Flannel Fabric Guide
Flannel fabric is one of the best textile materials that you may consider for winter days, as it keeps your body warm as well as offer a stylish appeal. No wonder, most people choose flannel garments in order to flaunt on Christmas. The fabric is soft and is woven in various thicknesses. In fact, flannel is so soft that it is used to wrap newborn babies so as to keep them warm.
Flannel was originally created from carded wool or worsted yarn. However, wool, synthetic fiber, or cotton is used to manufacture the flannel fabric nowadays. In case of vegetable flannel, it is produced from pine fiber. Below are some of the important things to know about flannel fabric.
Evolution
The first batch of flannel garments was created by employing soft, staple, and fine wool. Later in the 20th Century, flannel became out of vogue and cotton and silk fabrics became the popular choices for apparels. However, the fabric came back with a bang when it was used for manufacturing flannel sportswear, and dominated the textile market until the late 70’s. By the 90’s, plaid shirts made of flannel became one of the trendiest apparels.
Cotton Flannel
One of the commonly used fabrics in quilting is cotton flannel. This type of garments will be fuzzy or napped on either one side or on both sides. Cotton flannels are used in shirts, trousers, baby clothes, bed sheets, etc. However, you cannot use cotton flannel in heavier sheets such as comforters.
Organic Cotton Flannel
While manufacturing flannel clothes, the main concern is not about the of threads used in it. Instead, the thickness of the fibers used in the process is the one that counts. In the process, such thick fibers, which are capable of trapping heat, are brushed depending on the softness required for the garment.
Shrinkage
Flannels are prone to shrinkage even if you avoid prewashing the garment. Hence, it is appropriate to buy at least a quarter yard extra in order to balance out the shrinkage loss. Else, you will not be able to wear clothing made of flannel fabric after you wash it.
Washing
It is recommended to keep the temperature of water consistent while washing flannel clothes. Moreover, you need to add a fabric softener as well, especially when machine-washing flannel garments. If not, you may add an extra drying sheet to the drying cycle. After this, you may just air dry or machine-dry the clothes as per your convenience.
