Thank you and/or apologies to Binging with Babish for blatantly stealing his style for a bit of fabric fun! If you enjoy cooking and fandom, have a look: th-cam.com/users/bgfilms ❤
Wearing a gorgeous deep black outfit to do straight bleach testing in is legit the hardest boss-flex I've seen in ages. I can't even walk past the laundry closet in black lest the bleach bottle smell my fear and hurl itself at me in a crazed rage.
She looked cool as a cucumber!!! ✊🏻 I would have worn a plastic apron/hazmat suit before thinking about protecting my skin/hands handling bleach. So scared of even the tiniest droplets landing where they shouldn't😩.
I refuse to use bleach as a house cleaner. Ive introduced as many clients as need it to 'mould power'. Made i australia, doubt its available os. Before i discovered mould power, id use bleach once ir twice a season as required in desperately mouldy bathrooms. And NEARLY EVERY TIME id bleach a spot on my clothes.
That's why I just pretend it's supposed to be crepey :D Of course, walking anywhere in the summer, it's going to be steamed flat by time you get there.
Ah, burn tests. We offered them at Pacific Fabrics all the time and it turned out to be people with kids who agreed most often. We would tell the kids that it was a science experiment and they'd all pay attention immediately--one family even took home copies of the paperwork we had on it and wrote down items they would need to ensure safety while doing the test (not many) so they could repeat the process at home for school. Science at the fabric store was definitely a bonus of my workday :)
Just a fun fact if anyone is interested: The reason why silk is so shiny is the actual fibers are triangular, which gives a flat surface that reflects light better. Really great video! I love experiments like this.
Reeled silk is an absolute WOW for sheen; there is just nothing like it. The silk is reeled off the cocoon, never broken, combed or carded. Spun silk is still gorgeous but for luster? You want reeled. :)
“If you don’t know what burning hair smells like...what were you even doing with your childhood?” Never before have I felt so recognised and understood. Was it even a power outage if somebody didn’t try burning hairs in the candles? 😅
I have burnt my hair a few times, but only ever accidentally. Being clumsy, having long hair and making medallions of candlewax in a cup of water (the texture on the underside is really neat) and building snow lanterns made it pretty much inevitable.
Lol I once went to put out a candle forgetting that there were other candles. I set my hair on fire it was easy to put out but I will never forget looking over to see flames in my hair!!!
... Not hair, but I was a dumb kid with long nails. I set the nail of my thumb on fire. On purpose. Put it out pretty quickly, but it was weird to watch it melt (?).
Honestly, it is a fantastically convenient name. "Should I buy this wool online? Nah, I just read that its Worsted, hard pass for me." I know some folk love it, but I just strongly prefer woolens for their fuzzy goodness.
I don't know much about woven fabrics, but from a spinning perspective worsted or woolen has nothing to do with the type of fiber or how long it is, but with the way you spin it. Woolen spun yarn has air trapped into it, which gives it that wonderful squishy soft feeling. This is because the wool is carded, so the fibers stick in all directions. Then it's spun and twist is allowed to enter the wool with that air still between the fibers. Worsted yarn is much smoother, because the wool is combed and all the fibres align. The little air that's still in it is squeezed out before you allow twist to enter the wool, so all the fibers are sleek and close together. This makes it smooth and gives drape, but if you spin it too tightly (as the very thin yarn made for weaving probably is) it can feel a bit like rope. Worsted yarns are more durable, the fibers of woolen yarns sticking out can cause those little pills to form.
This is gold. Not only is it informative, quick, scientific and incredibly funny, it is also well-done. The outfit, the voice-over, the angle, the walking in and out of frame. *chef’s kiss* 100/10 Morgan, 100/10 Also, I cannot wait for Babish to see this and decide that, yes, a collaboration between a costume TH-camr and a cooking TH-camr is exactly the normal thing to do.
Took a forensic science class and had to do this in a lab That scene with the hair burning tease reminds me of Loepsie recent vid about the technique of burning the ends of ones hair
Absolutely required. More than once I'd go shopping, get a bunch of samples, and then huddle up in a nook outside to burn test. Discounted fabrics are often mislabeled and, as a college student, that's all I could afford.
"I don't have any examples of worsted wool to show you because I think it is the worst". Lol. I'm fairly new to sewing but have been a long time knitter and wool spinner, and this sentence made me smile. Just one more reason to love watching your videos and learning from you. Thank you for your videos!!
This was fun! Brought back some memories. I did the bleach test as a science project when I was a kid. I was trying to see how long various fabrics could last in bleach, so I left them for weeks. You can tell I am the child of a sewing nerd!
I'm studying to become a seamstress (made-to-measure clothing) and we have a course on material information. There are quite a few acids and other chemicals that can be used to determine the fibers (mainly the different synthetic ones) a bit better. But I don't think many of us have those at hand at home :D
I don't remember all of the results because it was so long ago, but what really stuck with me was that rayon held up shockingly well. I kept expecting it to dissolve, but it just kept holding up.
I am also the child of a sewing nerd. My mother tried to sew with a clothes pin at the age of 4. She was determined to find a way to do it. Then in early adolescence she exchanged making a dress for a woman for the sewing machine. I still have that sewing machine in my collection. It’s steel construction and the closest I have to an industrial machine (I really want a heavy duty, industrial machine!)
