So...

[telophase]

...anyone know how to tell the difference between a silk and a silk blend? :D I got the $15 bag o'scraps from Ah! Kimono, which is a store that sells scraps of vintage kimono fabric. You can get bundles of color-similar fabric large enough to do stuff with, or go for the grab bag o'small scraps, which I did, since I only need small amounts of fabric for the kanzashi.

It says they're a mix of silk and silk blends, but I haven't fondled enough silk in my time to be able to really tell which is which. I'm going to try using all of them to see how the different fabric handle, but it'd be nice to know which is which for future kanzashi. :D

Photo of scraps up after I download it from my camera. :)

Comments

[affreca.livejournal.com]

I usually test fabric by burning it. (http://www.ditzyprints.com/dpburnchart.html) Blends are harder to figure out then materials that aren't, but it might help.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I may have to attempt that, thanks. :D

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Seconded; I usually do burn tests (http://www.fabrics.net/fabricsr.asp), although if I suspect something is acetate I'll bring out the nail polish remover before the matches (acetone melts acetate fabric rather spectacularly).

Also, as far as kimono fabrics go, while you're likely to have both silk and poly in that batch, pay close attention to the ID guidelines for rayon, especially if any of the scraps are crepe; an awful lot of modern chirimen is made out of rayon rather than silk.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Cool, thanks!

[movingfinger.livejournal.com]

Generally cats prefer 100% natural fibers to blends, so spread them all out on the floor and see which ones she selects for sitting on. Also, price points matter: an expensive blend will be preferred over a cheap silk.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

She kept trying to play with the orange one: it must be the most expensive of all! :D

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Either that, or it's the best color contrast for her cat hair!

[sparkylibrarian.livejournal.com]

I... did not need to know about that site. Shiny!

[kutsuwamushi.livejournal.com]

That website makes me really want to create my own curtains. But I'm scared of the sewing machine. D:

[maxineofarc.livejournal.com]

You can't really tell from fondling; a burn test is the only way, and even that can be tricky with blends.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Ah well. I may have to buy some pure silk and see how it works. There's two types that are used traditionally, and I have a site that sells pieces of both. :D

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

I could certainly hook you up with some freebie silk scraps if you just want little bits to practice fiber-testing on. (Heck, the squares for these are small enough that I could probably hook you with still more scraps for actual kanzashi-making, provided the weight and texture are acceptable -- you've mostly been working with cotton broadcloth so far, would charmeuse or light shantung be too thin and slippery? I've got some silk noil too, although maybe that's a little too thick and slubby... *ponders SCRAP PILE OF DOOM*

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Ooh, thanks! :D I have no idea how they'd handle - lighter would probably be nice, as the petals wouldn't be so thick they're hard to manipulate, and it'd be easier to layer them. I have no idea how the slippery would work - if it can hold together long enough to get placed in the rice-starch paste, and is light enough that the paste holds it, it'd probably be fine. But I'm up for experimentation. :)

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

I guess the next question is, any particular colors you do/do not want? I do have something of a preponderance of dark colors, but there are bound to be a few brighter things lurking in the boxes. And how big do your fabric squares need to be?

(What I might just do is just put together one quickie envelope of really tiny scraps of known fiber content that you can practice burn testing on, since those can be all the odds and ends too small to do anything else with. And then I can try to put together a slightly bigger batch of actual usable scraps. Hmmm, I should dig through the button stash, too...I bet there's some unwanted pastels that came in grab bags I could throw in while I'm at it...)

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

Different silks and silk blends also respond very different ways depending on how they're treated/woven/etc.

Be careful if you burn; certain acrylics burn VERY FAST.

[urbi-et-orbi.livejournal.com]

Sorry, not much help in the fabric department but those look very beautiful :D I bought some in Kyoto myself from an obaasan. I should have bought everything she had hahaha :D

[puppleball.livejournal.com]

Hey, if I make it to Thailand this summer (god help me), do you want me to pick you up some random silk?

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Ooh, yes, please! :D