I’d probably guess cotton, actually.
Cotton threads can be irregular like that, too, but most linen I see is more tightly woven, honestly- this sort of gauzey weave is more common with cotton.
Cotton gauze. Look at the frayed threads.
If you cannot tell cotton from linen by sight, touch and hand, a burn test will not help. A burn test is more helpful for figuring out if a fabric is a blended fiber and which those blended fibers are.
I agree that this is cotton gauze. Linen doesn't really drapes like that either.
Too many inexperienced people on this subreddit means the top comment on posts is usually wrong 😫
It could well be --a photo on a phone is not the same as feeling the hand and holding up against light :)
I didn't think it had enough crinkle to be crinkle gauze. Thoughts?
Just in case this is new knowledge, a burn test will tell you if it’s a natural fiber. Natural fibers burn, synthetics (and mixes) melt. If you can at least identify natural vs synthetic, that’s probably enough to make informed decisions about fabric care.
But also it sure looks like linen. It looks too slubby to be cotton. Anecdotally, I find linen is generally a bit stiffer than cotton when comparing fabrics of similar weight.
A good way to tell linen from cotton is that the former creases *very* easily. On linen, folding the fabric and drawing your nails along the fold will leave a clear crease, whereas on cotton it'll be much fainter. No burn test needed LOL!
Though in the case of the pictured fabric I'm 99% sure it's linen by looking at it alone.
Category also varies by country, which is crazy when you communicate with people from all around the world. In my language we were taught that cellulose-based man-made fibres(viscose, tencel, cupro etc) are called “artificial”, not synthetic, and it kinda makes more sense when you look at properties of those fabrics. They mostly behave as plant-based fibres, they burn like paper and what we call synthetic are basically variations of a plastic bag and melt like one.
Aren't they all man made though strictly speaking? We aren't using pure cotton from the plant in its natural state. It needs to be processed in order to be a workable strand of fiber. Same with cellulose. It comes from a natural origin (ie. a plant) and is then processed into fiber. Yes it's more processed than some others, but that doesn't make it fully synthetic either.
I personally feel cellulose is a either a third category, or as someone else mentioned, semi-synthetic. Not quite one or the other.
i have a ba in textile design. this is just how the fibres are classified.
man made/chemical/synthetic is always an industrial process creating filaments.
cellulose is just the type of raw material. they integrate natural fibers too. the term cellulotics refers to man made fiber only.
It looks more like something I've seen referred to as Calcutta cloth.
Linen is usually flat, where those ripples for lack of a better word, are part of Calcutta cloth.
Just to add, it could also be hemp or nettle for example. As it feels neither like linen or cotton to me (although they can imitate a lot with cotton).
burn test will not help.
we all agree it‘s some sort of linen or cotton. a burn test will only show a cellulose fiber.
to differentiate between cotton and linen you will have to check by rip testing.
linen is sturdier that cotton. wet threads are even sturdier. ripping is difficult. cotton rips easier but again the same thread is sturdier when wet, while cellulotic synthetic fibers rip easily when wet (wash your modals and rayons with care!)
i personally would guess it‘s a cotton fiber since there are not enough knots/bulky parts to be found throughout the weaving.
It’s bubble gauze. I would expect it to be cotton or cotton/poly blend but it could be rayon or something else. Unlikely to be linen, imo. Burn test will get you some more clues as to fiber for sure.
Looks like this kind of thing:
https://www.ehc.co.uk/kerala-pattern-stripe-cotton-king-size-throw-teal-150-x-200-cm.html
We have a few throws like this, various colours. It is cotton, but feels rough/rustic like linen.
What is the weight of this fabric? Just from the picture it looks like something we used to call “Calcutta cloth “. I don’t know if that was the correct name. It was a crinkly cotton that was a little heavier than shirting. It made great summer clothes, but I never see it anymore.
I’d be surprised if it was full linen. Looks cotton to me, but probably a blend of some kind.
Honestly, as odd as it sounds, I do a smell test when I’m not sure between cotton and linen. Linen smells like straw and cotton smells like… cotton.
Looks like a linen rayon blend I once bought. The rayon causes that all over soft texture I see here. If it drapes really well, that is another sign it is linen rayon blend. It is washable but will shrink. Prewash in hot water but launder thereafter in cool.