@@___LC___ Look at your local listings (Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, etc), see what you can find. Lots of great stuff on there! I like the old Pfaffs, as the machine I worked with was nice and sturdy. Took 10-12 layers of thick canvas (for a hunting blind) and didn't even break a sweat. We later ran it through its paces, and it did 15 layers of the canvas with mild complaint and 20 is where it said 'I'm done'. We found it through our local Craigslist for less than $200, and all it needed was a quick clean and tune-up at the repair shop (a good idea for any second-hand machine), and then it was good to go! :)
Thank you for this video! I just realized an acquaintance of mine gave me a narrow 4 meter fabric(I think it is used as a sash in their traditional outfit) made out of silk and cotton! I just pulled out a few stray threads from the unfinished edge and set light to it. The warp threads are of silk while the weft is of cotton
I work in a fabric store, and our fabrics do come with fiber content info about 95% of the time, but occasionally we do burn test for ones that say "unknown content", or a bolt makes it's way into a collection, and you can just look/feel it and know it's wrong. 🔥🔥🔥
Great video. Woollen and Worsted yarns refers to the spinning method used to turn the staples into a yarn. Each breed of sheep produces locks with different crimp and length. The length and crimp of the lock will often determine if the fleece is going to be spun in a worsted or woollen yarn. The final goal of the yarn will also determine the spinning method.
I was eating a orange popsicle when you said to watch out for the orange stuff so i was slightly confused for a moment until I remembered the NCIS clip.
@@MorganDonner It's alchemy. Because it's sciency. It would be witchcraft if something unexplainable happened, like golden sparks or if the result would cure the plague.
A fabric store near me, that has unfortunately gone out of business just before Covid lock down, had a fabric class. It was so much fun. They showed us a acetate test as well. They actually use the test because they frequently bought unidentified fabrics that they had to put in their bargain fabrics section. I was able to pick up some lovely Italian Wool for cheap because it didn't come labeled to the store. I miss them so much.
I acquired the skill of knowing synthetics from natural fibres by being an avid op-shopper. I can often tell by looking, and almost always know by touch. I've managed some great scores like a black fine woolen dress, and an angora jumper. Sometimes I buy synthetic pieces if the funky pattern is too good to pass up on!
This is neat- but also your braids look AMAZING with the wire spiral ties. Also love the way they weigh down your braids a bit and leave them swinging a little when you move. Very elegant.
This is a really fun video! I took textile science courses at uni so it's nice to see some of the experiments we did in class on youtube. Just a couple of extra notes for telling stuff apart: Cellulose fibres like cotton and linen are actually cool to the touch, which is why wearing them in the summer is so beneficial. Silk can also be cool to the touch. Synthetics tend to be more warm to the touch, which is also why they tend to feel warmer to wear in the summer. Like in the NCIS clip, you can also take samples and look under a microscope if you have access to it, as natural fibres tend to look pretty different from each other, though synthetics tend to look the same. My last note is probably that you shouldn't burn the fabric if you suspect it includes spandex because when it burns it smells very strongly of chemicals, which is probably not great for your lungs
We were thought to, instead of burning a puece of the fabric, pull out threads from noth the warp and weft and burn them separately. Alot of blend fabrics will have one fiber as the warp and another for the weft so this helps quickly identify an otherwise just confusing burn test. You can also do a dampening test by making the centre of a warp and weft thread wet and pulling both ends, the fiber will either break in the wet or dry bits, this helps further identify fibers within their already established categories (cellulose, proteïne or synthetic)
When I'm comparing silk to the rayon look alike, I tell people that when you feel silk, the silk feels you back. The rayon fake silk just feels rubbery.
So much fun!! And an excellent riff off of a certain unnamed channel’s style. :D the difference between worsted and woolen wool yarns is more pronounced in most knitted items as most are not fulled after the fabric is produced the way that woven fabrics are. There are a subset of knitted projects that are deliberately fulled (often referred to as felted), but that is not the majority. :D
Quick Science Note: Bleach is a 'base', the opposite of an acid though with similar effects, just on different materials. This is why the two protein based materials (wool and Silk) reacted with it. Acids prefer to react with metals. Plenty of you probably already know this, but a few might find it interesting new knowledge :)
Oh my God, you're God sent...I literally was just looking up different fibers and having such a hard time with it, there's no good sources out there! Thank you so much
'fond' memories of working in a laser lab at a fashion school where students could only cut 100% natural fiber fabrics... only about half the time what they brought in was actually natural
I usually go with whatever fabric feels nice to the touch (sensory processing issues with textures and sounds). If I don't know what material it's made of or if it's 'washable', I'll normally wash it in cold water and air dry it. Either by laying it flat or putting it on the clothes line.
Fun video! I use the burn test when I buy spinning fiber online. Sometimes you get synthetic fiber masquerading as real wool which is fine I use the "fool wool" as practice fiber for when I try and teach someone to spin.
I'm several weeks too late, but posting anyways - another way to develop your sense of feel for fabric is to go to clothing stores (especially thrift stores!) and touch the different fabrics. Usually clothing has a label, often near the hem, that details the fabric content. A lot of fabric nowadays is blended, but you can still get a sense of how a rayon vs a cotton vs a synthetic blend, etc., behaves and feels. Also if you can't go out right now, try "shopping" your closet and seeing what fabrics make up the clothes you like!
"I don't know if it's synthetic or natural but it's definitely a fiber" is me thrift shopping unfortunately. also fiber cooking is the cross over I never knew I needed.
