"Found" Quilting Material - How To Do A Burn Test

Now that you are quilting, you will find quilting material everywhere. Friends will give you fabric from a family member who doesn’t need it anymore. You’ll see recycled fabric at flea markets, estate sales, thrift shops and garage sales. This is a wonderful way to become a frugal quilter.

If you want to have 100% cotton fiber quilts you’re going to need to learn how to do a burn test.

Find a well-ventilated area, a flameproof container (think old ashtrays), a long match or small flame producer, long tweezers and a small piece (2” square) of the fabric you’re testing.

The Test:

Put your swatch into the fireproof container and light one corner of the fabric.
1. What does the smoke smell like? If it smells like burning paper, it might be cotton. Check the cool ashes, if they are fine like dust when touched it is cotton. Cotton fibers will ignite when moving the flame close to it so be careful.
2. Does the smoke smell like burning hair or feathers? If so, it could be silk or wool. After the fire it out, check the ashes, if they are black, brittle remnants that crush between your fingers, it is wool.
3. Does it smell like burning chemicals or plastic? Probably means this is a polyester or polyester/cotton blend. The ash consists of hard clumps. Synthetic fibers curl away from the heat and will tend to melt not burn.

I have found a resource that will explain all the different results of your burn test. It will explain the smell, the type of ash and the results of the test.

Burn test chart.

Enjoy your "found" quilting material and remember if you have been given some wonderful fabric you can't do anything with, consider donating it, try kindergarten schools, and costume designers, local playhouses. Who knows you might the donated fabric on stage one day.