| Ref | Fabric | Investigation |
|---|
| 1 | Fine calico | Cotton. Crumple test - not very springy. Fabric is left creased. Stretch on the bias and very slight stretch on the weave. Frayed edge - fibre is crinkled. Tightly woven and difficult to fray on the bias. Burns in flame and chars. Soldering iron - doesn't burn easily |
| 2 | Wadding | Thick, man-made fibre, non-woven. Stayed in ball after crumpling - fibres probably felted together. Pulls apart in all directions when stretched. Edge can't be frayed but fibres can be teased out. Same when cut on the diagonal. Edges shrink in heat but not as much as expected. When heat is applied to centre, craters are formed. Melts easily with soldering iron. FUMES! |
| 3 | Light, sew-in Vilene | Man-made fibre, non-woven. After crumpling it gradually sprang apart but stayed mostly in a ball. More stretch in one direction than the other. Not much diagonal stretch. Edges difficult to distress - had to tear it. It was even harder to distress on a diagonal cut. This would be expected since it is used to stabalise woven fabrics. Edges burns in flame and centre melts. FUMES! |
| 4 | Heavy, sew in Vilene | Man-made fibre, non-woven. Springs apart slowly after crumpling but mainly stayed in a ball. Stretches more in one direction and not much stretch on the diagonal. Very difficult to distress the edge and a diagonal cut - had to use a sharp point. Burns in a flame. Using the soldering iron it needed the point of the tip to make it melt. |
| 5 | Light weight Iron-in Vilene | Man-made fibre, non-woven with adhesive spots on one side. Remained in ball after crumple test - no movement. Stretchy on diagonal. Edge tears easily - can be pulled apart and became fluffy looking. On the diagonal it pulled apart into holes to give a lacy edge. Edge shrinks in flame. Melts easily with soldering iron. FUMES! |
| 6 | Very Light Iron-in Vilene | Man-made fibre, non-woven. More springy when crumpled than previous Vilene samples. Very stretchy in one direction - almost pulled apart - but no stretch the other way or on the diagonal. Edges fluffs up when distressed with a sharp point. Same on a diagonal edge. Edge shrinks in flame. Doesn't melt very easily in centre very easily. |
| 7 | Medium Iron-in Vilene | Man-made fibre, non-woven. Stays scrunched up when crumpled. Slowly unwinds. More stretchy in one direction than the other. The edge is very difficult to distress, even with a sharp point. Same on a diagonal edge. Edge burns in flame but doesn't burn well in centre with soldering iron. |
| 8 | Medium sew in Vilene | Man-made fibre, non-woven. Crumple test - stays in a ball. Hardly any stretch in any direction. Edge tends to tear when distressed. Same on the diagonal edge. Burns in flame. Needs slow application of soldering iron to have any effect. |
| 9 | Silk ponge | Natural fibre, woven, very fine and shiny. Doesn't remain scrunched up when crumpled. Streches on the bias but not much in other directions. Fine frayed edge. Spiky look to frayed diagonal edge. Edge shrinks in flame. Needed quite a bit of heat from the sodering iron to have any effect. |
| 10 | Silk - Dupion | Natural fibre, woven. Thick with nubbly, matt finish. Stays scunched up when crumpled. Stretch on bias. Nicely defined frayed edge. Diagonal fraying produces thicker edge. Edge chars in flame - doesn't burn easily. It will burn in centre with soldering iron but it's hard to do. |
| 11 | Curtain lining | Cotton, woven, natural fibre. Crumple test - stays crumpled. Stretchy on the bias. The frayed edge is slightly crinkled with nicely defined fibres. Raised edge when frayed on the diagonal. Edge chars/burns in flame. Soldering iron doesn't make much of an impression. |
| 12 | Even weave | Cotton, loosely woven fabric. Stays crumpled. Stretch on bias. Crinkled frayed edge - raised on diagonal. Edge chars/burms in flame. Very difficult to burn with soldering iron. |
| 13 | Cotton Lawn | Cotton, natural fibre, woven. Crumple test - stays crumpled and is very creased. Stretch on bias only. Fine frayed edge. Fluffy appearance when frayed on diagonal with a sharp point. Burns very easily in flame. Very resistant to burning with soldering iron. |
| 14 | Medium weight cotton | Natural fibre, woven. Crumple test - stays crumpled. Sharp creases in fabric after crumpling. Stretch on the bias. Fine frayed edge. Difficult to fray diagonal edge. Burns easily in flame. Very resistant to burning with soldering iron. |
| 15 | Cotton Sheeting | Natural fibre, cotton, woven. Crumple test - stays crumpled. Sharp creases after crumpling. Stretch on bias. Soft frayed edge, ragged edge on diagonal. Burns easily in flame. Doesn't burn easily with soldering iron. |
| 16 | Seer Sucker | Cotton, natural fibre, woven. Crumple test - stays crumpled and very creased. Very stretchy on bias. Stretchy along stripes but not so stretchy in other direction. Frayed edge in crinkled section looks wavy. Frayed edge across stripes also wavy. When frayed along diagonal, fibres stand up in crinkled section. Burns easily in flame. Needs a lot of effort to burn with a soldering iron. |
| 17 | Muslin | Cotton, natural fibre, woven. Very stretchy on bias. Stretches more one way. Crumple test - stays crumpled. Fine creases. Frays very easily. Soft look to frayed edge. Soft, wavy edge on diagonal. Burns very easily in flame - needed a damp cloth for this one! Will burn with soldering iron if tip is left in place. |
| 18 | Medium calico | Cotton, natural fibre, woven. Stretchy on bias. Crumple test - sharp creases. Stretchy on bias. Frayed edge looks firm and straight. Frayed edge on diagonal is very dense. Burns in flame but not easily. Very hard to burn with soldering iron. |
