Antique satin refers to any 5 or 8 harness (shaft) satin

Satin

Satin is a weave that typically has a glossy surface and a dull back. It is a warp-dominated weaving technique that forms a minimum number of interlacings in a fabric. If a fabric is formed with a satin weave using filament fibres such as silk, nylon, or polyester, the corresponding fabric is...

 weave that uses slubed or unevenly spun yarns in the weft

Weft

In weaving, weft or woof is the yarn which is drawn through the warp yarns to create cloth. In North America, it is sometimes referred to as the "fill" or the "filling yarn"....

 (filling). It is usually an upholstery-weight fabric and can be made using silk

Silk

Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...

, rayon

Rayon

Rayon is a manufactured regenerated cellulose fiber. Because it is produced from naturally occurring polymers, it is neither a truly synthetic fiber nor a natural fiber; it is a semi-synthetic or artificial fiber. Rayon is known by the names viscose rayon and art silk in the textile industry...

 or acetate

Cellulose acetate

Cellulose acetate , first prepared in 1865, is the acetate ester of cellulose. Cellulose acetate is used as a film base in photography, as a component in some adhesives, and as a frame material for eyeglasses; it is also used as a synthetic fiber and in the manufacture of cigarette filters and...

 in the warp

Warp (weaving)

In weaving cloth, the warp is the set of lengthwise yarns that are held in tension on a frame or loom. The yarn that is inserted over-and-under the warp threads is called the weft, woof, or filler. Each individual warp thread in a fabric is called a warp end or end. Warp means "that which is thrown...

 and coarser cotton or manmade fibers in the weft (filling). It is a satin-faced version of shantung or duppioni. The name refers to the fabric's handspun

Spinning (textiles)

Spinning is a major industry. It is part of the textile manufacturing process where three types of fibre are converted into yarn, then fabric, then textiles. The textiles are then fabricated into clothes or other artifacts. There are three industrial processes available to spin yarn, and a...

 and hand woven appearance.

Antique satin was developed in the 1950s by combining acetate (warp threads) and rayon (weft threads) mainly as a decorative fabric used primarily for draperies. Unlike wedding satin with the shiny weave visible, antique satin is made of small slubs or textures on the face. The yarn most popular was known as 19/2 ply, meaning 19 threads to the inch woven as a two ply

Plying

In the textile arts, plying is a process used to create a strong, balanced yarn. It is done by taking two or more strands of yarn that each have a twist to them and putting them together. The strands are twisted together, in the direction opposite that in which they were spun...

thread to create an attractive silk-like appearance. The popular, quality style is 48" wide and first appeared in limited colors. In the late 1950s a company named Penco Fabrics, owned by Jack Penzer, and based at the drapery building, 261 Fifth Avenue, NY, NY, introduced antique satin in 101 colors, virtually revolutionizing the industry. The fabric was copied by others including Fame Fabrics and Richloom, a major supplier today, and by 1963 achieved major distribution throughout the United States. Selling at the mill level for $.59 to $.79 a yard, whether in the natural off-white, undyed, fabric to black and colored warp yards with an iridescent effect at the higher price points, the fabric in its basic form remains somewhat popular today.