I was given four plastic bags full of fabric, scraps and yardage. I was like a little kid at Christmas sorting thru all the fabric, ooohing and aahhing. There were only two pieces that weren't usable in a quilt. But there is a six inch pile of 10" squares that has me stumped. It is a beautiful red and black plaid woven fabric with a brushed finish almost like a flannel. But the weave is much looser. I am just not sure what it is....cotton?....wool? Is there a method I can use to identify what is in the fabric?

Set it on fire. Really. Snip off a tiny corner, hold it with tweezers and set it on fire over a clean ashtray or the sink. Soft gray ash is cotton, a black hard ash is some kind of poly or other non natural fiber. If it smells like paper it's probably rayon. If it smells like burnt hair it's either silk or wool.

What you have sounds like a homespun though. Homespuns are a looser weave and they're woven from dyed yarns instead of printed after weaving.

what she said

here is a great link that provides some good information about burn testing fabric.

http://quilting.about.com/od/fabrice.../burn_test.htm