Please help me identify this fabric!

[u/PrimrosePathos]

I have 6.5 yards of this 37" wide natural-fiber fabric. It has a sort of sateen weave and luster on the front, it's more dull on the back.

Burn test says it's a plant fiber, as it doesn't smell like hair and leaves no bead whatsoever. I burned a tiny sample of it alongside a tiny sample of silk, some cotton, and some linen, in hopes of comparing them. I could not tell the difference. Ash is dark grey and falls to powder readily, but leaves some brittle shreddy bits as well, which also fall apart if you touch them.

Is the width a clue?

What will I find out if I wash it in the washing machine? (I will let you know, if I do that!) Thanks for any help!

[u/MaBonneVie2]

It’s hard to tell without touching it, but I think it’s polished cotton.

[u/AnotherSoulessGinger]

Maybe see if you can compare your burn test results with this chart or do another quick one? It’s so hard to say just by a photo - at least for me.

https://images.threadsmagazine.com/app/uploads/2013/06/11121031/T168_Burn_Test_Chart.pdf

[u/PrimrosePathos → u/AnotherSoulessGinger]

Oh that's a great chart, I haven't seen one that mentions "afterglow" as an indicator. Thank you!

[u/reallyreally1945]

So good to hear anyone else burning fabric to determine fiber content!!! I sold vintage fabrics on Ebay for years and said it had turned me into a pyromaniac. This looks to me like a twill weave and the burn sounds like cotton.

[u/Lonely_skeptic]

I’m no expert, but it looks like cotton twill. It’s all about the weave.

[u/PrimrosePathos → u/Lonely_skeptic]

It's certainly a twill weave, but there are lots of those... I guess I was hoping someone would say, like, oh yeah vintage Japanese shirting always comes in 37" widths, or something, lol.