Interesting Info about Rayon

Vintage_Visage

Vintage_Visage

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I just learned a neat little tidbit from my Fahsion History class.

So you know how sometimes we rarely find an older garment say in the 40s or 50s that is proud of their fabric and it will actually have a lable stating what the fiber is. I have come across a few, very few consdidering the amount of clothing I have pushed.

Well Acetate was originally called Rayon sometime until the 50s. So if you have come across an older piece from thee 40s or so, rayon may not really be rayon.

Not super important but I thought that was neat. That makes sense because I have a Montgomery ward with fabric swatches in it and there are like 12 and they all are rayon and rayon belnds. It is from 1942 I think. I was wondering why so many "different" rayons. Now I know, they are different!
 
Thank you Jennifer! fiber and textile history is fascinating and there are so many misconceptions out there, especially concerning rayon. I remember buying a dress in the late 70s for my boy friends college graduation. It was a hip little boutique and the sales woman was telling me that the dress was made from this new fiber, viscose. I happened to know a bit about textiles so I said to her "is'nt viscose a method for making rayon?" "Oh no" she says "this is an all new type of rayon, much better"

A little history here...by the 1970s consumers percieved rayon as a somewhat inferior fabric althought there had been some nice innovations and improvements made. It was funny to me that the woman was claiming viscose as a new fabric. Actually the viscose method for making rayon had been commercially available since 1902 and was invented way before that. Apparently someone was trying a new marketing ploy for an old fabric ;)

As you said Jennifer, Acetate is another method for making rayon. The best way to tell the difference between a viscose rayon and an acetate rayon if you are not familiar with them, is a burn test.

Viscose rayon does not shrink from a flame before it begins to burn, it burns quickly and leaves a creeping ember when you blow out the flame. It smells like burning paper (some say wood) and leaves almost no ash.

Acetate on the other hand does fuse away from the flame and has a melting look as it burns. You can usually get a faint whiff of vinegar and it leaves a crunchy black bead that crushes between the fingers. If you want to get REALLY technical Triacetate (another form of acetate) burns the same way as acetate but smells more like paper burning.

Textile nerd...over and out!
 
Melody I need to come over to your house with one of those big clunky mind reading machines you used to see in sci-fi films and simply suck all this information out of you.

mindreadingmachine.jpg


Would next Tuesday be convenient?

Sarah
 
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