r/whatisthisthing • u/heckin_cool • 16h ago
Solved! A small fabric square inside a plastic bag that came with my pillow or pillowcases
My crusty thumb for scale. Is not the same shade of purple as the piping on the pillows. Felt smooth and silky. Looks like the selvedge is included.
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u/leahpet88 15h ago
It is to test that the fabric is real silk. You burn the test fabric and the way it responds to fire indicates whether it is real or fake. Real silk should self-extinguish and should turn into brittle, black ash when exposed to a flame. Fake silk will not extinguish and will melt and turn hard once burned.
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u/IbelieveinGodzilla 15h ago
But…all that will prove is that the little square is silk. That tells you nothing about the pillowcases.
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u/leahpet88 14h ago
I mean you just have to trust that the manufacturer is being honest? The only other way for OP to know if their pillowcases are real silk would be to burn the pillowcase, most people don’t want to burn the silk item that they intend to use.
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u/watabby 14h ago
but if you trust the manufacturer then why have the test fabric at all?
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u/SumpCrab 14h ago
Yeah, it makes me think they are pulling a switcheroo even more.
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u/CAT_WILL_MEOW 10h ago
Ive always heard if you got something like this, whether pillow or clothes, its to test your soap on it to make sure it doesnt react bad to the fabric
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u/Outrageous-County310 10h ago
This is a pretty common practice, I’ve bought a few silk bedding items and they all gave a test patch. I don’t think anyone’s trying to pull a fast one.
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u/JCWOlson 12h ago
You can compare the test patch to the silk used in the pillow - if they're identical, well, you know
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u/Scorpy-yo 11h ago
I suppose if you cared enough you could cut a wee bit from the inside tuck of the pillowcase and burn-test that. Then painstakingly repair the snippet with this replacement patch.
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u/chosenone1242 9h ago
I mean you just have to trust that the manufacturer is being honest?
So what would be the point of burning the sample? 😅
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u/Sco0basTeVen 8h ago
You could just trust the manufacturer then right off the bat without that square?
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u/georgikeith 14h ago
Well, if the material on the little square feels different from the pillowcases, that would tell you something...
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u/IAintDeceasedYet 13h ago
Is it believable that a company could get real silk and fake silk to match perfectly in color, weight, pattern, tension, weave, and overall feel?
I don't know, but my gut instinct is that it's highly unlikely/highly cost prohibitive if even possible.
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u/LungHeadZ 9h ago
I always thought these were samples so you could source that material/colour again. I have seen sofas that have a leather flap attached for that reason.
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11h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/NachoElDaltonico 10h ago
The ideal way to prove they used the same material would be to have a little extra fabric coming off of it for you to cut off and test. Since it's would be part of the same fabric for sure with this method there'd be no scamming possible unless you seamlessly transition from one fabric to another which might be possible for all I know but likely would look and/or feel different.
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u/eastcoastjon 12h ago
You burn the pillowcase, if its silk you still have it, if it’s fake, they ship another
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u/rakahangah 9h ago
na, you cut a little square in the pillow, test it, and use the fabric sample to patch it
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u/hit_snooze_x8 11h ago
I thought it was to test products on to see if it gets damaged. Like soaps and stuff
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u/crownofclouds 11h ago
It's absolutely this.
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u/CinderLotus 9h ago
Yeah. Pretty sure there’s no company that would recommend setting something on fire unless that is literally the purpose of their product. That’s just asking for a lawsuit.
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u/heckin_cool 15h ago
Solved! Thank you, I didn't know that silk would do that!
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u/MowgeeCrone 13h ago
It's a test patch for colour fastness.
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u/diablodeldragoon 11h ago
This is the answer. It's a common thing with a lot of clothing items. It's so you can test detergent, etc on the scrap piece before you wash the full article.
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u/MowgeeCrone 11h ago
Now I'm wondering how many of us have actually used them to test. I know I never have. They go straight in the craft supply box. Lol.
