Cesar has a fabric that he wants to identify.  When he burnt a small swatch he said it smelled like burning hair.

When held up to a light source, the fabric shows the light and also a woven pattern.  Further description can be seen at Mystery Fabric – Gazar?

The last test was soaking a swatch 2.5 by 3 cm in chlorine bleach.  After 6 hours:

As the above photo shows, the hair that remains appears to be horsehair.  After 20 yours soaking in chlorine bleach:

When I saw the first photos, I had remembered a fabric from many years ago that reminded me of this mystery fabric but didn’t want to say anything until after the chlorine experiment.  My guess is that this is hair canvas which is an interfacing used in men’s and women’s garments.

The first clue was the burning hair odor when you burnt both the weft and warp.  The last clue was the chlorine bleach which dissolves animal hair.

Although Cesar wasn’t totally convinced because the hair canvas on the market today is tan, I can’t think of another fabric that has horsehair in the weave.

Enjoy!

Judith

Judith has been studying and writing about fabrics for over 50 years. Passionate about textiles, she explains that researching is like collecting clues to build the full picture of each subject. Judith always looks for the sunny side of life.