The fabrics I usually use for a cosplay are mostly a mystery to me outside of if they're washable or not. I get most of my fabric from assorted sheets, tablecloths, and curtains at thrift stores. 3 dollars for a whole set of bed sheets gets you a lot of fabric. Just remember to wash everything before you use it.
I can sort of differ between silk and polyester which is an ability I used to take all the silk square scarves (only 4 from ca 20. scarves in total) with me.
This is new to me. I knew about the burning bit, but this was so much more in depth and with so many more options. I was surprised that the cotton didn't lose color because I was thinking of all the tyedyeing that's been so popular this year (not just cotton tshirts, I know).
I used this technique to identify some random yarn a friend gave me, which had no label. It was definitely acrylic and not suitable for my project. You saved the day, once again! 😄
I LOVE THAT YOU DID THIS🤩 I’ve been obsessively buying linen because it’s really helped me with my allergies as it holds less dust/and produces less lint and I have also become obsessed with determining natural fibers by look and feel and when in doubt a little burning is just fun😁 Amazing how the fibers reacted to the bleach! I’ve never heard to try that except here. Much love Morgan!😘
Blowing my mind with that bleach test! This is a great way to know for sure. Touch alone can't tell you everything but, since I've actively been looking at fiber content on clothing tags and guessing by touch, I am learning at least to recognize synthetics and synthetic blends easier even when they are mixed with natural fibers. This was a straight forward presentation and easy to observe, in addition to being entertaining and descriptive. What a great tool to kick it to the next level!
Easiest way to tell a rayon is to get the sample, needs to be a bit bigger than those, wet. It might feel like cotton on the rack, but when you wash cotton, it's super floppy when it comes out of the washer. Rayon however, absorbs so much water it's actually stiffer wet than dry in many cases, or at least feel like it ways entirely too much for its size.
Love the toss at Binging with Babish ha ha. Also I never thought about testing with bleach that’s kind of a fun idea and an easy way to tell if it’s a blended fabric
That bleach test is really fascinating! Despite years of working with textiles, I had never encountered that test before (likely because most of the people I worked with and learned from didn't care about fiber content that much). I had heard of the burn and touch test, naturally, but that bleach one will be very useful as I need to test a section of wool(???) fabric I bought a couple of years ago.
I already knew the burning fiber method but not the bleach method. Your fingers do develop a sensibility over time and it is easier to tell the quality. Wet fibers are also easier to tell apart: cotton is extremly wet after washing, it holds on to the water while plastik fibers are coming out of the washing machine almost dry. Pure wool has a nice soft feel to it when wet while plastik wool is rough and scratchy.
Thank you! I have a few fabrics which I really needed these instructions to be able to figure out what on earth they were. This is so helpful and feeling like I'm Abby in her lab is just the cherry on top.
So fun AND informative!! I've never tried the bleach method, but now I really want to. Lots of thrifted mystery fabrics that I think could finally be conclusively labeled by being them have a merry little soak in bleach. Thanks for another wonderful video, dear Morgan!
Rayon is almost the only synthetic man-made fabric I will wear (some polyester, in a pinch). I live in a hot summer months and extremely humid area and it is great for wicking away sweat and being cooler on your skin. Without needing the ironing of linen, a plus for those who hate ironing!
I found few days ago like a yard of silk at the thrift shop. I picked it up with touch and knew it most certainly isn't any polyester. Then I burnt a bit at home to make sure and yep.... But I never knew about the bleach method... I guess it is perfect time to see if it is 100% pure silk or not. Thanks!
I ordered some vintage silk fabric recently but have been fairly certain it's actually polyester. I'm running off to burn a piece of it to find out for sure! (also I'm obsessed with acorn tv and love that it's a sponsor!)
Thank you that was very informative. I love natural fibers and I have usually been able to tell wool and silk by feel and smell. (I love the smell of wool). But having 3 methods to test is great.
I have worked for JoAnn over two stints, for about 3 1/2 years total. My coworkers would just bring me stuff from customers who were trying to figure something out. They would ask me what it was. For some reason, nobody could figure out rayon except me. Also, the “red tag “fabrics were equally as mysterious, and I would be brought in to make a declaration. It amazes me that anyone would touch a fabric and not want to know what it was. I have been quizzing myself for decades. I can’t stand not knowing the fiber. I do the same thing with yarns. Alpaca? Cashmere? Angora? Mohair? Hemp? Yak? I love the game, and I often win.
Thank you for this video! I have a local surplus fabric source where the labels are laughable at best but they often get really high end stock in and if there’s any question that they might be a blend then they’re marked down to almost nothing. I’ve scored amazing silks for as little as $1.99/yd. Thankfully I can usually at least get the main content by sight/feel but recently there was a large shipment of unlabeled wools, possibly blended although I’m leaning towards 100%...that bleach test will be used shortly... I love shopping there because I can get fabrics that at least read as historically appropriate for less than crappy Walmart fabric. Now that I think about it, most of the other local SCAdians also haunt the racks there-it’s almost a contest to see who can score the best fabric first. Some of us will buy the rest of the bolt just to have a good barter item.
