Need some help with a 40s homemade dress - what fabric?

[Jen S]

I picked up this simple home sewn 40s dress and the fabric is stumping me. It feels synthetic- like, but burns like rayon, only with a tiny amount of blacker, harder ash remaining after the gray paper burn of the rayon. What could it be blended with?

I want to wash it and would be happy for advice. I was thinking to cut a little piece off and test in cold water with Oxi-clean....?

And finally, it has these weird lace pieces under the arms. At first I thought it was a poor repair, but both sides have them. Any ideas what they could be?

Thanks!

 

[persephone60]

Is the harder ash that remains crushable or not?

 

[Jen S]

I'm now totally confused by this dress -- I keep going away, coming back, looking at it again, and burning more threads! So now I think the first sample I took might've been mostly sewing thread and not fabric threads, since the last batch I burned seemed more like silk to me -- i.e. no gray ash, just black, and harder, but crushable. But the fabric feels almost too slick for silk, so I wonder if maybe there's some finish on it, or if it's just so dirty it feels off. Usually I'm good at fabric ID but I'm flummoxed!

And now I'm also wondering if my dating is off.... *sigh*

 

[TangerineBoutique]

The photos are not clear enough to tell but from what I see it looks it might be a crepe backed satin. Does it smell like hair burning when you test? As for the lace pieces, with home sewn garments there can be all sorts of anomalies. Could just be a decorative detail.
Melody

 

[Jen S]

Thank you. I think I will take some better pictures and repost since now I have a whole bunch of other questions. And I'll do another burn test when my nose is "fresh." I do think it smells like hair but it's not crepe backed, it's very thin and, well, silky. ;)

 

[Vinclothes]

I'm not sure from your image, but the lace pieces appear to be replaced sections of armhole facings. Maybe the original facing or binding was worn or soiled.
Marian