Plate No. 020 · weave

Sateen

Sateen is the satin structure turned weft-side out: the long floats run crosswise in the weft rather than lengthwise in the warp, and the cloth is typically cotton rather than silk. The floats give cotton a soft hand and a gentle luster it cannot get from a plain weave, which is why sateen dominates bedsheets. The trade-off is the same as satin's: exposed floats snag and abrade more easily than a bound surface.