Omg quite excited possibly 30s-40s crepe fabrics!

[GemGem]

Hi all, more from me

I have two gorgeous vintage green crepe fabrics, an emerald green and a more subdued… forest green?
They do have an old feel to them. I did the burn test and though there was not much smell they burned fairly quickly and left a tiny hard globule (melted?). The widths are approx 34” and 36” selvage to selvage. Any help with dating or fabric content would be fabulous!

 

[Avantbo]

Hi,

Would this material be the same as used in the BETTE jacket, which is 30s,40s.

 

[GemGem]

Hi,

Would this material be the same as used in the BETTE jacket, which is 30s,40s.

I don’t think so but could be wrong, I think the red fabric is wool but couldn’t see a crepe finish to it.

 

[Rue_de_la_Paix]

If your crepe fibers burned to a hard melted glob, it is a synthetic or has synthetics fibers in it. That dates it post WWII, regardless of the narrow width.

Can you show both sides of the selvage, please?

 

[denisebrain]

Look at you doing a burn test! Well, it certainly is a crepe as you say. I believe any fiber can be used for a crepe but with vintage fabrics these are more often wool or rayon. It certainly doesn't appear to be wool, and your burn results are not like rayon. It could be a blend as Barbara said. If it is somewhat melting and somewhat charring you could have a rayon/synthetic blend.

 

[claireshaeffer]

Is the first photo what was left after you burned it?
Synthetics melt and don't burn rapidly. Was it self-extinguishing? Is the glob hard; can you mash it with your fingers?

 

[GemGem]

Is the first photo what was left after you burned it?
Synthetics melt and don't burn rapidly. Was it self-extinguishing? Is the glob hard; can you mash it with your fingers?

So I repeated the burns test and oddly it burned differently. Both pieces burned slower going out on their own and left an ash. The smell was a bit like burning hair. Photos of this plus the two selvage together and plus a picture of the writing I found on the darker fabric. I can’t make out the second word….

 

[denisebrain]

Well, an irregular dark ash with a burning hair smell would indicate wool.
A couple more tips on wool as it burns: As you know, it is somewhat difficult to burn. It shrinks a bit from a flame and sputters in an orange-colored flame once lit. You can either get an irregular ash as a result, or an irregular bead that you can easily crush into a powdery ash.

 

[GemGem]

Well, an irregular dark ash with a burning hair smell would indicate wool.
A couple more tips on wool as it burns: As you know, it is somewhat difficult to burn. It shrinks a bit from a flame and sputters in an orange-colored flame once lit. You can either get an irregular ash as a result, or an irregular bead that you can easily crush into a powdery ash.

Unfortunately I threw away the bead from the first burn test so not sure if it was a crushable bead. There was def a notably orangey flame though, with both fabrics! I filmed it to look back at this time

I was wondering if you might have a guess as to the second word printed on the fabric? Crepe is clear but the second word is not, possibly 5 letters long, beginning with L, maybe an E next...?

 

[denisebrain]

I tried as hard as I could to figure out that second word. Maybe Lassie? I don't think it's going to give away the fabric type to us—but maybe?

 

[Rue_de_la_Paix]

It could be silk or a silk wool blend. And could be 30s era.

 

[Midge]

Could the second word be Laine? That would indeed mean wool!

 

[GemGem]

Could the second word be Laine? That would indeed mean wool!

Yes! You have it! Of course, makes complete sense

 

[claireshaeffer]

Sometimes if you look at it with a magnifying glass you can see it better.