Date: 10/31/09 0:14 AM

I never buy fabric at thrift stores but I think the one I go to has gotten a hold of a decorator's inventory and they are selling it off cheap. So ... I bought a bolt of fabric (that I thought had a lot of yardage), and I get it home and start unrolling it and I discover the following..

1) It has batting rolled in with the fabric
2) It has a paper strip measured out in centimeters along the entire roll
3) It is double width 120"
4) When I burned a swatch it smelled like paper but had a hard black ash residue (burned very quickly).

What was the intended use for this fabric, and what is the batting for?

Sheer fabric

batting & tape measure

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"Style is a simple way of saying complicated things"
Jean Cocteau

http://adonising.blogspot.com

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Date: 10/31/09 5:47 AM

Could this have been to make a bedspread/coverlet? I can't figure out any other use.

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Reply to loti
Date: 10/31/09 8:11 AM

Here's my guess. The fabric is acetate, based on this info from a burn test:
Acetate is made from cellulose (wood fibers), technically cellulose acetate. Acetate burns readily with a flickering flame that cannot be easily extinguished. The burning cellulose drips and leaves a hard ash. The smell is similar to burning wood chips.

and I think they had the batting in it to keep its shape while rolled up. The tape measure may have gotten misplaced in there, while whover it was, was measuring for something. The fabric is gorgeous; I don't know what you paid for it, but it looks very luxurious. What a find!

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"Well-behaved women seldom make history"--Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Living life vicariously with seven sewing machines...and counting...

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Reply to Miss Fairchild
Date: 10/31/09 12:19 PM

Well I measured the width again, and it's 134".

I also washed a swatch last night and threw it in the dryer.
It shrank 1/8" on the length and nothing on the width. I'm going to make sheers for my bedroom. (the panels will be 132" x 88", this way if I find out it's silk I can repurpose them later.... I'm a fabriholic)

I hope it holds up well to sun exposure, because if I didn't make the sheers it would be a lovely full skirt.

The paper strip (tape measure) was actually attached to the roll, as well as a strip of nonfusible that was enclosed on the fold side, down the entire length of fabric..

Now I have 6 yards of batting left over, I'm going to give that a wash tonight to see if it holds up. Then I can cover the headboard.

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"Style is a simple way of saying complicated things"
Jean Cocteau

http://adonising.blogspot.com

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Reply to loti
Date: 10/31/09 6:58 PM

If it was silk there would be no doubt after the burn test. Silk smells distinctly like burning hair, not at all like paper or wood.

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I am going for a level of perfection that is only mine... Most of the pleasure is in getting that last little piece perfect...Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just keep showing up and doing the work.

Chuck Close, painter, printmaker, photographer

Hope has two lovely daughters: Anger and Courage

St. Augustine

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Reply to loti
Date: 10/31/09 7:57 PM

Quote:

I hope it holds up well to sun exposure, because if I didn't make the sheers it would be a lovely full skirt.

You might want to line this fabric, with another natural fiber, like cotton batiste or a very lightweight muslin, so it will hold up to sun exposure.

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"Well-behaved women seldom make history"--Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Living life vicariously with seven sewing machines...and counting...

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Date: 10/31/09 8:17 PM

The paper measuring tape makes me wonder if the fabric is from Japan. I bought some Nani Iro Knit (Japanese fabric) at a new fabric store in Austin, and it had a measuring strip in it. the store owner said that way you can tell how much is left on the bolt. Was the tape marked in centimeters?

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Reply to LonestarLady
Date: 10/31/09 9:11 PM

Yes, it was marked in centimeters, that makes sense, about measuring what is left on the bolt. We're getting closer to solving the mystery.

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"Style is a simple way of saying complicated things"
Jean Cocteau

http://adonising.blogspot.com

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Reply to Miss Fairchild
Date: 10/31/09 9:26 PM

I finished the sheers, and they are hanging up in the window. I'm going to go back to the same store and see if I can get something to line it with. I don't have any muslin, or cotton batiste and I have no more Joann's coupons left. I would need about 20 yards to line it. During the day they are very sheer, at night it looks very rich.

I could just move it over to where my closet is instead. I took the bi fold doors off awhile back and I've been looking for something to cover that up. Honestly, they would look better lined. Maybe they'll have some more that will coordinate. It's just tough because the window is large and I can't just buy ready made without having to join panels and it's gets expensive.

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"Style is a simple way of saying complicated things"
Jean Cocteau

http://adonising.blogspot.com

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Date: 11/1/09 0:13 AM

Rather than lining your pretty sheers you could make a second, heavier curtain to put on another rod behind them. That way the drape of cloth would be preserved and the liner curtain could be drawn during sunny times. I doubt that a cotton batiste or other thin lining would restrict sun fade for long. Your best solution for that is blackout lining or tinted window film.

And the tape measure is useful for inventory control.

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Live Life Like You Love It!

"Those who beat their swords into plowshares end up plowing for those who
kept their swords." Benjamin Franklin

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