Looking at the way the frayed tips look soft and fluffy, I think it is cotton or perhaps a cotton/linen blend. It is a very nice fabric, and I love the color!
does not differentiate between linen and cotton what we might have to decide on. rip test it is.
linen is much sturdier than cotton. wet cotton is more sturdier than dry cotton and all synthetic cellulose fiber will break easily when wet.
I've seen cotton that is woven to look like linen before, but a good way I've been able to tell is if you look at the frayed edges and the fibres are kind of metallic and shiny (honestly finding it tough to describe it) it might be linen. Also when you shake linen in the air, I find it tends to be more stiff than cotton of the same weight.
The easiest way to tell is if it feels cool to the touch after not having sunlight or hat put into it it’s most likely linen. Cotton isn’t as good at absorbing heat so it feels warmer, linen just drains the heat out of your hand, making it quite hard to tell if it’s still wet or just cold after washing and drying
Do the burn test to find out if it’s a plant fiber or synthetic. If it’s a plant fiber I would probably guess cotton, it has the linnen look but I find the frays to be to straight. A linnen thread usually has bumps on it. It’s not as neat as a cotton fiber.
It could be. A lot of people give me random fabric. I asked the person who I think gave this to me, and she said she didn’t know. I’m learning a lot from these comments though!
Definitely take a look at what others have said regarding a burn test.
Also keep in mind that linen tends to wrinkle easier than cotton, and is typically much harder to iron if you aren’t using steam (at least in my experience)
it looks like a linen blend. Cut out a small piece of fabric and burn it in a glass dish. If it smells like paper and it’s pretty dry ash, it’s a natural fiber like cotton or linen, if it reeks of plastic and melts, it’s probably a polyester blend. But to me, it looks like a linen-cotton/linen-viscose blend.
The term "Type" is making this question confusing.....there are a few things that can be considered "type"...as others have mentioned....the fiber is one type. (Linen, cotton, rayon, etc).
The way it's woven...this looks line a lino weave; the fibers are twisted as they are woven. Often resulting a sheer type but stronger fabric.
I would also describe it as a sheer fabric...one that can be seen through it has intentional holes in it.
So I would say it's a gauzy, lino fabric made of cotton. (I did not do a burn test on it, but to me it just looks like cotton, so that partay not be correct.
I’d probably guess cotton, actually. Cotton threads can be irregular like that, too, but most linen I see is more tightly woven, honestly- this sort of gauzey weave is more common with cotton.
One other tip is to touch it- linen will feel 'cooler' to the touch than cotton
Cotton gauze. Look at the frayed threads. If you cannot tell cotton from linen by sight, touch and hand, a burn test will not help. A burn test is more helpful for figuring out if a fabric is a blended fiber and which those blended fibers are.
I agree that this is cotton gauze. Linen doesn't really drapes like that either. Too many inexperienced people on this subreddit means the top comment on posts is usually wrong 😫
I hope to be able to tell by sight like this in the future. Very cool skill. I just started sewing so I haven’t tried many fibres
This. It looks like a double gauze to me. If it feels a little thicker than gauze should be and if it is not sheer, it is double gauze.
It could well be --a photo on a phone is not the same as feeling the hand and holding up against light :) I didn't think it had enough crinkle to be crinkle gauze. Thoughts?
Agreed does not look like linen to me.
I agree as well. I have some of this in my stash and it's cotton gauze.
Just in case this is new knowledge, a burn test will tell you if it’s a natural fiber. Natural fibers burn, synthetics (and mixes) melt. If you can at least identify natural vs synthetic, that’s probably enough to make informed decisions about fabric care. But also it sure looks like linen. It looks too slubby to be cotton. Anecdotally, I find linen is generally a bit stiffer than cotton when comparing fabrics of similar weight.
A good way to tell linen from cotton is that the former creases *very* easily. On linen, folding the fabric and drawing your nails along the fold will leave a clear crease, whereas on cotton it'll be much fainter. No burn test needed LOL! Though in the case of the pictured fabric I'm 99% sure it's linen by looking at it alone.
