In my opinion, the first filter to recognize a good fabric is the experience of the people who are in charge of choosing the fabrics (designers, of course, and the team responsible for raw materials). When you have been working with different fabrics in a workshop for many years, making prototypes for collections, you develop the instinct to recognize good or bad fabrics for your business. After that first filter, it is best to wash 2 meters of that fabric in a strong wash program and make a proto-sample. It is also advisable after that to do a "use test" by people in your organization using the prototype for a week to observe if the fabric pills or changes color, sags in any area or changes its appearance or shape.
IDENTIFYING FIBRE CONTENT
Have you ever inherited a box of old fabrics and not known what they are? The detailed information in this book will help you to identify them, but for further investigation, a burn test will reveal a fabric’s fibre content. To conduct a test, cut a small sample of fabric, hold it with a pair of tweezers and place it over a small flame. Take all necessary precautions and keep a bowl of water nearby to extinguish the flame when the test is complete. Observe the sample for the results listed here to determine the fibre content.
NATURAL FIBRES
COTTON: Burns quickly and steadily with a yellow flame. Continues to burn if flame is
removed. Smells like burning leaves or paper. Leaves soft, grey ash.
SILK: Burns slowly and will self-extinguish if flame is removed. Smells like burning hair.
Leaves crushable black beads of ash.
WOOL: Burns slowly and will self-extinguish if flame is removed. Smells like burning hair or
feathers. Leaves brittle, black ash.
LINEN: Burns quickly and steadily with a yellow flame, but takes longer to ignite than cotton.
Continues to burn if flame is removed. Smells like burning paper or rope. Leaves soft, grey ash.
Adverts
MANUFACTURED FIBRES
ACETATE: Burns slowly and melts. Continues to burn if flame is removed. Smells like vinegar.
Leaves hard, black beads.
ACRYLIC: Burns, melts and sputters. Continues to burn if flame is removed. Smells acidic.
Leaves hard, black crust.
NYLON: Burns slowly and melts. Will self-extinguish if flame is removed. Smells like
celery. Leaves hard, grey beads.
POLYESTER: Burns slowly and melts, with black smoke. Will self-extinguish if flame is removed.
Smells sweet or fruity. Leaves hard black and brown beads.
RAYON: Burns quickly and steadily with a yellow flame. Continues to burn if flame is
removed. Smells like burning wood. Leaves very little, fluffy ash.
Thank you to Search Press for providing this article.