Slippers

Have you ever owned a pair of fleece slippers?

I have some right now, as we speak. They are very very comfortable and keep your toes and feet warm and cozy. They are very light and I often forget that I'm wearing them because they are just so light and easy to wear.

Don't forget the convenience of having something so light and yet so warm on your feet. They are almost as light as a pair of socks, but they offer much more warmth and protection than a pair of socks. You can easily slip them on and step outside to get the mail or newspaper.

Rainy weather isn't really an issue with these slippers either because they are durable and dry easily. Simply remove them and put them in front of a heater or out in the sunshine and they will dry very quickly.

Not to mention the styles of fleece slippers are made for all ages. There are Superman, Dora and Spongebob slippers for the kids as well as leopard print, camouflage or just a simple color for adults. The options of fleece slippers are literally endless and I can only see more and more options becoming available.

Fleece slippers are the only way to go when you want comfort, style, convenience and warmth.

Double-Sided fleece

Fleece blankets provide a great deal of warmth, and if you need an extra thick blanket, you can make one that is double-sided. Synthetic fleece, made mainly from polyester fibers, is known for its softness, warmth and moisture wicking properties. Synthetic fleece also offers benefits for sewers because it is durable and does not fray. You can actually use single layer fleece without adding a seam finish, but you will need to use a finishing stitch when completing this double-sided fleece blanket.

1

Spread the pieces of fleece out, one on top of the other, lining up the sides and ends. Pin the pieces together to keep the edges aligned.

2

Round the corners by trimming the points off of the fleece with scissors. If any of the cut ends do not line up, trim off the excess fabric.

3

Set your sewing machine on a wide finishing stitch like a blanket or zigzag stitch. Place the two layers of fabric under the presser foot, making sure the edges stay directly on top of one another.

4

Sew all of the way around the blanket, but be sure to do so slowly. The fabric will try to twist and slide a little bit, and if you do not catch both layers your blanket will not stay together. Straighten the edges as needed to keep them together.

5

Use a finishing stitch complete your doubled-sided fleece blanket and provide a finish that is both decorative and functional.

Some Instructions.

Want a new blanket, but cannot afford to buy one? Here’s 3 ways to get an inexpensive fleece blanket, ranging from “no sew” to “minimal sew” options.

Materials

The first thing you’ll need is your material. I recommend polar fleece, brushed wool, or any other fabric of a suitable weight and thickness for your requirements.

Measurements

Unless you have a speciality fabric store nearby, chances are your width will be determined by the maximum width you can buy. Measure the bed you wish to cover, and add an allowance at the sides and bottom for the blanket to drape over the edge.

As an example, a standard double bed mattress is approximately 74″ by 57″ (or 1880 cm by 1400cm). I would generally allow around 4″ allowance (or 10 cm) on 3 of the 4 sides. That means my fabric would need to be 77″ by 63″ (or 1890 cm by 1420 cm).

The No Sew Method

The simplest blanket to make without sewing is a fringed blanket.

Two of your 4 sides will have “selvedge” edges – this means that they have been treated so that they will not fray or curl. Leave these edges alone.

With your other two edges, take some masking tape, and place it along the edge of your fabric approximately 2″ (or 5 cm) from the edge. Now cut your fringe along the entire length of each edge up to the masking tape. Be sure to use sharp scissors, and not cut beyond the start of your masking tape.

The Manual Sewing Method

The manual sewing method involves doing a wide blanket stitch around the entire outside of your fabric. Use fine wool in a contrasting or darker shade to add extra oomph!

The Little Bit of Sewing Method

My favourite method for creating blankets is to use some wide ribbon or satin fabric in a matching colour to edge my blankets (like a woollen blanket). This is very simple to do, but is a little more expensive as you will require a long piece of ribbon or matching fabric about 3½” to 4″ wide (or 9 – 10 cm).

Simply cut the fabric or ribbon to length (one piece for each side) and stitch to the blanket about 1½” from the edge. Now turn over the blanket, and fold the ribbon over and pin in place. Make sure when pinning that you get the new seam as close as possible to the other seam. Now stitch in place and you’re done!

