What Is Fleece?

Fleece fabric is widespread in the textile industry. This material is used to sew casual and sportswear, home, and furniture textiles. Production of both large and small links will be helpful to pay attention to this raw material. In today's world, fleece sweatshirts, pants, plaids, and other things have long taken an honorable place in the closet of adults and children. It is understandable: light, warm, water-repellent and affordable. And even somehow, it is hard to believe that just 50 years ago, fleece simply did not exist. The article will talk about what this material is, what its pros and cons are, and its varieties. It also tells about the peculiarities of processing the material and the scope of its application.

In the modern sewing industry, fleece knitwear from synthetics plays a prominent role. This invention by American manufacturers is a little more than 35 years old. Still, it has already gained popularity and spread worldwide since it began to make many different products for the home. Fleece is a very delicate and light fabric, but at the same time, it perfectly retains heat. Initially, it was developed for mountaineers' needs, but it soon became popular in everyday life. It is used for sewing clothes and creating home textiles, toys, and other things. Let's see what such popularity is associated with.

If man in the world creates a miracle, it is a fleece. Fleece is a synthetic material that is often used to create sportswear due to such properties as warmth, lightness, and breathability. It is one of the most popular and in-demand synthetic fabrics, which factories in many countries actively produce. Recently, comfortable fleece jackets and tracksuits are becoming a more and more relevant trend. Let's understand all the subtleties of this "magic" material below.

Fleece is the common name of a family of synthetic fabrics with a pronounced pile. The production of the insulating layer of clothing is a technological replacement for traditional wool. It is similar in its properties and appearance to natural woolen fabrics, but at the same time, fleece is a synthetic material. It is made of polyester or other artificial threads. Sometimes, natural fibers are added to improve texture or heat-protective properties. Fleece repeats its structure and provides comparable thermal insulation: its pile forms tiny "pockets" that hold air. At the same time, fleece fabrics consist of hydrophobic fibers and absorb no more than 1% of moisture from their weight. Therefore, they dry much faster than traditional woolen materials and continue to warm even when wet. Fleece is also much easier to care for - it does not risk being eaten by moths and is not afraid of machine washing.

Fleece is a relatively recent phenomenon: synthetic fabric manufacturer Malden Mills developed this fabric in 1979. In the first half of the 20th century, the American company was known for its high-quality wool garments designed for everyday wear and military equipment. Malden Mills wanted to recreate the properties of wool in a synthetic fabric while ridding it of the disadvantages of natural material (heavy weight and the need to use animal hair). The company, led by Aaron Feuerstein, used polyester fibers to create fleece.

Around the same time, a little-known manufacturer of outdoor products was also exploring the possibility of switching to new, improved materials for use in mountain conditions. In 1981, owner Yvon Chouinard teamed up with Malden Mills, and together, they introduced an innovative invention to the growing sportswear market. The first-generation fleece is called Synchilla - from the words "synthetic chinchilla".

It is also known that Malden Mills decided not to patent the material, allowing the fleece to spread throughout the industry. For example, in the 90s, fleece was actively used in Gap collections. In less than a decade, the material has become an integral part of our daily lives: it can be found not only in clothing but also in the form of plaids, household goods, and toys. If athletes love the material for its technical characteristics, its variety of colors and relative affordability have determined its popularity in fashion.

Other retailers began incorporating the novelty into their outdoor and sports apparel not a decade later. Consumers were also impressed by the cheapness of the fabric and its properties - density, lightness, and breathability. So, it became an indispensable element of everyday life. Thanks to its enduring popularity, improving the fleece fabric has never stopped. In 1993, they began exploring how to make fleece from recycled materials. The first iterations were fraught with problems, but by 2006, they could produce recycled fabric at an affordable price. Aaron Feuerstein never patented the fabric he invented, which is why it is widely used worldwide.

