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Identifying fabrics

10/5/2015

2 Comments

 
Picture
Burning a small piece of fabric can really help figuring out what the fiber content of your fabric is. I'm not an expert, but I can certainly tell wool from cotton from polyester. And with the help of a chart like the one below, I can identify even more.

The chart is from Ditzy Prints. It is much easier to read on that website.
Click here!
Picture
Picture
Don't use a match to do a burn test. The smell is an important part of telling which fiber is which. If you use a match, the match smell will mask the fiber smell. Use a candle or a lighter to instead AND hold the fabric with tweezers or tongs.
Watch this 1940's film to see how it's done.
2 Comments
Jaki
10/5/2015 11:59:55 am

Thank you for sharing - this is so useful! :) xx

Reply
Shari
10/8/2015 07:47:30 pm

I just did a burn test on a remnant of fabric of unknown content that was labeled dry clean only. I think it's wool with possibly some silk or nylon. Definitely not cotton or linen as it was self extinguishing during the test.

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    I am a commercial pattern maker who is now "sewing over 50"!
    I love to sew and hope to encourage others to come back to sewing.
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