The right side of fleece

Fashion pajamas, outerwear, blankets and even stuffed animals from the soft and warm knit fabric fleece. When sewing with any fabric it is important to determine the right and the wrong side of the fabric so you can construct the item with the more durable right side facing out so the item lasts longer. Most fabrics have a fairly obvious right and wrong side with the right side more vibrant than the wrong side, but the right and wrong side of fleece can be hard to tell apart. Fortunately there is a quick and simple way to tell the right from the wrong side of this cozy fabric.

1. • Pinch the cut edge between your thumb and index finger with your hands shoulder width's apart.

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     Stretch the cut edge by pulling it to the left with your left hand and right with your right hand. Mark the side of the fabric that the edge curls towards to denote the wrong side of the fabric.

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     Continue to mark the wrong side of the fleece fabric with small chalk marks as you cut pattern pieces so you can keep the wrong and right side of the fleece straight.

Options for Fleece!

A fleece blanket makes a perfect backdrop to embroider a team or business or advertisement on. Many advertising specialty companies will custom design fleece blankets with your logo, which can then be passed out to employees or given away as gifts. A fleece blanket has many nice qualities which makes them an appealing choice. For example, a good quality fleece blanket is soft, warm, lightweight, non-pilling, hypoallergenic, and water repellent.
A fleece blanket makes a perfect addition to a baby bedding set, because of the soft, hypoallergenic and warm qualities of fleece. As a baby shower gift idea, a fleece blanket with the baby's birth date and name on it, is a nice thoughtful choice. A fleece blanket merchant will often include the customizing at no extra charge.

If you have an avid sports fan that likes to go see football or baseball games live, no matter what the weather conditions, a fleece blanket with their favorite sports teams logo will surely make them smile. Sports fans love anything that has their favorite teams logo on it, so you can't go wrong with a fleece blanket as a gift idea. A fleece blanket makes a great stadium blanket and they're great to take along on outdoor activities such as camping or picnics. They come in a variety of colors and always look stylish. And of course, they are a lightweight way to stay warm, cozy and dry.
Online merchants have excellent customer service and great prices, so you can be assured of a quick speedy delivery of your new fleece blanket.

Fleece Tips

Fleece is a wonderful outerwear fabric. Introduced in the ’80′s by Malden Mills in the USA, it has gained popularity because it is comfortable and practical.

Fleece has come a long way since its introduction and is constantly being improved. It has the amazing ability to insulate the wearer while wicking moisture away from the body. This makes it the perfect choice for sports such as skating, skiing, sailing, biking. hiking and wherever exertion produces perspiration even though the wearer needs weather protection.

This special and valuable capability makes fleece a good choice for insulating or lining jackets. With a fleece inner layer either sewn, zipped into, or even just layered with, an outer wind-proof shell can protect the wearer and be kept both warm and dry.

FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE YOU SEW FLEECE

Some fleeces are single-sided and others double-sided. Single-sided fleeces are napped on one side only, while double-sided are napped (or fluffed up) on both sides. This does not mean that you can use either side indiscriminately. There is still a wrong and right side to double-sided fleece. It is very important to remember this, as the garment will look terrible if it is sewn with the wrong side out.

* Right and Wrong Sides

Look at a cross-section of the cut edge; the right side will be thicker. This is quite noticeable on the 16-oz. fleeces (such as most of the Yukon samples) but it is not quite so apparent on the 14-oz. If you are not sure which is the wrong or right side, the absolute test is the “pull” test. When pulled on the lengthwise grain (parallel to the selvedge), fleece will roll to the right side; when pulled on the crosswise grain (perpendicular to the selvedge), the fleece will roll to the wrong side. If the selvedge has been cut off and you don’t know which grain is which, hold the fleece up to the light. You should be able to see the vertical ribs of the knit (yes, fleece is a knit fabric) and this will indicate the lengthwise grain.

* Fleece Comes in Many Weights

Fleece fabric is milled in several weights, from very heavy (16-18 oz.) to quite light (8 oz.). Heavy fleece usually has little stretch and is the warmest of all fleeces. Some companies refer to this as 300 fleece, e.g. Malden Mills manufactures Polartec 300. This fleece is the one you would choose for a coat or jacket for very cold temperatures. The medium weight of fleece (e.g. Polartec 200 and Yukon Soft Touch) is a good choice for a jacket that can be layered under a wind-proof shell. Polartec 100 or Yukon Micro (8oz.) makes great garments to be worn indoors. Think of this weight of fleece as sweater type fabric, just right for feeling cuddly warm.