Morgan, I don't understand why fabric store employees get all worked up about performance testing fabric...Am an old costume technician. If available, we always went in pairs...one to test and the other to distract potential encounters...oh and there was lunch involved with the outing of course.😁 My favorite shop ever is/was in Vermont. Delectable Mountain? She sold silk velvet😍And didn't mind your touching! Thanks for your fun tutorial, Morgan💜
I home school and my boys are doing home ec this year. We just had a LOT of fun burning various fabric scraps. (safely of course and with the warning that I will be most put-out if they do this without supervision and burn our house down) Thanks for the fun science+home ec lesson!! hehe
Thank you 🙏 for showing me how to test if my wool is pure. I feel this might be a quite nordic problem, but I've passed up many nice clothes in swaps and 2nd hands simply because I didn't know if there was plastic in the wool 😒
Thank you and/or apologies to Binging with Babish for blatantly stealing his style for a bit of fabric fun! If you enjoy cooking and fandom, have a look: th-cam.com/users/bgfilms ❤
You did a fantastic job mimicking his style! It's super clear what you were going for :D
It's fantastic! I hope he appreciates it if he sees this!
👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿
Which font did you use to write the names at the top of the video?
It worked!!!
My lawyer will be in touch.
Kidding, this is awesome!
I was hoping to find this comment 🤣
Oh shi..... 👀
Haha, glad you enjoyed, I've been binging the hell out of your channel lately.
Aaaaah. 2 of my fav TH-camrs 🥺
You guys should collab for Historial cooking!!!!
One step closer to getting Solah in actual 18th c style clothing for the next time that challenge comes around.
I see you are also a Victorian lady or arts Babish, 10/10 would learn from again
I like that she's still wearing the bronze-age hair tie.
Says more to me about the functionality of the coil than the original video. (Though the video was very good and I imply nothing against it.)
I wanna try using those, i already stopped using hair ties for braids so those look really cool
Sameeeee
Agreed. It's fun to see and know that they are actually functional.
Damn the binging with Babish cinematic universe is expanding fast....
Ahahah! This is so incredibly spot on!
Someone tweet this at him I don't have Twitter.
😆 When I saw the thumbnail on my notification, I thought it was his video for a split second.
The use of tiny tweezers as a verb sold that to me and even haven had time to read the Morgan comment up there
My thoughts exactly
Wearing a gorgeous deep black outfit to do straight bleach testing in is legit the hardest boss-flex I've seen in ages. I can't even walk past the laundry closet in black lest the bleach bottle smell my fear and hurl itself at me in a crazed rage.
I KNOW! RIGHT?!! Brave brave girl -- or dangerously crazy. One of the two, we need to watch more of her to be sure.
She looked cool as a cucumber!!! ✊🏻 I would have worn a plastic apron/hazmat suit before thinking about protecting my skin/hands handling bleach. So scared of even the tiniest droplets landing where they shouldn't😩.
i feel your pain.
I refuse to use bleach as a house cleaner. Ive introduced as many clients as need it to 'mould power'. Made i australia, doubt its available os. Before i discovered mould power, id use bleach once ir twice a season as required in desperately mouldy bathrooms. And NEARLY EVERY TIME id bleach a spot on my clothes.
I use bleach at least once a week when I clean. Never fails that I get a bleach spot on my clothes.
"Linen will wrinkle if you look at it sideways." Too true.
Frequent Ironing Club!
So true.
True facts
That's why I just pretend it's supposed to be crepey :D Of course, walking anywhere in the summer, it's going to be steamed flat by time you get there.
@@pneumarian You've seen through my tricks for handling linen! XD
But really, is there anything more comfy in the summer than loose linen trousers?
The filming style, the voice over, Morgan's OUTFIT. Bloody brilliant.
Yes and the outfit!
Even her hand movements! Hahahahaha
Ah, burn tests. We offered them at Pacific Fabrics all the time and it turned out to be people with kids who agreed most often.
We would tell the kids that it was a science experiment and they'd all pay attention immediately--one family even took home copies of the paperwork we had on it and wrote down items they would need to ensure safety while doing the test (not many) so they could repeat the process at home for school.
Science at the fabric store was definitely a bonus of my workday :)
Just a fun fact if anyone is interested: The reason why silk is so shiny is the actual fibers are triangular, which gives a flat surface that reflects light better.
Really great video! I love experiments like this.
And also because it is a monofilament, so you have less fiber ends sticking out in a section compared to other fibers
Who would have guessed that long single triangular tubes could be so dang slick!
How cool is that! Silkworms poop triangular house building materials. Nature is the best.
I study wool quite a bit, and I know a lot of things about Fibers… But I have never heard that before. You win. Thank you.
Reeled silk is an absolute WOW for sheen; there is just nothing like it. The silk is reeled off the cocoon, never broken, combed or carded. Spun silk is still gorgeous but for luster? You want reeled. :)
My local fabric store has a sort of mystery fabric remnant sale pile and the employees will give you a swatch to burn in the parking lot if you want!
Those are my kind of people!
That’s awesome! Most stores will give you a swatch, but not with the intention of having it burned in the parking lot.
"Linen will happily wrinkle if you look at it sideways... " laughed so hard!!
“If you don’t know what burning hair smells like...what were you even doing with your childhood?” Never before have I felt so recognised and understood. Was it even a power outage if somebody didn’t try burning hairs in the candles? 😅
I have burnt my hair a few times, but only ever accidentally. Being clumsy, having long hair and making medallions of candlewax in a cup of water (the texture on the underside is really neat) and building snow lanterns made it pretty much inevitable.
