Flannel

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Flannel shirts are often plaid. Flannel Shirt For Abi.jpg
Flannel shirts are often plaid.

Flannel is a soft woven fabric, of varying fineness. Flannel was originally made from carded wool or worsted yarn, but is now often made from either wool, cotton, or synthetic fiber. Flannel is commonly used to make tartan clothing, blankets, bed sheets, sleepwear, and several other uses.

Contents

Flannel may be brushed to create extra softness or remain unbrushed. Brushing is a mechanical process wherein a fine metal brush rubs the fabric to raise fine fibres from the loosely spun yarns to form a nap on one or both sides. If the flannel is not napped, it gains its softness through the loosely spun yarn in its woven form.

The term "flannel shirt" is often mistakenly used to refer to any shirt with a plaid or tartan pattern. However, 'flannel' refers simply to the fabric; not all flannel shirts are plaid and not all plaid shirts are flannel.

History

The word's origin is uncertain, but a Welsh origin has been suggested as fabric similar to flannel can be traced back to Wales, where it was well known as early as the 16th century. The fabric was called ''Welsh cotton'', and despite its name, it was a coarse woolen material with a fluffed surface similar to flannel. [1] [2]

The French term flanelle was used in the late 17th century, and the German Flanell was used in the early 18th century. [3]

Flannel has been made since the 17th century, gradually replacing the older Welsh plains, some of which were finished as "cottons" or friezes, coarse woolen cloth that was the local textile product. In the 19th century, flannel was made particularly in towns such as Newtown, Montgomeryshire, [4] Hay on Wye, [5] and Llanidloes. [6] The expansion of its production is closely associated with the spread of carding mills, which prepared the wool for spinning, this being the first aspect of the production of woollen cloth to be mechanised (apart from fulling). The marketing of these Welsh woollen clothes was largely controlled by the Drapers Company of Shrewsbury. [7] [8] [9]

At one time, Welsh, Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Irish flannels differed slightly in character due largely to the grade of raw wool used in the several localities, some being softer and finer than others. Dyes determine the flannel's color; this was achieved by mixing white, blue, brown, and black wools in varying proportions. Lighter shades were achieved by bleaching with sulphur dioxide. [10]

Red Flannel Skirt, designed by Sybil Connolly in 1957 Washer Woman skirt 1957 by Sybil Connolly.jpg
Red Flannel Skirt, designed by Sybil Connolly in 1957

During the 1950s, Irish designer Sybil Connolly, inspired by Aran Island and traditional Irish peasant skirts, designed a 'Red Flannel' skirt using red flannel wool. [11]

Originally, flannel was made of fine, short staple wool, but by the 20th century, mixtures of silk and cotton had become common. At this time, flannel trousers became popular in sports, especially cricket, and it was used extensively until the late 1970s.

Flannel plaid shirts became popular teen wear in the early 1990s, being part of the grunge style of bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam. [12]

Types

Flannelette typically refers to a napped cotton fabric imitating the texture of flannel. The weft is generally coarser than the warp. The flannel-like appearance is created by creating a nap from the weft; scratching it and raising it up. Flannelette can either have long or short nap, and can be napped on one or two sides. It comes in many colours, both solid and patterned. [13]

Baby flannel is a lightweight fabric used for childrenswear. [14]

Cotton flannel or Canton flannel is a cotton fabric napped on one or two sides.

Ceylon's flannel was a name for a wool and cotton mixture. [10]

Diaper flannel is a stout cotton fabric napped on both sides, and used for making cloth diapers.

Vegetable flannel , invented by Léopold Lairitz in Germany in the 1800s, uses fibres from the Scots pine rather than wool. [15]

Weave

Flannel, flannelette, and cotton flannel can be woven in either a twill weave or plain weave. The weave is often hidden by napping on one or both sides. After weaving, it is napped once, then bleached, dyed, or otherwise treated, and then napped a second time. [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Calico is a heavy plain-woven textile made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. It may also contain unseparated husk parts. The fabric is far coarser than muslin, but less coarse and thick than canvas or denim. However, it is still very cheap owing to its unfinished and undyed appearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worsted</span> Fabrics manufactured from worsted yarns

Worsted is a high-quality type of wool yarn, the fabric made from this yarn, and a yarn weight category. The name derives from Worstead, a village in the English county of Norfolk. That village, together with North Walsham and Aylsham, formed a manufacturing centre for yarn and cloth in the 12th century, when pasture enclosure and liming rendered the East Anglian soil too rich for the older agrarian sheep breeds. In the same period, many weavers from the County of Flanders moved to Norfolk. "Worsted" yarns/fabrics are distinct from woollens : the former is considered stronger, finer, smoother, and harder than the latter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madras (cloth)</span> Fine handwoven cotton fabric of India

Madras is a lightweight cotton fabric with typically patterned texture and tartan design, used primarily for summer clothing such as pants, shorts, lungi, dresses, and jackets. The fabric takes its name from the former name of the city of Chennai in south India.

