There are all types of “satin” fabrics out there, and many of them are well-suited to hand embroidery.

Satin, just to make it clear from the start, is a weave. It doesn’t refer to the fiber make-up of the fabric, but to the weave of the fabric. Satin fabric (unless it’s double-faced) is normally dull on one side of the fabric and shiny on the other.

Good satin made with natural fibers will often have a nice body to it – it’s not slick, limp and slippery. Rather, it’s a little stiffish, but “buttery” in a way. Smooth, easy to cut, substantial – it just feels good.

Silk satin, cotton satin (or sateen), and some natural fiber blends (silk / cotton and silk / wool) in satin weave are all suitable for hand embroidery, and all of them have one thing in common that you might want to be aware of before you start working with them:

They roll and shed.

The cut edges of most satin fabrics tend to roll up, making it a little more difficult and fiddly to mount satin fabric on an embroidery frame. They also tend to shed wispy bits of thread that can catch in your embroidery.

Today, I’m going to show you a quick cheat for working with fabrics that have a tendency to roll and shed on the edges.