Assignment 3 Fibres:  Types, behaviours, uses and cares.

Since there are four types of fibres, namely:  cellulose, protein, silk, and synthetics, a simple burn test is used to determine how a fibre behaves.  Based on the behavior you can usually tell what type of fibre is present (or make a close educated guess).  I conducted the burn test on five random samples.  I gave my best guess and next to each I placed the results of the burn tests.

If you are conducing this at home, think safety first.

The garden hose?  Fire extinguisher?  Not really necessary... I resorted to a bowl of water - keep it simple!  Over the kitchen sink would work even better - I enjoyed the beautiful outdoor day and sat on my deck.  

1. SAMPLE 1.  My guess is cotton.  I know it's corduroy which I believe to be cotton.

Before.

During. Burns quickly.

After

The corduroy burned rather quickly with a white smoke.  It did not give off any noticeable objectionable odor.  I dipped the swatch immediately in water; the burnt fabric does resemble burnt paper and it did not melt or form beads.  This burn test would suggest that the corduroy swatch I tested is COTTON. 

*  Corduroy lends itself to many applications.  In spite of its pile weave (it has an obvious nap), it is often used in clothing (warm soft texture) and on coverings of furniture.  The cotton will pill off eventually (wears off with regular use) but it is easy to launder.  As for furnishings, the pile does wear down over time and staining is problematic (cotton absorbs very well - good luck getting off the coffee or wine!) 

2.  SAMPLE #2:  Agian, I believe this to be a cotton weave.  It is a gingham with flowers woven in. 

 Let's see:     Tongs holding swatch.         Add a flame.

 

  

Burned rapidly and curled.  Gave off an odor.

Final burnt swatch has black round hard beads.  My results indicate that this sample is a type of synthetic, possibly mixed with cotton.  Most likely POLYESTER.  

*This gingham and floral fabric will do well in garments - shirts, aprons, skirts, blouses, or sundresses.  It could also hold up for a window dressing (valance or short curtain).  The fabric is easy care - simply wash and dry, iron, and hang.  It will not shrink and the colors should hold up many washes.  

SAMPLE #3:  My third sample is from my clothespin bag.  It is outdoor fabric intended for lawn furniture.  I'm guessing this to be a synthetic fibre.  

 Swatch #3

 

The results here show a slow even burn with an orange flame.  The fabric curled slightly onto itself and had a slight odor.   The final burnt fabric had very small hard beads that melted together to form a hard line.  My best guess here is that this is NYLON.  

*  This fabric will work excellent on any outdoor furniture.  It does not absorb water well and will therefore hold up to the elements better.  The bright colors will last longer in the sun because of the synthetic fibres.  

SAMPLE #4:  This swatch looks like Vinyl to me.  So I'm gonna guess it's just that - Vinyl.  

This burn test indicates the presence of a petroleum product.  The flame burned and then it self extinguished.  It gave off the smell of burning plastic and the ends curled into a hard shiny mass (hard to tell with my amateur photography).  This test indicates VINYL with a blend of nylon or polyester-type fabric. 

* Vinyl is used in many applications. Car interiors, shoes, purses, luggage, bench covers etc.  Stain removal is easy because it is a PVC product and will not absorb readily - just wipe clean.  It should also last a long time as it is a man-made fabric and moths etc will not like it!

SAMPLE #5:   This sample swatch looks like organza to me.  

My burn test results indicate that this is a type of Polyester.  The fabric curled and shrunk to the flame.  The bead it left is hard and coiled.  If this were organza (typically made of silk) it will leave a dark bead which could easily be crushed - this did not.  My best educated guess compared to other burn test results suggest that this swatch is polyester and perhaps mixed with some nylon.  

*This fabric would work well for drapery sheers.  It will hang well and is fairly wrinkle resistant.  Washing and drying could be done with normal laundering; touch ups with a warm iron will work well.

5.  Two sources that would be useful in instruction on fibre identification, behaviours, uses and care are the NS grade 7 teacher's reference books:  

Teach Yourself Visually Sewing.   By Debbie Colgrove and Clothes and Your Appearance by Louise Liddell and Carolee Samuels.

6.  Grade 7 activity:   A short experiment .  Place a tablespoon of water on each of two plates  Place a linen sample on one plate and a nylon sample on the other.  Discover which absorbed more water.    Write a chart to compare the qualities of 2 selected fabrics.  

References:

All photos:  Patricia Tse, 2014