Burn testing. We talked about it a little in Part 1 but I think it deserves more time. Burn testing is a simple yet very effective tool that can tell you a lot about a fabric.  If you are a fabric hoarder like me, you look for good fabric literally everywhere (just you wait, Part 3 is going to get exciting) and this means that you often don’t have a nice cardboard frame to tell you the fiber content of the fabric you’re about to drop money on.  Burn testing will destroy a piece of the fabric so always ask for permission to cut a small piece of fabric before you attempt a burn test.  If it is an SCA or other re-enactment/creationist vendor they may actually already have a burn test sample.  Keep in mind that this test is to help you make good choices; it’s not to help you sniff out swindlers.  Many sellers, particularly

merchants at events aren’t trying to mislead you.  There are a lot of really well done mock fabrics out and about anymore and just because someone has fabric at their booth doesn’t mean they necessarily know a lot about it.

In order to do a burn test safely and correctly you will need a couple things.  A pair of scissors, tweezers and a lighter will do a trick but gloves are also a good idea especially if you think there may be man-made fibers  in the content.  Also, always be sure to do a burn test in a well ventilated area as some of the man-made fibers can be a little toxic.

We talked a little about burn testing linen, wool and silk, but what about all the other fabrics it could be, and what if it’s a blend? Hopefully I can straighten that out a bit.

Lets recap natural fibers first. Be aware that no natural fiber fumes are toxic.

Linen is going to be harder to light, it will not shrink into itself as it burns and it will turn to a fine ash that will fall off the fabric.  The flame can be blown out.

Hemp, which is not super common, burns clean. Once the flame is out the fine ash will have dropped completely and there will be little to no indication that the piece had been lit. It will have a strong smell of wood and earth.

Wools most distinguishing characteristic is that it smells just awful.  It smells like a mix of burning hair and wet dog.

Aside from that, its hard to light and burns fairly slow, it will leave dark black brittle little bumps that are easily pinched to dust. Because it is hard to light, it puts itself out rather quickly and will give off a black smoke.

Cotton is easy to light, burns quickly and will continue to glow once the flame is extinguished, typically makes a brown or grey ash and smells like wood when burning.

Silk is a bit like wool in that it burns slow and leaves a dark brittle ball that crushes easily.  These may be very small.

Unlike wool, it lights fairly easily but still extinguishes itself. It should not put out any smoke.  It may also smell a bit like burnt hair

Now we go into man-made fiber. These are almost always some level of toxicity, but if you are in a well ventilated area you are fine.

Rayon is a pretty common fiber to find pretending to be silk. There is no flame when it burns, it smolders but leaves grey ash.  It will smell like paper.

Acrylic can be found imitating a lot of natural fibers but most often you’ll see it trying to be wool.  Its made from natural gas and petroleum. Please be careful when lighting this material. It will shrink in the flame, smoke, sputter and drip.  It will melt and ruin clothing and cause burns if it comes in contact with skin.  It will still be hot even after the flame extinguishes. It may have a slight fish smell while burning.

Acetate will melt and have black ‘bubbles’ that will not crush. It will also drip and has the potential to cause burns. It has a vinegary smell while burning.

Polyester is usually found trying to imitate linen and silk but can also be found in wool look-alikes and blends. It shrinks in flame and will leave a black hard and crunchy line at the burn site.

There will be black smoke and will smell slightly sweet.

Nylon which is used particularly in older silk knockoffs.  Like polyester, it shrinks in flame but the melted bumps are typically grey and uncrushable. Be careful as this will also melt and potentially drip causing burns.

Mixed fabrics will burn, you guessed it, as a mix of the two.  So, for example, say you have a wool/acrylic blend and you burn it. You’ll smell hair and you’ll get hard melted fibers that won’t crush. It typically won’t drip as the natural fibers, even burnt create a kind of netting, but still be careful.

 

Now lets talk about weaves of fabrics.  Weaves aren’t talked about a lot when people are talking about fabric choices but they are totally the unsung heroes of clothing.  They can make or break an outfit. They can take a basic looking design and send it over the edge into awesome.  And most people don’t know anything about them.  Let’s fix that.

So, the first weave that is most common and totally acceptable for just about any project is going to be your plain weave. Which is exactly what you think.  This weave is most easily seen in most linens, but a lot of silk is this weave and wool can also be found in this style.  This type of weaving does not have any sub-categories.

Next is going to be basket weave.  It is a variation of the simple weave because it still follows a square pattern, just the weave is easier to see than the plain weave because instead of going over-under every strand, it does every two strands. Mostly, I have seen this weave in wools but it exists in other fabrics as well. Think of it like an itty bitty checker board.

Next we have the type of weave with the most variations, twill.  Twill is your friend forever. It adds depth to any garment and all of its variations were used in just about any type of fabric.  First we have standard twill that looks like diagonal lines running through the fabric.  You’ve seen it on all kinds of stuff, probably, most often, jeans.

The next kind of twill that was very popular in period is herringbone twill.  This is a lot like standard twill only it changes directions every five or so threads.  You’ll see it a lot in wool and linen.  Probably not so much in silk.

Finally, the coup de gras is broken diamond and diamond twill.  Like herringbone, it changes every 5 or so strands and then doubles back on itself going down. (Aren’t you glad there are pictures? That was a terrible description) Often times you will find this pattern made with two different colors like in this gorgeous diamond twill silk. But it certainly doesn’t have to be.

Now, a common misconception with all variants of twill is that the pattern needs to be big and blocky. The counter statement is actually more appropriate. Extant herringbone and diamond twill patterns are typically quite small, and if the warp and weft are the same color you may not immediately recognize the weave pattern. You will however, see a depth to the fabric, a decided intricacy even if you do not immediately recognize the pattern.

Finally, what is called jacquard weave was also used in fabric.  With a jacquard loom you create a design (ex. flowers) by pulling different colored thread to the top at any given run.  Jacquard weave is used  to make brocade, tapestries, damask and brocatelle. Modernly, you’ll see it a lot in upholstery fabric as it is a sturdy pattern, but it was used in courtly fabric all the way back into B.C.E. time. It was a labor intensive process then, and even with the technology of today it’s still often expensive especially if you are looking for a historic design.

Thus ends Part 2.  Please remember that this is, again, an over view.  Each weave could easily have its own blog post as there is so much history to weaving and perhaps someday I will write them up. Today I just want you to be able to know what you are looking for.  As always, in the meantime, if

you have questions about burn tests or weave I am happy to talk to you or even introduce you to people much more knowledgeable on the topics than me.  Happy fabric hunting! And don’t forget to come back for Part 3: Where to find Fabric.