Fleece is made from polyester fabric, which goes into the composition we discussed earlier. Polyester yarns form the basis of fleece. They are loaded into a large circular knitting machine that knits the fabric quickly. Hundreds of small knitting needles hook and bind the web, producing a circular "tube" of material. This machine produces about 1 meter of webbing every two minutes.

The metal staples lower the web into a cylindrical tank, followed by an initial inspection. If defects are found, production is stopped. The cloth is then sent to a cylindrical machine, where it is washed and pressed. Next, the fabric is pressure dyed, and a water-repellent impregnation is applied. After another cycle of washing and drying, the fabric is removed to a storage tank to make it become fleece.

Next, a circular knife cuts the material into a flat cloth. Cylindrical wire brushes turn this fabric into fleece. This process is called "tufting." Like the production of solid color sateen, the production of fleece is quite complex. After the fabric is finished, the fleece is subjected to a series of tests, such as waterproofing properties, abrasion resistance, and flame retardancy.

Fleece fabric has high strength and elasticity. Polyester fiber is very light and almost weightless, so the finished fabric has a very low weight. In addition, the elastic material rarely wrinkles and does not stretch - finished products easily take the body's shape and do not restrain movements.

Fleece fabric has excellent thermal insulation qualities and hygroscopicity. The fleece fabric is not inferior to natural wool in terms of warmth, and its hygroscopicity (the ability of the material to absorb and release moisture) allows you to remove excess moisture outside easily. This means that a person does not get cold and does not sweat.

Fleece fabric is a tactilely pleasant and hypoallergenic material. Even in allergic people, fleece things do not cause irritation and hypersensitivity reactions. It is a hypoallergenic material. In addition, it is pleasant and soft to the touch.

Fleece fabric is easy to carry. Care does not need special means; the fleece material does not shed, is easy to clean, and quickly dries in the air.

Fleece fabric is resistant and durable. Service life is long, as synthetic fibers are not subject to biological degradation, bacterial growth, mold, or moths.

Fleece fabric tends to electrify and form static electricity. This is due to the 100% synthetic composition - all synthetic fabrics electrify to some extent. Excessive electrification can be prevented by using a quality laundry detergent and conditioner. The formation of lint is also due to the synthetic composition. This disadvantage can be minimized by special fabric treatment during production and more careful care of things.

The unrivaled properties and advantages of fleece material allow you to create various items for everyday life and active and extreme recreation. Here is what you can sew:

-Children's things and accessories: overalls, sets, dresses, pinnies, socks, mittens, hats, and more.
-Sports suits for adults and children.
-Tourist clothing and things for outdoor activities.
- Outerwear : windbreakers, jackets, pants.
-Accessories: hats, scarves, gloves.
-Comfortable home clothes.
-Carnival costumes for children and adults.
-Thermal underwear under winter clothes.

From it, you can sew many interior things - plaids and bedspreads, decorative pillows, tack for the kitchen, covers for chairs, bath mats, beds for pets, and much more. Due to the flexibility of the material and a wide range of colors, it is perfect for making various crafts and soft toys for children.

Polyester fleece is often an impact-resistant fabric. First, polyester is made from petroleum and fossil fuels and is a limited resource. Polyester processing is known to be energy and water-intensive and contains large amounts of harmful chemicals.

The process of dyeing synthetic fabrics also hurts the environment. The process uses excessive amounts of water and discharges wastewater containing unused dyes and chemical surfactants harmful to aquatic life.

Although the polyester used in fleece is not biodegradable, it does break down. However, this process leaves behind tiny pieces of plastic known as microplastics. This is a problem when the fabric ends up in landfills and when fleece clothing is washed. Consumer use, especially washing clothes, has the greatest environmental impact on the life cycle of a garment. Washing a synthetic jacket is thought to release approximately 1,174 milligrams of microfibers.

Recycled fleece has a smaller impact. Recycled polyester uses 85% less energy. Currently, only 5% of PET is recycled. Since polyester is the number one fiber used in textiles, increasing this percentage would have a significant impact when it comes to reducing energy and water consumption.