It might sound a little crazy, but one of the surest ways to identify a fiber without special equipment is to light a small swatch of it on fire!
Safety first: do this in a well-ventilated area, away from anything else flammable.
You'll need a scrap of your fabric about 1" by 3", a metal tweezer, a heatproof dish, and a flame source - a lighter works better than a match since it has less odor.
Grasp the swatch in the tweezers and bring it toward the flame.
Observe. What's the fabric doing? Does it burn? When you take it away from the flame, does it go out, or keep burning?
How about the smell? Rayon and cotton smell like burning paper, while wool smells like burnt hair.
Study the ash. What color is it? Can you crush it in your fingers? Most natural fibers have a crushable ash, while synthetics make a hard, plastic-y bead.
If you're working with a blend, you may get mixed results, but this test is sure to give you some insight beyond just touch.
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