Fleece is also being produced as double-sided; i.e. two fleeces fused together, so that you have a different colour on each side. This fleece would be warmer due to the doubling of the fabric and gives you lots of opportunity to show off the two colours in your design. Of course, these would make good reversible garments.

Another fleece product on the market is “windbloc” fleece. This is two fleeces fused together with a wind-proof barrier sandwiched in the middle. This fleece is very expensive and is bought up by people in outdoor sports such as rock-climbing. It does solve the problem that fleece by itself is not wind-proof.

Fleece can make the whole outfit. This outfit features light-weight fleece (sometimes called chamois fleece) in the skirt, medium weight fleece in the vest, and heavy weight fleece in the jacket. Skirt pattern is the Origami Skirt from The Sewing Workshop; vest underneath is Hong Kong Vest from The Sewing Workshop; jacket is the Haiku Jacket also from the Sewing Workshop.

* Fleece has a Nap

When cutting out, lay your pattern pieces on a nap lay-out, i.e. all facing the same direction. (Of course, when making hats and mitts, we’re using scraps and cutting in any direction which suits the pieces.)

To find the nap, run your hand down the right side of the fleece in the direction of the lengthwise grain. The fabric will smooth down if you are going with the nap (like stroking a cat). Sometimes, I find I cannot tell with my hand and I then use the back side of an ordinary kitchen knife to run against the grain. It seems to be more apparent with a knife. Lay your pieces with the nap going down. The garment will wear better and it will have a uniform colour.

CARE OF FLEECE

Fleece will not shrink and it will not fade or run. All great qualities to have in a garment. Also there is no need to pre-wash your fleece fabric. Most of us delay that first washing since the texture does change somewhat.

To launder – wash in warm water with laundry detergent. Dissolve the detergent in the water first before adding the garments, to avoid getting soap residue on the clothes. Do up all buttons, snaps, zippers, etc. before washing and turn the garment inside out. This reduces the amount of surface abrasion which happens during the wash cycle.

Wash fleece articles separately or with other fleece garments. Fleece picks up lint easily and a fleece garment washed with wool socks or terry towels will never look the same again.

Fleece can be machine-dried. However, I recommend hanging it to dry. Since it dries very quickly, this is not a problem and the drier causes more abrasion to the surface.

* No Ironing !

DO NOT iron fleece. The heat of the iron will melt the fibers and you will be left with flattened areas or, worse, an iron imprint.

These are simply a few considerations to keep in mind when sewing fleece. Heed them and you will have a garment that is easy to sew, easy to care for, easy to wear, and good-looking too.

Tips for Sewing Fleece

Fleece is an relatively easy fabric to sew. Use a 90/14 universal needle and good-quality polyester thread. There is no need to finish seams as fleece does not ravel. However, we are so used to seeing serged seams, that I always finish the seams on the serger. I find that fleece can be too thick for the serger so I sew it on the conventional machine first and then serge the seams together, trimming them down to about 1/4″ in most areas. If I wish to topstitch seams after they are sewn, I leave the seam allowances longer and sometimes grade them to reduce bulk.

The only difficulty with fleece is its bulk. It tends to “snow-plough” up in front of the presser foot. One method which helps feed fleece through the machine is to pin the seams alternately: stagger the pins on both sides of the seam to be sewn. Use the tip of your point turner to compress the fabric in front of the presser foot if you are still having difficulty getting the fleece to feed easily. Also lengthen your stitch length to 3 or 4 (almost basting). Fleece garments are loose fitting and don’t need the tiny stitches of tailored clothing. Stitches will then be easier to remove if needed.

* Berber, Plush, Fleece – How are they different?

While most of us are familiar with fleece, there is some confusion over other products from the same mills. Berber is a pile product, in that it has a flat knitted back and a curly right surface, similar to sherpa fabrics. Berber is a little harder to sew than fleece, but it is also a little warmer, because it traps air in the nubby surface, thereby insulating the wearer.

Plush is a sheared berber so that it has a flat knitted back, but a velour finish on the right side. This is the most expensive of the fleece products. One touch and you will know why. It feels much softer than fleece, almost like velvet, and shows up patterns beautifully. But be prepared to pay more for it.

A Spinner's Dream!