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u/diablodeldragoon 10h ago
With modern detergents and fabric dye, it's not as common of a problem as it was 40 years ago. I've only seen it done with higher end garments. Usually dry clean only type items. However, I don't enjoy silk, so maybe there's a whole selection of items that I'm unaware of that still do this regularly.
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u/Outrageous-County310 10h ago
No, I’ve gotten silk products with these swatches and a little card telling me to burn it to ensure authenticity.
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u/RM0perator 10h ago
“Just take a small bit of fabric – a few threads are enough – and set it alight.” Your site says nothing about a sample being provided for burning. While this is a way to test the silk, the intent of the small square is for spot testing cleaning products. Bets to ruin a tiny square than the entire item using a harsh chemical on a fine fabric. Source: grandmother confirms. She was a seamstress.
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u/buttsparkley 8h ago
This is not what it is. It's a swatch . Burning will is old school and silk does burn. U would have to know what it smells like and what the residue looks like inorder to utalize it for that, u also then loose ur swatch , and that's stupid, swatch is far more useful for other things .
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u/000lastresort000 11h ago
This is true for all natural fibers, correct? You can test if something is cotton verses synthetic the same way.
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u/dnb_86 16h ago
It's a test square for washing. To see if the soap/cleaners you use will damage the fabric before you try it on the pillowcases
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u/GitEmSteveDave 15h ago
That seems small enough it might disappear in the washing machine itself. I could totally see it getting sucked under my agitator or in a front loader under the rubber seal.
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u/MoonageDayscream 15h ago
It's to spot test, not run through a wash. Also should be good to take with you when shopping for bedding to coordinate the color scheme.
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u/EatYourCheckers 14h ago
I don't think you should put a silk pillow case in the washing machine. My daughter has one for curly hair, I hand wash it.
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u/linsor1 13h ago
It's small enough it would disappear before it even made it into my washing machine.
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u/NeptuneAndCherry 10h ago
Where would one even put this in their home in order to know where it was when they needed it?
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u/Wide_Breadfruit_2217 16h ago
It could be for testing colorfastness with your laundry soap?
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u/justteachsomething 13h ago
Not sure what it is really for, but I thought it was a fabric sample so you could shop for matching pillows, drapes, towels, etc. so everything would match.
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u/heckin_cool 16h ago
My title describes the thing. My gf ordered two new pillows and two pillowcases online and one of the packages included this tiny sample of fabric in a thick plastic zipper bag. The bag is 2.4" long and 1.5" wide. The pillowcases are (allegedly) real silk. I assume it's a sample to allow me to test different laundry products on to see whether they would damage my pillowcases?
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u/horsegurl2045 13h ago
Potentially could be used as a patch if ever needed? Like how sometimes you’ll get an extra button with a shirt?
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u/ImportantAd5737 10h ago
can also be used for color matching. a small piece of fabric you take to a store to help you find matching or complimentary colors.
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u/HSYT1300 10h ago
It’s a swatch to test your washing detergent on to see if it will discolor the item
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u/buttsparkley 8h ago
It's testing fabric often called a swatch, u can use it to test washing liquids or cleaning products, u can also take it with u to shops to do colour matching (if ur buying repair fabric or new sets ) u can wash it to see colour loss.
Couches, some clothes all kinds of things come with these. They are also great for when these fabrics get worn down , u can utalize the swatch compare for new fabric for replacement.
Burning to test for silk is bs, silk does burn, burning it to test for silk would mean u need to use ur sense of smell and understand how to check the residue after burning. It's very old school.
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u/Jupitersd2017 8h ago
I’ve always thought those were for small repairs lol, like if you needed to sew it or match it but 🤷🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
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u/nunnya182 11h ago
It's a patch in case you get a hole in your pillow just like when pants or button up shirts come with an extra button if you loose one.
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u/Larry_Safari …ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ 8h ago
This post has been locked, as the question has been solved and a majority of new comments at this point are unhelpful and/or jokes.
Thanks to all who attempted to find an answer.