Fleece Fabric, called polar fleece in Chinese, is an exceptionally unique functional fabric made generally of wool, synthetic fibers, or a blend of both thickly layered with fine fluff which enhances its insulation capabilities greatly keeping us warm by trapping the low ambient temperatures of the outside world during cold weather and locking body heat inside.
Features of Fleece Fabric
One of the reasons why Fleece Fabric proves to be so popular is that it possesses numerous excellent characteristics, each of which may show unique advantages in different application scenarios.
- Fleece Fabric is very warm because of its specific Fiber Structure. Its fibers are compactly arranged, creating many tiny spaces between the fabric for air storage. Now, as is known, air is a poor conductor of heat. These stored air spaces act almost like a built-in insulation barrier, standing firm against the invasion of cold air coming in from the outside, while locking in very well the heat coming off our bodies, thereby creating warmth and comfort to wear for us.
- Touch Fleece Fabric, and the first thing you will sense is its incredible softness. Imagine petting a gentle lamb’s fur. It is fine and very soft to touch. Wearing clothes made with this fabric is very comfortable. It lies lightly on the skin, not bunched up tightly; it may as well be a second skin.
- Compared to certain traditional heavy warm fabrics, Fleece Fabric is much lighter. This feature will enable it to retain the warming effect while enhancing the wear comfort and motion flexibility enormously. Just think of it. If you travel over long distances or play outdoor sports in heavy apparel, your motion gets impeded with the added fatigue you develop.
Types of Fleece Fabric
Fleece Fabric is varied, rich, and diverse.e The above descriptions are just some of the different types of Fleece Fabric, each with its features in material, performance, and use to meet people’s different needs.
- Wool flannel is a Fleece Fabric that uses natural wool as its raw material. It is due to the special curling structure of wool fibers that helps in forming many air cells within the fabric, giving the wool flannel excellent thermal insulation capability, just like building a solid warm defense line for the body, which can make you feel warm in the cold winter. Moreover, the wool flannel has a soft texture and gives a fine sense to the wearer, which makes him comfortable while wearing it on even bare skin. It also shows good hygroscopic properties, which means that it can absorb the sweat coming out of your body and take it out quickly, so that your skin remains dry, creating a perfect wearing environment for you.
- Flannel clothing of synthetic fibers- Clothing parts with polyester fibers: Polyester fibers are prone to being of high strength and have good abrasion resistance, making synthetic fiber flannel very durable. A few more wearings and a wash do not make it prone to wearing and deforming; it will hold up ‘perfectly’ for a long time. The flannel also has outstanding fast-drying qualities. It dries fast after washing, which is a huge time saver on waiting to dry and is ideal for today’s fast-paced life. Also, it’s wrinkle-free, so very easy to maintain. It can be made flat once again with simple straightening.
- Woolen clothes, as a rule, are woven from wool and artificial fibers, for example, the standard combination of wool and polyester fibers. This mixing technique helps in preserving the gentleness, coziness, warmth, and excellent moisture absorption of wool in addition to constructing features akin to synthetic fibers, for example, wear resistance, fast drying, and wrinkle resistance.
Fleece Fabric Production Process
- Picking the Right Materials
The most important factor in the making of raw material in Fleece Fabric which consequently affects the quality and performance of the end product. If wool is used, fine quality fine wool is selected, for example, Merinos whose fibers are fine with an average diameter of generally below 19.5 microns. This makes flannel made from it have an extremely soft feel as well as good warmth retention. Polyester fibers are relatively cheaper and have high strength as well as good wear resistance, which could result in Fleece Fabric being pretty durable. Thermosellement Nanostitch Ellehammer(2012)
Control of the ratio of wool to synthetic fiber during blending is especially important. - Textile Tech
Once the raw materials are picked, the textile process commences. First, the fibers are combed in one direction to make future spinning easy. The fibers are spun into yarn via the spinning process. Wool spinning is generally done by ring spinning or air-jet spinning. Ring yarn tends to be of better quality and stronger, which will complement the finished Fleece Fabric’s durability; air-jet spinning is fast and thus suited to mass production. When spinning is done, it will be woven into grey cloth. The two major weaving techniques are knitting and interlacing. Knitted Fleece Fabric has good elasticity and is comfortable to wear. It is usually made into underwear, as, for example, thermal underwear; interwoven Fleece Fabric has a looser shape and strength. It is usually made into coats and backpacks, which would be able to resist certain external forces. - Improving treatment
Raising is, arguably, the most crucial operation in Fleece Fabric production. All the fluff that makes up the fabric’s iconic surface is raised at this juncture. Usually, raising is a mechanical process. A raising machine’s roller or wire brush runs over the grey fabric’s surface; this causes the fibers to stand from the grey cloth, hence the fluff. The raisin calibrations in terms of frequency (times of raising), intensity, and velocity must, therefore, meet precision. Too few times will leave the fluff less than full; too many will tear the material, and give a bad appearance of strength. It needs to control the strength and speed as well. Proper strength and speed would give it so that the fluff is evenly distributed on the surface of the fabric to show a delicate and soft texture. Fluff raising, afterwards, shall be sheared to level the length of the fluff, enhancing it further in appearance and touch.
Application fields of Fleece Fabric
Fleece Fabric applications are innumerable, and the fabric, due to the characteristics mentioned above found extensive use in many fields, adding much ease and comfort to our lives.
