For those of us with old stashes it is a good thing to know if there is poly/cotton in the stash. Poly/cotton was really prevalent in the late 1960s through late 1970s. Personally, I can tell by ironing the piece in question. I have an highly sensitive sense of smell. If I set my iron on a cotton setting and iron a piece of fabric that is poly/cotton the smell of the fabric changes as I'm ironing. I got in the habit of testing the fabric when Auntie started emptying her stash into mine. It is also a good idea if you frequent thrift stores for your fabric.
For a visual on a burn test go to this article from Sew News.
Makes me think of textile class in college - I'm a fairly rare antique - home ec. major - and I set my bangs on fire by getting too close to the bunsen burner!
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Or you find out because when you go to iron it on the cotton setting, the whole thing shrinks. Yikes!! Guess I'll use that piece for a rug. :)
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