View source for Flannel

{{Short description|Soft woven fabric}}
{{about|the fabric|the toiletry item|Washcloth}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Not to be confused with|Plaid|text=a [[tartan|plaid]] fabric}}
[[File:Flannel Shirt For Abi.jpg|alt=Grenn flannel shirt in front of red brick wall|thumb|Flannel shirts are often [[tartan|plaid]].]]
'''Flannel''' is a soft [[#Weave|woven]] [[fabric]], of varying fineness. Flannel was originally made from [[carding|carded]] [[wool]] or [[worsted]] yarn, but is now often made from either wool, [[cotton]], or [[synthetic fiber]].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, [[blanket]]s, [[bed sheet]]s, [[sleepwear]], and several other uses.

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 (textile)|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 (pattern)|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 <nowiki>''Welsh cotton''</nowiki>, and despite its name, it was a coarse [[woolen]] material with a fluffed surface similar to flannel.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Montgomery|first=Florence M.|url=https://archive.org/details/textilesinameric00mont|title=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|date=1984|publisher=New York; London : Norton|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-393-01703-8|pages=373}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=WELSH COTTON {{!}} Definition of WELSH COTTON by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of WELSH COTTON|url=https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/welsh_cotton|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806131116/https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/welsh_cotton|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 6, 2020|access-date=2021-05-20|website=Lexico Dictionaries {{!}} English|language=en}}</ref>

The French term ''flanelle'' was used in the late 17th century, and the German ''Flanell'' was used in the early 18th century.<ref name="FEB">{{cite EB1911 |wstitle = Flannel|volume=10 |pages=480–481}}</ref>

Flannel has been made since the 17th century, gradually replacing the older Welsh plains, some of which were finished as "cottons" or [[Frieze (textile)|friezes]], coarse woolen cloth that was the local [[textile]] product. In the 19th century, flannel was made particularly in towns such as [[Newtown, Montgomeryshire]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newtown.org.uk/history.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070420161245/http://www.newtown.org.uk/history.htm|url-status=dead|title=Newtown History|archivedate=April 20, 2007}}</ref> [[Hay on Wye]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cpat.org.uk/projects/longer/histland/midwye/mwindust.htm|title=Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust - Projects - Historic Landscapes - Middle Wye - Administrative Landscapes|website=www.cpat.org.uk|access-date=2023-02-23|archive-date=2022-08-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818010328/https://www.cpat.org.uk/projects/longer/histland/midwye/mwindust.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Llanidloes]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://history.powys.org.uk/history/llani/flan1.html|title=Llanidloes - the flannel industry|website=history.powys.org.uk|access-date=2007-02-20|archive-date=2006-09-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925102414/http://history.powys.org.uk/history/llani/flan1.html|url-status=live}}</ref>  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 [[Woollen industry in Wales|Welsh woollen]] clothes was largely controlled by the [[Drapers Company of Shrewsbury]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Dodd|first=A. H.|title=Industrial Revolution in North Wales|year=1931|pages=229–81}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Jenkins|first=J. Geraint|title=The Welsh Woollen Industry|publisher=Cardiff|year=1969}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Jenkins|first=J. Geraint|title=Montgomeryshire Collections|year=1963|volume=58 |pages=50–69|chapter=The woollen industry in Montgomeryshire}}</ref><!-- Being British articles, they use the British spelling "woollen": please do not "correct" it to the American "woolen". -->

Flannel became popular in the United States during the Civil War, when it was imported as an inexpensive, sturdy material for soldiers’ basic coats and undershirts. American entrepreneur Hamilton Carhartt is most credited with popularizing flannel garments in the USA. He opened a flannel-focused textile plant, the first of its kind, in Detroit in 1889. It was during the years following this introduction that the American middle class adopted the flannel shirt as a workwear staple.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.heddels.com/2018/01/the-history-of-flannel-2/ |title=All About Flannel - Winter Fabric from Wales |date=4 January 2018 }}</ref>

At one time, Welsh, Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Irish flannels differed slightly in character due largely to the grade of raw wool used, 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#As a reducing agent|sulphur dioxide]].<ref name=concise/>

[[File:Washer Woman skirt 1957 by Sybil Connolly.jpg|thumb|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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Gabrielle |date=1996-10-25 |title=Clothes we still remember |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/clothes-from-when-we-still-remember-1.99277?mode=sample&auth-failed=1&pw-origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.irishtimes.com%2Fnews%2Fclothes-from-when-we-still-remember-1.99277 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120202305/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/clothes-from-when-we-still-remember-1.99277?mode=sample&auth-failed=1&pw-origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.irishtimes.com%2Fnews%2Fclothes-from-when-we-still-remember-1.99277 |archive-date=20 January 2022 |access-date=20 January 2022 |website=Irish Times}}</ref>

Originally, flannel was made of fine, short [[staple (wool)|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 [[lumberjack shirt|plaid shirt]]s became popular teen wear in the early 1990s, being part of the [[grunge]] style of bands like [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] and [[Pearl Jam]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Manufacturing Platform for Apparel Industry {{!}} Fast & Sustainable - Fashinza |url=https://fashinza.com/fashion-designs/design-trends/90s-grunge-fashion-the-history-of-grunge-and-90s-fashion/ |access-date=2023-12-12 |website=fashinza.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Types==
{{Anchor|Flannelette}}'''Flannelette''' typically refers to a napped [[cotton]] fabric imitating the texture of flannel. The [[weft]] is generally coarser than the [[Warp (weaving)|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.<ref name="1911EB">{{cite EB1911 |wstitle = Flannelette| volume=10 |page=481}}</ref>

'''Baby flannel''' is a lightweight fabric used for childrenswear.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lewandowski|first=Elizabeth J. Lewandowski; [illustrations by Dan|title=The complete costume dictionary|year=2011|publisher=Scarecrow Press, Inc.|location=Lanham, Md.|isbn=9780810840041|pages=19|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PeXfpsvFyysC&pg=PA19|access-date=2016-11-06|archive-date=2023-02-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230223011141/https://books.google.com/books?id=PeXfpsvFyysC&pg=PA19|url-status=live}}</ref>

'''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.<ref name=concise>''The Concise Household Encyclopedia'' (c. 1935) [[The Amalgamated Press]], London</ref>

'''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 [[Pinus sylvestris|Scots pine]] rather than wool.<ref name=frank>{{cite journal|title=Vegetable Flannel|journal=Frank Leslie's Pleasant Hours |date=1869 |page=256 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zF02AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA256}}</ref>

==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 [[bleaching|bleached]], [[dyed]], or otherwise treated, and then napped a second time.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Grosicki|first=Z|title=Watson's Textile Design and Colour|publisher=Elsevier Science|year=2014|isbn=9781782420088|pages=327}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Fashion|1990s}}
* [[Argyle (pattern)]]
* [[Check (pattern)]]
* [[Coldharbour Mill]] – [[worsted]] flannel museum
* [[Madras (cloth)]]
* [[Sherpa fabric]]
* [[Tartan]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Flannel}}

{{fabric}}

[[Category:1990s fashion]]
[[Category:2000s fashion]]
[[Category:2010s fashion]]
[[Category:Woven fabrics]]
[[Category:Winter fabrics]]