what is flannel fabric

Flannel is a soft woven fabric that can be made from wool, cotton, or synthetic fiber. It is known for its softness and warmth, and has a napped, fuzzy finish on one or both sides. Flannel can be woven in either a twill weave or plain weave, and the weave is often hidden by napping on one or both sides. Flannel is commonly used to make tartan clothing, blankets, bed sheets, and upholstery. Flannelette is a type of cotton fabric that imitates the texture of flannel, and is created by creating a nap from the weft. Flannelette can either have long or short nap, and can be napped on one or two sides. Flannelette is commonly used for making bed sheets, sleepwear, blankets, and certain types of clothing. Flannel and flannelette are both soft and fuzzy fabrics, but flannel is good for making sturdy clothes for manual labor, while flannelette is good for bed sheets and blankets where comfort is more important than strength. Flannel is often a loose weave, meaning that it stretches when sewn through a machine, and it may dramatically shrink with laundering over time.