Lol I once went to put out a candle forgetting that there were other candles. I set my hair on fire it was easy to put out but I will never forget looking over to see flames in my hair!!!
... Not hair, but I was a dumb kid with long nails. I set the nail of my thumb on fire. On purpose. Put it out pretty quickly, but it was weird to watch it melt (?).
Same. Hell, I used to use a lighter to burn the hair off my arms. I was the weird kid who actually liked the smell, so I did it pretty often.
I honestly have no idea what that smells like. I actually don't have a sense of smell. I really want to know what flowers smell like...
I was thoroughly distracted by that pun. It was the worst(ed) ever.
Honestly, it is a fantastically convenient name. "Should I buy this wool online? Nah, I just read that its Worsted, hard pass for me." I know some folk love it, but I just strongly prefer woolens for their fuzzy goodness.
@@MorganDonner *hard* pass, eh? nice spinning pun. :P
@@MorganDonner
For me it depends on what I want the wool for.
I don't know much about woven fabrics, but from a spinning perspective worsted or woolen has nothing to do with the type of fiber or how long it is, but with the way you spin it. Woolen spun yarn has air trapped into it, which gives it that wonderful squishy soft feeling. This is because the wool is carded, so the fibers stick in all directions. Then it's spun and twist is allowed to enter the wool with that air still between the fibers. Worsted yarn is much smoother, because the wool is combed and all the fibres align. The little air that's still in it is squeezed out before you allow twist to enter the wool, so all the fibers are sleek and close together. This makes it smooth and gives drape, but if you spin it too tightly (as the very thin yarn made for weaving probably is) it can feel a bit like rope. Worsted yarns are more durable, the fibers of woolen yarns sticking out can cause those little pills to form.
@@elzekloen yes. Worsted come out "hard", so woolen-spun fabrics are not a "hard" choice.
I love the binging with babish homage
I was actually confused for a minute 🤣😂🤣😂
TINY TWEEZE!
FREQUENT IRONER MILES CLUB!
When burning hemp fiber, it smells like you’d expect.
That's good to know!
Nice
Lol
Burning hay. Hemp fibre has little to no THC, so it won't get you intoxicated the way pot does.
This is gold.
Not only is it informative, quick, scientific and incredibly funny, it is also well-done. The outfit, the voice-over, the angle, the walking in and out of frame. *chef’s kiss*
100/10 Morgan, 100/10
Also, I cannot wait for Babish to see this and decide that, yes, a collaboration between a costume TH-camr and a cooking TH-camr is exactly the normal thing to do.
More hippocras-type stuff would not be unwelcome.
'Linen will crush if you look at it sideways'
*flashes back to the linen two-piece i made*
yeah that tracks
Thank you, this is an excellent reference to bookmark!
Glad it was helpful!
Bookmark, AND save to my Sewing playlist.
I've read about these tests before, but never seen them demonstrated so well.
Took a forensic science class and had to do this in a lab
That scene with the hair burning tease reminds me of Loepsie recent vid about the technique of burning the ends of ones hair
Sooo the babish culinary universe has spread to burning fabric. 😂
Knowing which fabrics make good kitchen wear is always useful, right?
hahahahahahaha
“Linen will happily wrinkle if you look at it sideways“ I’m dead 😆
2:12 now I just have a mental picture of someone walking in a fabric store and pulling out a lighter...
@@aroseboregman6341 That is so cool! I've wondered what workers thought about that!
@@aroseboregman6341
The customer should ask for a swatch to test, right?
@@aroseboregman6341 Oh yeah for sure! That's really interesting to know though.
Absolutely required. More than once I'd go shopping, get a bunch of samples, and then huddle up in a nook outside to burn test. Discounted fabrics are often mislabeled and, as a college student, that's all I could afford.
@@aroseboregman6341 that's so good to know. Thank you!
petition for collab between morgan donner and ann reardon
I didn't know I wanted this, but I do
I would happily sign that petition! I think Ann and Morgan should do a collab!
How about “Binging with Morgan Reardon” 😃 (or would the earth explode with such a collab?)
Where do I sign?
Oh that would be cool. Let Anne, Morgan, and let's not forget Bernadette, reading and burning hacking channels would be awesome.
"I don't have any examples of worsted wool to show you because I think it is the worst". Lol. I'm fairly new to sewing but have been a long time knitter and wool spinner, and this sentence made me smile. Just one more reason to love watching your videos and learning from you. Thank you for your videos!!
MORGAN DONNER QUOTING NCIS IS THE CROSSOVER I DIDN'T KNOW I NEEDED
This was fun! Brought back some memories. I did the bleach test as a science project when I was a kid. I was trying to see how long various fabrics could last in bleach, so I left them for weeks. You can tell I am the child of a sewing nerd!
That is awesome! I bet all of them were heckin' weak after: synthetic or no, bleach is harsh!
I'm studying to become a seamstress (made-to-measure clothing) and we have a course on material information. There are quite a few acids and other chemicals that can be used to determine the fibers (mainly the different synthetic ones) a bit better. But I don't think many of us have those at hand at home :D
I don't remember all of the results because it was so long ago, but what really stuck with me was that rayon held up shockingly well. I kept expecting it to dissolve, but it just kept holding up.
