Satin

a strong silken fabric of high luster and smooth surface. The beauty of satin depends partly on the quality of the material used in its manufacture, but the distinguishing feature is what is called the "satin weave." In plain weaving, each weft thread passes under one warp thread, over the next, and so on under one and over one. In satin weaving, a weft thread passes over a warp, under eight (or more), over one, under eight, and so on. Moreover, the weft does not pass over the single warp at regular intervals, but irregularly. This brings the warp threads, which are of fine silk, to the surface, and almost entirely conceals the weft. Satin is woven with its face down, as this makes necessary the lifting of fewer warp threads. The cheaper satins have cotton wefts; the better grades are entirely of silk. Satin is finished by passing the face of the fabric over heated metal cylinders, which removes the minute fibrous ends that are noticeable when the cloth leaves the loom. As in twill weaving, the number of warps skipped by the weft is used to designate the quality of the satin. When eight warps are skipped to one tied down, the product is called "eight-leaf" satin or eight-leaf twill. Rich satins are sometimes sixteen-leaf or twenty-leaf twill. See Twill; Weaving