 ounce) per denier. Wetting reduces strength by about 15-25 percent. A silk filament can be stretched about 20 percent beyond its original length before breaking but does not immediately resume its original length when stretched more than about 2 percent. Silk, lower in density than such fibres as cotton, wool, and rayon, is moisture-absorbent, retaining as much as a third of its weight in moisture without feeling damp, and has excellent dyeing properties. It is more heat-resistant than wool, decomposing at about 170º C (340º F). Silk loses strength over a long period of time without appropriate storage conditions and tends to decompose with extensive exposure to sunlight but is rarely attacked by mildew. It is not harmed by mild alkaline solutions and common dry-cleaning solvents. Friction imparts a static charge, especially in low humidity. The rustling sound, or scroop, associated with crisp silk fabrics is not a natural property of the fibre but is developed by processing treatments, and it does not indicate quality, as is sometimes believed.

Yam which has been subjected to a heating and cooling or other setting treatment, usually in order to reduce its tendency to shrink, contract, twist, snarl, or stretch.Stabilization or setting may be carried out either as a batch process, e.g., by steaming packages of yam in an autoclave, or continuously, by heating and cooling a running yam. In the case of staple yams and untextured continuous- filament yarns, stabilization or setting is usually carried out to reduce shrinkage in subsequent processing or use, and/or to reduce twist liveliness In the case of certain types of textured yarn a second setting or stabilization (postsetting) is employed to reduce the stretch or retractive properties of the yarn, while retaining most of its bulkiness

Damage occurring to the material during the stitching/seaniing process. There are many causes, attributable to the sewing conditions, the characteristics of the sewing needle, and the material hem. sewn.

(shèt¹lend) noun A fine yarn made from the wool of sheep raised in the Shetland Islands and used for knitting and weaving.A garment, especially a sweater, made of this yarn.

(Shûrt) noun A garment for the upper part of the body, typically having a collar, sleeves, and a front opening.