Burn Chart: Belle’s Obsession With Burning Things Explained

Have you ever wondered why Belle likes to burn fabrics?  To the average person it might look like she just likes setting fabrics on fire but in fact she is doing a burn test. 

Burn tests are the best way to find out what fibers might be in a fabric.  We get a lot of closeout fabrics here at Ragtime and don’t always receive the fiber content.  A burn test helps us to conclude what the fiber is.  Burn tests are not 100% conclusive, but they help tremendously in determining what fibers are in a fabric.

A burn test will help us tell if the fabric is natural or synthetic. Each fiber has a different color, smell and ash.  Using all three helps us fine-tune our assessment of what the fiber content might be.  Unfortunately with blends, we will not be able to tell you percentages of fibers, but we can tell you what type of fibers are in the blend.  We are attaching a link from Threads magazine of a burn test if you wish to try it at home. The printable guide is a great resource. https://www.threadsmagazine.com/2013/06/20/how-to-identify-fabrics-with-a-burn-test