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Cotton fabric guide

Cotton Gown Design with AI

A cotton gown is a specialist order: ask for cotton sateen at 130 to 200 g/m², and expect fewer mills to take it on.

Of the 10 cloths this guide lists for this cut, it sits between polyester satin and silk duchess satin in weight.

Next to polyester satin, it is heavier, more matte and less stretchy.

Gown in cotton sateen, on a model in a studio
Rendered in the studio for this page

Studio films

Cotton Gown at a glance

Cloth to ask your mill for
Cotton sateen
Typical weight
130 to 200 g/m²
Drape
Medium
Stretch
None
Breathability
High
Warmth
Neutral
Care
Machine wash at 30 to 40 °C
How common
Niche, usually a specialist order
Typical cloth price
$5-15/yard

Typical trade ranges, not one mill's figures: confirm them with your mill.

The gown, in numbers

Typical length
145 to 160 cm, from the high point of the shoulder
Defining details
Boned bodice, full-length skirt, train, lining and interlining
Cloth needed
about 4.0 to 7.0 m of 150 cm cloth, roughly $22 to $110 of cloth at typical prices

Typical figures for an adult size M. The pattern tier is set from the real piece count when you order.

How cotton behaves on a gown

Cut into gowns, it holds a clean A-line or shift shape without looking stiff.

Cut long, a medium-weight cloth falls in a clean column and needs a deep hem to hang straight.

It is neither warm nor cool, so it works across most of the year.

Care is simple: a machine wash at 30 to 40 °C.

It creases moderately and can shrink by a few percent unless the cloth was pre-shrunk, so ask the mill whether it was.

About cotton

Cotton is a plant fibre spun into everything from fine poplin to heavy canvas. It breathes, absorbs moisture and softens with each wash, which is why it is the default cloth for everyday clothing.

Long-staple cottons such as Egyptian or Pima give a smoother, stronger cloth; organic and recycled cottons are widely available at a premium.

It rarely needs a lining, though a light cotton is lined or faced when a pale color would show what is underneath.

Cutting, sewing and color

Sew it with a universal 80/12 needle; flat-felled or overlocked seams both hold, and it presses well with steam.

It takes reactive dyes readily, so solid colors and prints both stay true after washing.

Its surface is matte, so it photographs evenly under flat light.

A description to start from

A gown in cotton sateen, 130 to 200 g/m², with a medium drape and a matte surface, for most of the year.

If cotton is not quite right

Also: how the studio works, prices and questions and answers.

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