- Fleece Fabric has a very wide range of uses in the field of outdoor sports. Generally, it’s been used very much for the manufacture of mountaineering wear, snow suits, and jacket liners, etc. With this material, climbing the temperature will then start shedding on as one attains higher altitudes, and most of the time, the temperature soars to extreme levels, creating adverse conditions. That’s when a Fleece Fabric mountaineering suit becomes indispensable in keeping warm. Its thermal insulating properties insulate well so that a climber can be warm even in extremely low-temperature conditions, and its excellent breathability allows the sweat produced by the body during exercise to be quickly discharged, avoiding the cold and discomfort due to sweat’s wetting. On the ski resort, skiers wear ski suits made of Fleece Fabric that, at high speeds, can resist the invasion of cold wind and keep the body dry when exercising to enjoy the fun of skiing.
Everyday clothes - Besides this, Fleece Fabric is one of the most widespread materials in day-to-day wearing apparel. People wear winter sweatshirts, warm jackets, thermal underwear, etc., made from fleece. Fleece fabric is a hotcake in the autumn and winter seasons, mostly during the cold seasons, because it keeps people warm, plus its style is trendy. It’s a loose version, so one size fits all, and it does not appear puffy even with heavy inner wear. Besides, the design styles of polar fleece sweatshirts are rich and varied, from simple monochrome styles to those adorned with prints and patterns. Whether you love it for its comfort or are a devotee of unique designs, you will not miss finding your choice.
- Household accessories made of Fleece Fabric provide comfort and warmth in household items. Among the most common are blankets. Especially during a cold winter’s night, one can just snuggle up on the sofa and get wrapped in a Fleece blanket. It is duly noted how, immediately getting in touch with the soft and warm feelings of the Fleece Fabric, one begins to relax and enjoy their comfy leisure time. The blanket has strong warmth retention and can resist low temperatures in the room, so it creates a warm, small space for you. Meanwhile, most of the cushions are made from Fleece Fabric so that once placed on the sofa or bed are soft and comfortable to bring relief to your physical fatigue. By its good looks alone, it can already add glamour to a home, which can increase the home’s texture.
Choosing and Keeping Fleece Fabric in Good Shape
- Tips for Picking
When opting for Fleece Fabric products, the texture of the fabric should be checked first. Try touching the fabric with your hands to sense whether it is soft, and feel the fine fluff. The ideal Fleece Fabric is soft and flat, finished with uniform fine fluff, devoid of ruggedness and lumps. Moderately tug the fabric to check for elasticity and strength. The good quality of the material is typically associated with modest elasticity that does not wrinkle easily and strength. Thirdly, one ought to test the wadding properties of Fleece Fabric cloth. Wadding shall spoil the good look and life of dress materials. On your own, you could assess it just by whether the particular face regarding cloth is likely to pill, or perhaps take the consumer’s review. - Taking cleaning precautions
The cleaning frequency must be controlled for Fleece Fabric. The washing is not to be done many times as it will loosen up the fabric’s fiber structure, and thereby affect its warmth as well as softness. While selecting detergents, use light neutral detergents and scrupulously avoid decontamination ingredients and bleach-containing detergents, for they might cause harm to the fabric. 在Dissolve an appropriate amount of neutral detergent in warm water at about 30°C, stir it gently to disperse it, and then soak the clothes in it for 15-20 minutes to allow the detergent to take full effect. Don’t wring them out; remember that the fabric is weak against deformation. You can squeeze them lightly or press a dry towel to remove water from them. - Methods of storage
Proper storage techniques can help in the lifespan of fleece fabric products. After air drying, clothes should be dry. A damp atmosphere is likely to cause moulding and breed bacteria, hence diminishing the quality and health of your clothes. Hep the clothes out in a well-aerated place to dry out, not in direct sunlight because prolonged exposure to sunlight fades and hardens the fabric material. Fold the garment neatly and put it in a wardrobe without moisture. Avoid moth infestation by placing mothballs or other insect repellents in the wardrobe, but be sure to wrap them in paper towels or cloth bags to keep the repellent from touching your clothes, lest you risk damaging your clothes and leaving them with odors. At the same time, checking the clothes in the wardrobe regularly and keeping the wardrobe clean and hygienic can also work as a way of preventing moth infestation.
Fleece fabric has so many benefits that it makes it inseparable from our lives: warmth, softness, and lightness. It will do well in making jackets that will cover us in chilly weather while jogging; it is also good for sweaters that make us warm and comfortable in everyday life, and even for blankets to increase the cozy feeling at home. Wool flannel, synthetic fiber flannel, and blended flannel are different types of Fleece fabric; each has attributes and uses according to a person’s needs. Craftsmen have devoted every step from raw material selection through technology assistance in textile production to key piece treatment with their knowledge and effort to realize a superior quality Fleece fabric.
In choosing Fleece fabric items, people may pick according to the material’s feel, the title it has with them is well-liked, and the price and quality of the item. When taking care of it, following the right washing and keeping steps, Fleece fabric can stay in good shape and will live a longer usable life. I hope that after knowing about Fleece fabric, all of you will be able to select and use the goods of Fleece fabric based on your individual wants in life and enjoy the warmth and ease they give.