I am also the child of a sewing nerd. My mother tried to sew with a clothes pin at the age of 4. She was determined to find a way to do it. Then in early adolescence she exchanged making a dress for a woman for the sewing machine. I still have that sewing machine in my collection. It’s steel construction and the closest I have to an industrial machine (I really want a heavy duty, industrial machine!)
@@___LC___ Look at your local listings (Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, etc), see what you can find. Lots of great stuff on there! I like the old Pfaffs, as the machine I worked with was nice and sturdy. Took 10-12 layers of thick canvas (for a hunting blind) and didn't even break a sweat. We later ran it through its paces, and it did 15 layers of the canvas with mild complaint and 20 is where it said 'I'm done'. We found it through our local Craigslist for less than $200, and all it needed was a quick clean and tune-up at the repair shop (a good idea for any second-hand machine), and then it was good to go! :)
Definitely going to be trying the bleach method for sussing out how blended mysterious wools are now!
Thank you for this video! I just realized an acquaintance of mine gave me a narrow 4 meter fabric(I think it is used as a sash in their traditional outfit) made out of silk and cotton! I just pulled out a few stray threads from the unfinished edge and set light to it. The warp threads are of silk while the weft is of cotton
I thrifted a huge pile of fabrics today! This is going to be so helpful to see what the contents really are :)
This reminds me of my rules for dating (1980 era) - Rule #6: if their home caught on fire, the clothes in their closet would burn and not melt.
That was rather difficult to find in 1980. Good job.
😂 That is a good way of saying “I love natural fibers”
I work in a fabric store, and our fabrics do come with fiber content info about 95% of the time, but occasionally we do burn test for ones that say "unknown content", or a bolt makes it's way into a collection, and you can just look/feel it and know it's wrong. 🔥🔥🔥
This was so good 😂😂 My husband was in the room when I was watching and he said 'this person is hilarious' 😂
Great video. Woollen and Worsted yarns refers to the spinning method used to turn the staples into a yarn. Each breed of sheep produces locks with different crimp and length. The length and crimp of the lock will often determine if the fleece is going to be spun in a worsted or woollen yarn. The final goal of the yarn will also determine the spinning method.
I was eating a orange popsicle when you said to watch out for the orange stuff so i was slightly confused for a moment until I remembered the NCIS clip.
Man, and there I was, seeing that thumbnail, thinking: wow, now she's into witchcraft! Still cool.
That's my secret. I'm always into witchcraft.
Have you seen her videos? She's totally into witching. 😜
@@Nikki-tx6kh Science-Witchcraft - the best Witchcraft!
@@MorganDonner It's alchemy. Because it's sciency. It would be witchcraft if something unexplainable happened, like golden sparks or if the result would cure the plague.
@@MorganDonner No sure if you're being serious, but if so, you need to watch this: th-cam.com/video/Kwwuf4l44EU/w-d-xo.html
I was thoroughly confused when Binging with Babish put out a video for fiber identification, then I realize its Morgan with Donner x)
Did you know that "Donner" is the German word for "thunder"?
But there was no thunder to be heard.
A fabric store near me, that has unfortunately gone out of business just before Covid lock down, had a fabric class. It was so much fun. They showed us a acetate test as well. They actually use the test because they frequently bought unidentified fabrics that they had to put in their bargain fabrics section. I was able to pick up some lovely Italian Wool for cheap because it didn't come labeled to the store. I miss them so much.
I acquired the skill of knowing synthetics from natural fibres by being an avid op-shopper. I can often tell by looking, and almost always know by touch. I've managed some great scores like a black fine woolen dress, and an angora jumper. Sometimes I buy synthetic pieces if the funky pattern is too good to pass up on!
This is neat- but also your braids look AMAZING with the wire spiral ties. Also love the way they weigh down your braids a bit and leave them swinging a little when you move. Very elegant.
I love that you referenced Binging with Babish in this video, and was fascinated by the content of the video itself :)
This is a really fun video! I took textile science courses at uni so it's nice to see some of the experiments we did in class on youtube. Just a couple of extra notes for telling stuff apart:
Cellulose fibres like cotton and linen are actually cool to the touch, which is why wearing them in the summer is so beneficial. Silk can also be cool to the touch. Synthetics tend to be more warm to the touch, which is also why they tend to feel warmer to wear in the summer. Like in the NCIS clip, you can also take samples and look under a microscope if you have access to it, as natural fibres tend to look pretty different from each other, though synthetics tend to look the same. My last note is probably that you shouldn't burn the fabric if you suspect it includes spandex because when it burns it smells very strongly of chemicals, which is probably not great for your lungs
We were thought to, instead of burning a puece of the fabric, pull out threads from noth the warp and weft and burn them separately. Alot of blend fabrics will have one fiber as the warp and another for the weft so this helps quickly identify an otherwise just confusing burn test.
You can also do a dampening test by making the centre of a warp and weft thread wet and pulling both ends, the fiber will either break in the wet or dry bits, this helps further identify fibers within their already established categories (cellulose, proteïne or synthetic)
When I'm comparing silk to the rayon look alike, I tell people that when you feel silk, the silk feels you back. The rayon fake silk just feels rubbery.
So when the tag says do not bleach they ain't kiddin'. Fascinating video.
So much fun!! And an excellent riff off of a certain unnamed channel’s style. :D the difference between worsted and woolen wool yarns is more pronounced in most knitted items as most are not fulled after the fabric is produced the way that woven fabrics are. There are a subset of knitted projects that are deliberately fulled (often referred to as felted), but that is not the majority. :D
Wow! Yeah, that makes sense. I totally appreciate a good fulled wool.
