Cotton sateen is made with a special weave that makes the finish of the cloth look very smooth, rich with a nice sheen. It's not shiny at all, it's just very smooth. It's a lovely fabric finish. You CAN wash cotton sateen, but the weave sort of 'fluffs' after it's washed and the smooth finish will never be the same as when it was new. Some people dry clean to keep the original sheen. The fabric will still look beautiful and smoother than regular cotton fabrics, it just won't have that sheen you get with cotton sateen.
Some people can't tell the difference between washed cotton sateen and unwashed. It's a preference I guess. You might test wash a sample to see for yourself.
Another thing I should add, the right side of the fabric is definitely different from the wrong side. You'll want to keep track of the pieces for your whole cloth quilt. It's sort of like nap in a carpet. Sometimes you can tell when the nap isn't matched until the light hits it. So be sure to keep the right side and wrong side marked. You'll see a definite difference when the light hits it if you put the right side next to a piece that is wrong side up.
Last edited by Christine-; 04-16-2012 at 08:13 PM.