Woolen or woollen is a type of yarn made from carded wool. Woolen yarn is soft, light, stretchy, and full of air. It is thus a good insulator, and makes a good knitting yarn. Woolen yarn is in contrast to worsted yarn, in which the fibers are combed to lie parallel rather than carded, producing a hard, strong yarn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poplin</span> Strong, plain-weave fabric with a fine cross-rib

Poplin, also called tabinet, is a fine wool, cotton or silk fabric with crosswise ribs that typically give a corded surface. Nowadays, the name refers to a strong material in a plain weave of any fiber or blend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serge (fabric)</span> Type of twill fabric

Serge is a type of twill fabric that has diagonal lines or ridges on both inner and outer surfaces via a two-up, two-down weave. The worsted variety is used in making military uniforms, suits, greatcoats, and trench coats. Its counterpart, silk serge, is used for linings. French serge is a softer, finer variety. The word is also used for a high-quality woven woolen fabric.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blanket</span> Type of bedding

A blanket is a swath of soft cloth large enough either to cover or to enfold most of the user's body and thick enough to keep the body warm by trapping radiant body heat that otherwise would be lost through conduction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Double cloth</span> Woven textile type

Double cloth or double weave is a kind of woven textile in which two or more sets of warps and one or more sets of weft or filling yarns are interconnected to form a two-layered cloth. The movement of threads between the layers allows complex patterns and surface textures to be created.

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Crêpe, also spelled crepe or crape, is a silk, wool, or synthetic fiber fabric with a distinctively crisp and crimped appearance. The term "crape" typically refers to a form of the fabric associated specifically with mourning. Crêpe was also historically called "crespe" or "crisp".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Textile manufacturing</span> The industry which produces textiles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linsey-woolsey</span> Coarse woven fabric of linen and wool

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<i>Kasuri</i> Japanese textile technique

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Kersey is a kind of coarse woollen cloth that was an important component of the textile trade in Medieval England.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Units of textile measurement</span> Systems for measuring textiles

Textile fibers, threads, yarns and fabrics are measured in a multiplicity of units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nap (fabric)</span> Raised fibers on the surface of a textile, or the directionality of such a raised surface

Primarily, nap is the raised (fuzzy) surface on certain kinds of cloth, such as velvet or moleskin. Nap can refer additionally to other surfaces that look like the surface of a napped cloth, such as the surface of a felt or beaver hat.

Textile manufacturing is one of the oldest human activities. The oldest known textiles date back to about 5000 B.C. In order to make textiles, the first requirement is a source of fibre from which a yarn can be made, primarily by spinning. The yarn is processed by knitting or weaving to create cloth. The machine used for weaving is the loom. Cloth is finished by what are described as wet process to become fabric. The fabric may be dyed, printed or decorated by embroidering with coloured yarns.

Cheviot, Wool Woolen fabric originally made from Cheviot sheep wool and now also made from other types of wool or from blends of wool and man-made fibres in plain or various twill weaves. Cheviot Sheep originate from the border of England and Scotland, and their name is derived from Cheviot Hills, a range of hills in north Northumberland and the Scottish Borders. Cheviot wool possesses good spinning qualities, since the fibre is fine, soft, and pliable. It has a crispness of texture similar to serge but is slightly rougher and heavier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woollen industry in Wales</span> Overview of the woollen industry in Wales

The woollen industry in Wales was at times the country's most important industry, though it often struggled to compete with the better-funded woollen mills in the north of England, and almost disappeared during the 20th century. There is continued demand for quality Welsh woollen products.

References

  1. ↑ Montgomery, Florence M. (1984). Textiles in America 1650-1870 : a dictionary based on original documents, prints and paintings, commercial records, American merchants' papers, shopkeepers' advertisements, and pattern books with original swatches of cloth. Internet Archive. New York; London : Norton. p. 373. ISBN   978-0-393-01703-8.
  2. ↑ "WELSH COTTON | Definition of WELSH COTTON by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of WELSH COTTON". Lexico Dictionaries | English. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  3. ↑ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Flannel"  . Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 480–481.
  4. ↑ "Newtown History". Archived from the original on April 20, 2007.
  5. ↑ "Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust - Projects - Historic Landscapes - Middle Wye - Administrative Landscapes". www.cpat.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2022-08-18. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  6. ↑ "Llanidloes - the flannel industry". history.powys.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2006-09-25. Retrieved 2007-02-20.
  7. ↑ Dodd, A. H. (1931). Industrial Revolution in North Wales. pp. 229–81.
  8. ↑ Jenkins, J. Geraint (1969). The Welsh Woollen Industry. Cardiff.
  9. ↑ Jenkins, J. Geraint (1963). "The woollen industry in Montgomeryshire". Montgomeryshire Collections. Vol. 58. pp. 50–69.
  10. 1 2 The Concise Household Encyclopedia (c. 1935) The Amalgamated Press, London
  11. ↑ "Clothes we still remember". Irish Times. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  12. ↑ "Manufacturing Platform for Apparel Industry | Fast & Sustainable - Fashinza". fashinza.com. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  13. ↑ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Flannelette"  . Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 481.
  14. ↑ Lewandowski, Elizabeth J. Lewandowski; [illustrations by Dan (2011). The complete costume dictionary. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, Inc. p. 19. ISBN   9780810840041. Archived from the original on 2023-02-23. Retrieved 2016-11-06.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ↑ "Vegetable Flannel". Frank Leslie's Pleasant Hours: 256. 1869.
  16. ↑ Grosicki, Z (2014). Watson's Textile Design and Colour. Elsevier Science. p. 327. ISBN   9781782420088.
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