" less likely to get the fabric store employees mad at you"
Quick Science Note: Bleach is a 'base', the opposite of an acid though with similar effects, just on different materials. This is why the two protein based materials (wool and Silk) reacted with it. Acids prefer to react with metals. Plenty of you probably already know this, but a few might find it interesting new knowledge :)
The bleaching test was really revealing! 😱 I was truly shocked when I saw what it did to the wool and silk! Thanks for sharing! ❤️
i was not expecting them to dissolve into nothingness! i kept saying "eeeew"
Man, I can't wait for the spin off show, Bamboozle Bernadette!
Oh my God, you're God sent...I literally was just looking up different fibers and having such a hard time with it, there's no good sources out there! Thank you so much
'fond' memories of working in a laser lab at a fashion school where students could only cut 100% natural fiber fabrics... only about half the time what they brought in was actually natural
Please tell me they needed to prove the naturalness beforehand. Or clean the mess themselves.
Funny, I would have tested a swatch before getting the fabric or bringing it in to school.
I usually go with whatever fabric feels nice to the touch (sensory processing issues with textures and sounds). If I don't know what material it's made of or if it's 'washable', I'll normally wash it in cold water and air dry it. Either by laying it flat or putting it on the clothes line.
Fun video!
I use the burn test when I buy spinning fiber online. Sometimes you get synthetic fiber masquerading as real wool which is fine I use the "fool wool" as practice fiber for when I try and teach someone to spin.
I yelled at the tv when I watched that NCIS episode! Just do a burn test!!
Wasn’t it a microscopic filament? That would be hard to burn, but also identifiable under an electron microscope.
@@___LC___ I don't remember the size, but yes absolutely... She could just look up how different fibers appear microscopically!
I'm several weeks too late, but posting anyways - another way to develop your sense of feel for fabric is to go to clothing stores (especially thrift stores!) and touch the different fabrics. Usually clothing has a label, often near the hem, that details the fabric content. A lot of fabric nowadays is blended, but you can still get a sense of how a rayon vs a cotton vs a synthetic blend, etc., behaves and feels. Also if you can't go out right now, try "shopping" your closet and seeing what fabrics make up the clothes you like!
"I don't know if it's synthetic or natural but it's definitely a fiber" is me thrift shopping unfortunately. also fiber cooking is the cross over I never knew I needed.
Surely the forensic analyst could do a tiny burn test?
The fabrics I usually use for a cosplay are mostly a mystery to me outside of if they're washable or not. I get most of my fabric from assorted sheets, tablecloths, and curtains at thrift stores. 3 dollars for a whole set of bed sheets gets you a lot of fabric.
Just remember to wash everything before you use it.
I can sort of differ between silk and polyester which is an ability I used to take all the silk square scarves (only 4 from ca 20. scarves in total) with me.
This is new to me. I knew about the burning bit, but this was so much more in depth and with so many more options. I was surprised that the cotton didn't lose color because I was thinking of all the tyedyeing that's been so popular this year (not just cotton tshirts, I know).
I used this technique to identify some random yarn a friend gave me, which had no label. It was definitely acrylic and not suitable for my project. You saved the day, once again! 😄
Definitely learned some new stuff with this video. Especially about what bleach does to certain fabrics. Wow! Thank you for sharing.
I LOVE THAT YOU DID THIS🤩 I’ve been obsessively buying linen because it’s really helped me with my allergies as it holds less dust/and produces less lint and I have also become obsessed with determining natural fibers by look and feel and when in doubt a little burning is just fun😁 Amazing how the fibers reacted to the bleach! I’ve never heard to try that except here. Much love Morgan!😘
Blowing my mind with that bleach test! This is a great way to know for sure. Touch alone can't tell you everything but, since I've actively been looking at fiber content on clothing tags and guessing by touch, I am learning at least to recognize synthetics and synthetic blends easier even when they are mixed with natural fibers. This was a straight forward presentation and easy to observe, in addition to being entertaining and descriptive. What a great tool to kick it to the next level!
Easiest way to tell a rayon is to get the sample, needs to be a bit bigger than those, wet. It might feel like cotton on the rack, but when you wash cotton, it's super floppy when it comes out of the washer. Rayon however, absorbs so much water it's actually stiffer wet than dry in many cases, or at least feel like it ways entirely too much for its size.
Love the toss at Binging with Babish ha ha. Also I never thought about testing with bleach that’s kind of a fun idea and an easy way to tell if it’s a blended fabric
That bleach test is really fascinating! Despite years of working with textiles, I had never encountered that test before (likely because most of the people I worked with and learned from didn't care about fiber content that much). I had heard of the burn and touch test, naturally, but that bleach one will be very useful as I need to test a section of wool(???) fabric I bought a couple of years ago.
I already knew the burning fiber method but not the bleach method.
Your fingers do develop a sensibility over time and it is easier to tell the quality.
Wet fibers are also easier to tell apart: cotton is extremly wet after washing, it holds on to the water while plastik fibers are coming out of the washing machine almost dry. Pure wool has a nice soft feel to it when wet while plastik wool is rough and scratchy.
Thank you! I have a few fabrics which I really needed these instructions to be able to figure out what on earth they were. This is so helpful and feeling like I'm Abby in her lab is just the cherry on top.
