Find out fiber composition in thread?
Some years ago, my MIL gave me several old bobbins of thread, I guess they came from the inventory of FIL's shoemaker's workshop.
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(Apart from those on the picture, there are several more with white thread, and one brown.)
If I could be sure this would be 100 % coton thread, I would like to use it for handpiecing, but there isn't any information about the composition on the bobbins. It only tells me most are made in Belgium by the 'Filature & filteries réunies', and there are 500 yards on a bobbin (strange, that it gives the length in yards - and only on some bobbins in meters), and a number that seems to indicate the thicknes of the tread (going from 10 for the rather coarse beige thread on the largest spool, to 30 on the white and green thread, and 36 and even on different hues of brown (but two different hues have both 36, and I have a spool of the same shade of brown - but slightly different thickness - with 36 and 40)
But for the composition...
I seem to remember that there is a way to find out if a fiber contains coton, wool or polyester, by burning a piece of thread... By the smell and by the look of the ashes you could then determine which fiber you have. Anyone who knows more about this?
If the yarn is 100% coton, I'd like to use it for handpiecing, but if it contains polyester, I'd rather not use them...