Fabric satin: what is, types and composition

Atlas is one of the most popular silk fabrics today. However, as often happens in the textile industry, different types of matter can be implied by the same word, so it’s worthwhile to more carefully understand what kind of fabric it is and how to handle it correctly.

As befits a silk fabric, the atlas was invented in China two thousand years ago. At the same time, he came to Europe through the Arabs, who gave him the name (the “atlas” from Arabic is “smooth”). Satin material is distinguished by high strength and durability, while at the same time it feels strikingly delicate and looks noble, so it is not surprising that, even with its great value, it quickly became popular far beyond its homeland.

The high cost of the material was largely due to the small volumes of the world production of natural silk, because for centuries this fabric was used only for the needs of the richest segments of the population. The twentieth century was a turning point, because in all industries a synthetic revolution occurred, and the atlas also became synthetic. Probably, this somewhat reduced the delightful properties of the original matter, but now it has become widely available, and the natural atlas even today is very expensive.

The production of satin involves a special technology of interlacing silk threads, it is called satin or satin. As a result of this method of production, the matter is usually only on one side shiny and smooth, while the inner side has a matte shade. In order to level this deficiency, manufacturers have mastered the technique of producing a bilateral atlas, on which more threads are being spent, but shine is observed on both sides.

Initially, the concept of atlas was quite accurate - it was assumed a special interweaving and the use of exclusively natural silk threads. Today, under the same term, only the original weave is already assumed, because it may contain various cheaper additives, but sometimes modern matter, called atlas, does not contain a single silk thread at all.

Most often synthetic fibers — polyester and viscose, nylon and acetate — are introduced into the fabric structure. Among natural yarns, cotton remains almost the only alternative component. The exact composition affects the final properties of the material obtained, and such changes are not always positive, so when choosing, you should carefully read what is written on the tag. The same fact allows us to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of satin material only with certain reservations, because the exact characteristics depend on the components and their proportions.

As mentioned above, each cut of atlas is a kind of surprise, whose properties are not so easy to guess in advance. Considering the advantages and disadvantages, we will highlight those found by most manufacturers, but cheap products may unpleasantly surprise, and on the contrary, an antidote can be found for some problems.

Let's start with the good:

• the atlas is almost always hypoallergenic, it not only does not provoke seizures by itself, but does not even accumulate dust in itself;
• hygroscopic material easily passes through any volume of moisture and has a high drying rate after washing;
• things from the atlas do not need additional use of antistatic - matter does not accumulate electricity, which is why, in particular, dust is not attracted;
• almost all types of satin material are distinguished by rather high strength, and brands such as rap or curtain atlas stand out even among their fellows;
• with proper and timely care, products from atlas can serve their owner for many years without losing the original look;
• Atlas is not transparent - its considerable density allows using it effectively as a curtain to protect against bright natural light;
• The material is well suited for draping, which, combined with its attractive appearance, further contributes to the active use of atlas in the decoration of decors and interiors.

With all its many advantages, the atlas is not an ideal fabric - it also has its drawbacks. In many respects, the desire to level them is due to the active use by manufacturers of various additives, but in most cases such experiments do not give the expected result. Buying an atlas or products from it, be prepared for the following "pitfalls":

• the material does not like high temperature very much; when washing in hot water, articles made of it tend to shrink and lose their shape, which makes it difficult to wash complex dirt and leaves the risk of unintentional damage to things;
• the atlas is very durable, while it is intact, but torn edges have an unusual property called “flowability”, therefore only an experienced master can adequately mend the product;
• many types of fabric, especially with a high content of acetate in the composition, tend to stretch even under their own weight, therefore improper hanging can ruin a purchase at an accelerated rate;
• A dense atlas is often used for tailoring “aristocratic” curtains, but its curtain variety has a considerable weight, so this factor should be taken into account when installing curtain rods.

A variety of additives used in the process of manufacturing satin fabric, led to the fact that they began to allocate several of its varieties that have a special specifics. Many of these names are widely heard today, others are less well known, we will give a description only to those that are used as often as possible today.