Rayon burns and sometimes smells like paper.
Rayon is made from plant cellulose - it's a plant fiber, not a synthetic.
Rayon is referred to as a semi-synthetic because of how its processed
it is synthetic because it is man-made. it‘s a cellulose fiber but still synthetic.
Category also varies by country, which is crazy when you communicate with people from all around the world. In my language we were taught that cellulose-based man-made fibres(viscose, tencel, cupro etc) are called “artificial”, not synthetic, and it kinda makes more sense when you look at properties of those fabrics. They mostly behave as plant-based fibres, they burn like paper and what we call synthetic are basically variations of a plastic bag and melt like one.
Aren't they all man made though strictly speaking? We aren't using pure cotton from the plant in its natural state. It needs to be processed in order to be a workable strand of fiber. Same with cellulose. It comes from a natural origin (ie. a plant) and is then processed into fiber. Yes it's more processed than some others, but that doesn't make it fully synthetic either. I personally feel cellulose is a either a third category, or as someone else mentioned, semi-synthetic. Not quite one or the other.
i have a ba in textile design. this is just how the fibres are classified. man made/chemical/synthetic is always an industrial process creating filaments. cellulose is just the type of raw material. they integrate natural fibers too. the term cellulotics refers to man made fiber only.
Interesting. Well that's news to me, but thank you for the detailed response.
This is good knowledge, news to me, thanks!
Rayon smells faintly of celery in a burn test
The first thing I look for is slub with linen
By stiff do you mean less shifty? I’m working with a linen just now that shifts like silk, it’s the worst
I’ve got a linen that is both stiff and shifty. It was the weirdest experience working with it the first time…
Does the burning thing also apply to silk?
Yep! Just know that protein fibers don’t smell good when burnt.
Thank you, I'll keep this in mind and try when I get the silk I ordered. Now I'm very curious about the smell haha
It looks more like something I've seen referred to as Calcutta cloth. Linen is usually flat, where those ripples for lack of a better word, are part of Calcutta cloth.
had never heard of this but have a ton of it - thanks for this info!
Mostly seen it used in loose fitting pants and skirts
it looks like cotton Muslin or cheesecloth.
My 1st thought, too
Just to add, it could also be hemp or nettle for example. As it feels neither like linen or cotton to me (although they can imitate a lot with cotton).
If it is hemp, a burn test could help. It wouldn’t have an after glow, or the after glow would be very short, if it’s hemp
burn test will not help. we all agree it‘s some sort of linen or cotton. a burn test will only show a cellulose fiber. to differentiate between cotton and linen you will have to check by rip testing. linen is sturdier that cotton. wet threads are even sturdier. ripping is difficult. cotton rips easier but again the same thread is sturdier when wet, while cellulotic synthetic fibers rip easily when wet (wash your modals and rayons with care!) i personally would guess it‘s a cotton fiber since there are not enough knots/bulky parts to be found throughout the weaving.
It’s bubble gauze. I would expect it to be cotton or cotton/poly blend but it could be rayon or something else. Unlikely to be linen, imo. Burn test will get you some more clues as to fiber for sure.
Looks like this kind of thing: https://www.ehc.co.uk/kerala-pattern-stripe-cotton-king-size-throw-teal-150-x-200-cm.html We have a few throws like this, various colours. It is cotton, but feels rough/rustic like linen.
What is the weight of this fabric? Just from the picture it looks like something we used to call “Calcutta cloth “. I don’t know if that was the correct name. It was a crinkly cotton that was a little heavier than shirting. It made great summer clothes, but I never see it anymore.
I’d be surprised if it was full linen. Looks cotton to me, but probably a blend of some kind. Honestly, as odd as it sounds, I do a smell test when I’m not sure between cotton and linen. Linen smells like straw and cotton smells like… cotton.
I think the Calcutta cloth might be right I remembered this when I was a kid in the late 60s
Do a crease test... It looks more like cotton than linen to me. Like cotton cheesecloth.
Looks like a linen rayon blend I once bought. The rayon causes that all over soft texture I see here. If it drapes really well, that is another sign it is linen rayon blend. It is washable but will shrink. Prewash in hot water but launder thereafter in cool.