| 19 | Heavy calico | Cotton, natural fibre, woven - stretch on bias but no stretch in other directions. Frayed edge is fluffy - fabric had been ripped rather than cut. Very dense diagonal edge. Edge charred in flame- kept glowing - be careful! Very hard to burn with soldering iron. |
| 20 | Calico | Cotton, natural fibre, woven. Stretchy on bias. Crumple test - sharp creases in fabric. Frayed edge is quite firm looking but more textured when frayed on diagonal. Edge charred in flame. Hard work to burn with soldering iron. |
| 21 | Fine, stiff cotton | Natural fibre, woven with starchy finish. Crumple test - very sharp creases. Stretch on bias. Very fine frayed edge. The frayed diagonal edge looks uneven and ragged - may be the effect of the sharp point that was used to tease the fibres. Burns easily in flame. Will burn with soldering iron if a draing action is used with pressure. |
| 22 | Linen scrim | Ntural fibre, woven - loose weave. Crumple test - very ridged creases. Bit of a stretch but most stretchy on bias. Very soft frayed edge. On diagonal the arrangement of the fibres is well defined. Burns in flame - stays alight, eating into the edge. Doesn't burn very easily with soldering iron. |
| 23 | Poly Cotton | Man-made fibre, woven. Crumple test - feels more springy than cotton. Just a few deep creases. Frayed edge looks a bit fluffy. Thick edge when frayed on diagonal. Stretch on bias, but no stretch in other directions. Burns in flame. Melts very easily in centre with soldering iron. |
| 24 | Fine polyester | Man-made fibre, woven, shiny. Springy when crumpled. Deep creases. Stretchy on bias. Shiny frayed edge. Fray on diagonal - looks fuzzy. Doesn't burn easily. When held in flame, shrinks to produce gathered effect. Melts very easily -with soldering iron - FUMES! |
| 25 | Very fine silk. | Natural fibre, woven - almost transparent. Stays crumpled. Very creased - fine creases- nice texture that catches light. Stretch on bias. Very fine frayed edge. Untidy edge on diagonal. Shrinks in flame - can produce a nicely scalloped edge. Melts easily with soldering iron. |
| 26 | Fine tapestry canvas | Open weave, very stiff. Stays creased when crumpled. Stretch on bias. Wiry look to frayed edge. Same on diagonal edge. Burns esily in flame. Fairly easy to melt with the soldering iron. |
| 27 | Organza | Man-made fibre, woven. When crumpled, nice shaddowed effect. Very stretchy on bias but not in other directions. Frayed edge - different effects depending on whether frayed on warp or weft. Almost invisible untidy edge when frayed on the diagonal. Flame test - have to almost put edge in the flame for it to react. Melts very easily when held over flame. Melted very easily with soldering iron - very sticky! |
| 28 | Wool felt | Natural fibre, non-woven. Crease test - mixture of large and fine creases. Stretches in all directons but more so on bias. The fibres have to be teased out on edge to create a fuffy effect. Same on diagonal. Edge chars and then burns in flame. With soldering it will just about melt - very smelly when burnt! |
| 29 | Netting - medium | Man-made fibre, non-woven. Stretches in all directions but mostly on the bias. Crumple test - creases could be somoothed out. Edges distressed usng sharp point. Not much different on diagonal. Edge chars in flame. Shrinks into holes over flame. Melts with soldering iron - FUMES! |
| 30 | Netting - fine | Man-made fibre, non-woven. Crumple test - creases could be smoothed out. Stretches on bias and in one direction. Less so in the other direction. Distressed edge with sharp point, Same on diagonal. Edges don't burn very easily but centre shrinks very quickly over a flame. Melts very easily with soldering iron. FUMES! |
| 31 | Netting | Looks like a loose weave fabric. Man-made fibre, non-woven. Crumple test - doesn't crease very easily. Stretches in one direction but not in the other. Stretches on the bias. Edge won't fray. Very strong fibre - had to distress edge with scissors. Same on diagonal. Edge shrinks slightly in flame. Buckles and goes into holes easily over a flame. Very easy to cut shapes with a soldering iron. |
| 32 | Acrylic Felt | Man-made fibre, non-woven. Crumple test - slight creases. Stretches in all directions. Edge is hard to distress and had to use scissor points to stab holes and pull fibres - made quite an interesting edge. Same on the diagonal. Edge goes hard in flame. Over a flame it buckles and goes into holes. Very easy to cut shapes using a soldering iron. |
| 33 | Crystal Organza | Man made fibre, woven. Creased when crumpled - nice light effects. Stretch on bias - not in other directions. Frayed edge very sparkly and fine. On diagonal, fibres criss-cross. Very fine hard edge formed in flame. Buckles over a flame. Very easy to cut shapes with soldering iron - very sticky! FUMES! |
| 34 | Chiffon | Man-made fibre, woven. Not sure what the fibre s -cheap scarf. Crunple test - very springy - few creases. Stretch on bias - very slight "give" in other directions. Fine frayed edge. The diagonal edge is spiky looking. In flame, little beads form on edge. Burns and melts very easily over flame. Melts very easily with soldering iron. |
| 35 | Knitted cotton | Dish cloth fabric , cotton, non-woven. Very stretchy in all directions. Bumpy look when creased. Loopy frayed edge. Diagonal edge - diffult to fray - untidy looking. Edges burn easily in flame. Can burn individual holes with a soldering iron but it is hard going! |