• Satin - one of the two completely natural varieties of atlas (the second is the original, pure silk material). Cotton is used as the only supplement, which significantly reduces the cost of matter.
• Crepe - the bilateral version of the atlas combining softness and easy roughness. The last characteristic is achieved due to the peculiarities of production - the cross threads are twisted here.
• Duchess - one of the most dense varieties of atlas, the threads here are very densely interwoven, because of which matter seems tougher than its counterparts.
• Atlas DuPont resembles the above described variety, but differs from it in a much more pronounced brilliance. This option is usually considered the most brilliant of all varieties.
• Taffeta - A popular fabric, whose high density does not greatly affect the weighting of things from it. Taffeta has a special overflow, in which a knowledgeable person can easily distinguish it from anything else.
• So-called Russian atlas It is made from raw silk, but has a somewhat unusual production technology. In this case, the interlacing of the threads is smaller, which increases the density of the fabric.
• For the atlas of the variety antique characterized by a well-marked texture. This effect is achieved by alternately using threads of different thickness.
• Stretch Atlas involves the intensive use of well-stretching Lycra, and therefore things from it are usually obtained tight. Another advantage of matter is that it is not prone to wrinkling.
• Stuffed crash - fabric with bright luster, which is produced by compressing and pressing threads.

The original atlas was monophonic, one-colored. In combination with its aristocratic brilliance, bright colors, such as red, blue, green, or lilac, looked truly irresistible. In the old days, the choice of colors of clothing for the majority of the population was extremely small, because even a monophonic, but bright color was considered royal chic. Today there are much more dyes and they are available everywhere, because the products from satin are made white, black and even matte, which is not typical for this material.

At the same time, modern technologies make it possible to produce things with a pattern, emphasizing the owner’s personality more intensely and contributing to aesthetics. Patterns applied to satin clothing and accessories are performed in one of four main ways.

• Embroidery. One of the old classical methods, when a monochromatic fabric with a needle using multi-colored threads and a needle is applied to a pattern. In ancient times, such processing was done exclusively by hand, today it is usually performed by machines.

• Jacquard weaving. Another relatively old way that remotely resembles embroidery. Here, for drawing the picture, they also use additional threads, only the image is transmitted not only due to the different color, but also due to the three-dimensional volume.

• The seal. This method is similar to the one that is still used in many printing houses - the drawing is made using paint that fills the contours of the future image.

• Stamping. Another way, resembling printing, but different way of applying paint. In this case, a special engraved shaft is used, which allows you to get a believable impression of the image on the weave.

At a time when the atlas was a great value and a great rarity, it was used only by either very rich people, or simply rich, but in exceptional cases. Today, due to a significant reduction in the production of synthetic analogs of atlas from matter with such a name, you can sew almost anything, although the question of expediency remains relevant. When deciding on what to make from satin, it is worth starting from its main positive sides. Here are some good examples:

• Considering the solemn look of the atlas, festive costumes are sewn from his best designs - various expensive dresses, men's suits and so on;
• the tenderness and softness of the material contributes to active wear, because of satin fabric it is appropriate to sew women's underwear and other nightwear;
• The above criteria are relevant for sewing home textiles such as curtains and bed linen, only for these needs, you should use different types of fabric;
• The brightness and uniqueness of the atlas is widely used to emphasize the image and highlight the crowd, because of it perform numerous small accessories, such as umbrellas, ladies' hats, ties, gloves and bows;
• The low cost of some modern varieties of matter, as well as its resistance to wrinkling, are ideally suited for the tailoring of casual clothes, mainly ladies' (remember the brilliance)
• high strength of the fabric and its ability to quickly dry has found application in the manufacture of linings for outerwear.

Some types of atlas have such specific characteristics that such a fabric is even called in accordance with the main sphere of its use.

Sadly, the atlas is a rather whimsical fabric, and the recommendations on the label should be followed with full rigor, since this is the only way to meet the needs of things from a particular type of matter. It is impossible to use hot water in the washing process - it is best to perform the procedure manually after a brief soaking in cold water. It is allowed to wash an atlas in a machine, but only at the minimum temperature and without spinning; in the process of hand washing, it is also impossible to rub or unscrew the material. You can only remove greasy stains or stains from water with mild detergents, but an atlas based on acetate fibers does not accept washing at all - it is cleaned only when dry.

There is only one affordable way to dry matter - a thing laid out in a horizontal position on a dry towel, the use of any dryers or the corresponding functions of a washing machine is unacceptable.

This atlas to deformation is not inclined, however, synthetic analogues can drag on and lose shape. It is usually not possible to remove the already appeared puffs, because it is necessary to properly store things from this matter - heavy products should not constantly hang. For storing satin fabric, experts advise using special covers; high temperatures or high humidity are unacceptable for such things.

Review of fabric "Atlas stretch", see the video below.