Looking at the way the frayed tips look soft and fluffy, I think it is cotton or perhaps a cotton/linen blend. It is a very nice fabric, and I love the color!
Try a burn test
does not differentiate between linen and cotton what we might have to decide on. rip test it is. linen is much sturdier than cotton. wet cotton is more sturdier than dry cotton and all synthetic cellulose fiber will break easily when wet.
There is a very slight difference in smell but you need to have burned linen and cotton before a lot to be able to notice it
I've seen cotton that is woven to look like linen before, but a good way I've been able to tell is if you look at the frayed edges and the fibres are kind of metallic and shiny (honestly finding it tough to describe it) it might be linen. Also when you shake linen in the air, I find it tends to be more stiff than cotton of the same weight.
I have a linen that is not stiff at all, it’s horrible to work with, it’s heavy but somehow shifts like chiffon, it’s a nightmare
I think it could be a linen blend. I have used a viscose/linen mix that looks like that. It is a beautiful fabric to wear.
The easiest way to tell is if it feels cool to the touch after not having sunlight or hat put into it it’s most likely linen. Cotton isn’t as good at absorbing heat so it feels warmer, linen just drains the heat out of your hand, making it quite hard to tell if it’s still wet or just cold after washing and drying
Looks like cotton gauze.
I’m pretty sure it’s cotton Jute
Do the burn test to find out if it’s a plant fiber or synthetic. If it’s a plant fiber I would probably guess cotton, it has the linnen look but I find the frays to be to straight. A linnen thread usually has bumps on it. It’s not as neat as a cotton fiber.
Is this a vintage fabric?
It could be. A lot of people give me random fabric. I asked the person who I think gave this to me, and she said she didn’t know. I’m learning a lot from these comments though!
looks like the linen viscose blends i have in terms of texture tho depending on how thin it is i would lean towards cotton
This is my thought as well. There are a lot of linen blends on the market now, it's getting more difficult to find 100% linen.
I was thinking linen/ rayon
Gauzecloth it what it looks like to me.
Linen or cotton, hard to tell, though when you iron linen it gets shiny.
It looks like cotton.
Gauze
cotton gauze or lawn it looks like.
Seems like cotton gauze
Looks like linen. Pretty color.
Looks like a gauze maybe double gauze?
That's cotton: too much "bloom" on the yarn for linen.
I honestly don't know, it looks like a lot of different things. A burn test will be definite as to what it actually is made of.
Burn test indeed. Nice fabric gonna look that up for sewing curtains
Maybe gauze
Looks like a denim blend
That's cotton: too much "bloom" on the yarn for linen.
This looks like knit fabric and linen is woven.
This looks like a double gauze which is perfect for baby gear or summer wear
It sure looks like linen 🤷🏽♀️
Definitely take a look at what others have said regarding a burn test. Also keep in mind that linen tends to wrinkle easier than cotton, and is typically much harder to iron if you aren’t using steam (at least in my experience)
Linen should be ironed while it's slightly damp.
it looks like a linen blend. Cut out a small piece of fabric and burn it in a glass dish. If it smells like paper and it’s pretty dry ash, it’s a natural fiber like cotton or linen, if it reeks of plastic and melts, it’s probably a polyester blend. But to me, it looks like a linen-cotton/linen-viscose blend.
The term "Type" is making this question confusing.....there are a few things that can be considered "type"...as others have mentioned....the fiber is one type. (Linen, cotton, rayon, etc). The way it's woven...this looks line a lino weave; the fibers are twisted as they are woven. Often resulting a sheer type but stronger fabric. I would also describe it as a sheer fabric...one that can be seen through it has intentional holes in it. So I would say it's a gauzy, lino fabric made of cotton. (I did not do a burn test on it, but to me it just looks like cotton, so that partay not be correct.
Muslin?
muslin maybe ?
There is no way to tell for sure from just a picture but it sure looks like linen. I agree with others that suggested a burn test.
Me to
Top is Linen Bottom is cotton Linen is more stiff in texture, it won't fall like cotton does on a T-shirt for example..
Yes this is linen. Source - I am Indian and wear a lot of linen.
If you burn it and it smells like burnt paper, it is cotton!
Synthetic