So fun AND informative!! I've never tried the bleach method, but now I really want to. Lots of thrifted mystery fabrics that I think could finally be conclusively labeled by being them have a merry little soak in bleach. Thanks for another wonderful video, dear Morgan!
Rayon is almost the only synthetic man-made fabric I will wear (some polyester, in a pinch). I live in a hot summer months and extremely humid area and it is great for wicking away sweat and being cooler on your skin. Without needing the ironing of linen, a plus for those who hate ironing!
I found few days ago like a yard of silk at the thrift shop. I picked it up with touch and knew it most certainly isn't any polyester. Then I burnt a bit at home to make sure and yep.... But I never knew about the bleach method... I guess it is perfect time to see if it is 100% pure silk or not. Thanks!
"Also because Iain Glen...... Hhhiii..." Dead 😂😂😂
Thank you!! I will definitely use this in the future! Also I spy with my little eye your Neolithic hair tie!
Great video Morgan. I love, love your belt clasp. I’m envious.
Very much appreciates the NCIS clip. Love that show and your Channel !
I ordered some vintage silk fabric recently but have been fairly certain it's actually polyester. I'm running off to burn a piece of it to find out for sure!
(also I'm obsessed with acorn tv and love that it's a sponsor!)
AAAHHHHH this is amazing!! Such a great echo/parody? of binging with babish, and a REALLY helpful demonstration of fabric content identification ♥️
I giggled A LOT at your comment about linen happily wrinkling if looked at sideways. I don't know why that tickled me pink, but it sure did!
Thank you that was very informative. I love natural fibers and I have usually been able to tell wool and silk by feel and smell. (I love the smell of wool). But having 3 methods to test is great.
Cool! I use the feel method a lot (especially when thrifting!) and burn tests at home. I haven't tried the bleach method before.
I have worked for JoAnn over two stints, for about 3 1/2 years total. My coworkers would just bring me stuff from customers who were trying to figure something out. They would ask me what it was. For some reason, nobody could figure out rayon except me.
Also, the “red tag “fabrics were equally as mysterious, and I would be brought in to make a declaration. It amazes me that anyone would touch a fabric and not want to know what it was. I have been quizzing myself for decades. I can’t stand not knowing the fiber. I do the same thing with yarns. Alpaca? Cashmere? Angora? Mohair? Hemp? Yak? I love the game, and I often win.
Thank you for this video! I have a local surplus fabric source where the labels are laughable at best but they often get really high end stock in and if there’s any question that they might be a blend then they’re marked down to almost nothing. I’ve scored amazing silks for as little as $1.99/yd. Thankfully I can usually at least get the main content by sight/feel but recently there was a large shipment of unlabeled wools, possibly blended although I’m leaning towards 100%...that bleach test will be used shortly... I love shopping there because I can get fabrics that at least read as historically appropriate for less than crappy Walmart fabric. Now that I think about it, most of the other local SCAdians also haunt the racks there-it’s almost a contest to see who can score the best fabric first. Some of us will buy the rest of the bolt just to have a good barter item.
Morgan, I don't understand why fabric store employees get all worked up about performance testing fabric...Am an old costume technician. If available, we always went in pairs...one to test and the other to distract potential encounters...oh and there was lunch involved with the outing of course.😁 My favorite shop ever is/was in Vermont. Delectable Mountain? She sold silk velvet😍And didn't mind your touching! Thanks for your fun tutorial, Morgan💜
This is so helpful to my visual self. Thank you, Morgan. This is such a concise and well thought out video. 🤍
I home school and my boys are doing home ec this year. We just had a LOT of fun burning various fabric scraps. (safely of course and with the warning that I will be most put-out if they do this without supervision and burn our house down) Thanks for the fun science+home ec lesson!! hehe
Very helpful!
I love that cotten fabric with the chemistry bottles Oh! And those spirals in your hair! Awesome!
Two of my favorite channels!
I love your hair coils! I was watching your grave hairstyles video and I loved them.
Thank you! I've watched several test your mystery fabric videos & this is Hands Down the absolute best! Great job, thanks Morgan!!
I LOVED THIS! Please please please do more videos like this- I'm fascinated by fabric!
Love this fire-based educational content!
Love this video and totally going to use it in class when I teach about Fibers. I also need that cool camera that shows the fabric :)
Thank you 🙏 for showing me how to test if my wool is pure. I feel this might be a quite nordic problem, but I've passed up many nice clothes in swaps and 2nd hands simply because I didn't know if there was plastic in the wool 😒
This is science I can get behind! (also I love that you actually use the spiral-things, and now I again want to make them)
Great presentation. Loved the humor. And. That. Voice.
Oh I had no idea about bleach method. Thank you Morgan, gonna check how much wool actually is in the fabric labelled as "wool" at my local store👍
Love it. Thanks for the tips, it will make identification much easier in the future!
"Linen will happily wrinkle if you look at it sideways." TRUUUUUUUTH!!
What you do is so impressive and your sewing is so lovely 😊
Thank you for the information. I’m definitely going to be trying these. But seriously though, these metal hair ties are AMAZING!!! I want!
Love your new toy, it's fun to see the fabric up close!
you are wearing the doobly dooes from the grave pins episode!! love it.
Coming back 8 months later to test my fibre and its just as much fun and informative as the first time!