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.

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
- Lighter: Polyester, in polyester satin
- Heavier: Silk, in silk duchess satin
- Warmer: Velvet, in silk and viscose velvet
Also: how the studio works, prices and questions and answers.
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