Dual coated fleece - this fleece is the most versatile of all breeds and is a hand spinner's dream! The wool also felts easily and is prized by fiber artists. The two coats are:
Black and White Ewe Lamb	Tog: the soft strong long (to 18 inches) lustrous outer coat that provides wind, rain, and dust protection for the sheep. It has little crimp and hangs in loose curls. Used traditionally for sails, rope, sewing thread, belts, rugs, wall hangings, saddle clothes, lace shawls, and embroidery yarns. Thel: the soft under coat that keeps the sheep warm. Very fine, as small as 10 microns in diameter. Used for soft fine woolen yarns in under garments, fancy mittens, socks and baby clothes. This fiber has some crimp.
The two coats spun together - make yarns that are similar to a mohair wool blend and are suitable for sweaters, socks, and hats.
Dual coat easily separated - by hand by just pulling both ends of the lock, or by using wool cards or viking combs.
Soft "handle" - wool is rated at a 62 to 64 spinning count, fiber ranges from 10 to 27 microns in diameter and feels very soft to the hand.
Long staple - fleece can grow to 18 inches in a year. For best and cleanest hand spinning fleeces, ewes are sheared twice a year, in March and in November, with the fall clip used for spinning and the spring clip used for felting.
Minimal preparation - the naturally clean locks only need to have the tips flicked or combed to untangle the long tog and then can be easily spun from the grease or washed locks. It can be processed into carded batts or roving. Viking combs are a natural for this kind of fleece.		Colorful Icelandic Flock
Wide range of natural lustrous fleece colors - 27 different colors and patterns including: Whites - can range from very "white-white" through creams and tans Blacks - can range in hues from blue black, inky black, silvery black and brown black Browns - (called moorit in Iceland) range is from a pale beige, orange-apricot, taffy, milk chocolate, chestnut, dark chocolate, black brown, mocha and silvering browns. Badger Faces - wide range of fleece colors, from buff and champagne through oatmeal. In addition, some parts of the fleece may have gray or silver bases to the fiber Grays - from blue gray, lilac, medium silver, dark gray, and brown grays Mixed Colors - fleeces can have an undercoat that is a different color than the outer coat which produces a true tweed yarn.
Less lanolin in the fleece - means more fiber yield per pound of raw fleece. Icelandic fleeces have a 20 to 29% shrink, compared to modern breeds where 50% of the fleece weight is in the wool grease. Therefore, a 7 pound Icelandic fleece would yield as much fiber as a 10 lb. fleece of a modern breed.
Mouflan patterned ewe lamb	Fleece weights: 5 to 7 pounds per year for adults; 3 to 4 pounds for a 7 month old lamb fleece.
	The best fleece for felting - long famous with fiber artists for its excellent felting properties! Makes a fast felting, soft, strong product. Easily made into hats, vests, masks, purses, slippers and boots. Traditionally the yarn was knitted into garments three sizes too large and then felted down to size to make the clothing windproof.

Blanket Styles

There are a large array of options when you are talking about the different types and styles of fleece blankets. There are many different sizes as well as patterns and pictures that can be offered on a fleece blanket.

I would like to just share some of my favorites with you.

Betty Boop has always been a favorite cartoon character of mine. Here swagger as well as her beauty and then putting her on a motorcycle just really makes this blanket one of my favorites.

We can't forget about Spongebob Squarepants and his best pal, Patrick. Their antics and friendship dynamics really have a lot of humor that is a great time to watch!

American Football is definitely one of my favorite sports as I played it all through grade school and high school, so we cannot forget all the options of teams printed on these blankets.

I am a nature and animal lover so it would be very difficult to choose a favorite in terms of which scene or animal would be my favorite.

This Bald Eagle blanket always catches my eye as if it is an eagle's prey that they begin stalking.

Wool or Fleece?

Which is really better?

There are many factors that will come into play when speaking about this topic.

There is a place for both wool & fleece, although improvements in Fleece has it displacing more & more wool. Look at the facts: Wool is tough & it's quiet but it takes forever to dry & it weighs a ton when wet. Fleece is light & dries almost instantly. Neither is windproof or waterproof. Fleece is an excellent insulator, yes, even better than wool, but it's not as "tough". Wool makes many itch while fleece is hypo-allergenic.

Now look at applications:

For quiet pants in nasty brush, nothing beats wool. Both wool & fleece are available with a waterproof barrier — but that's behind the wool or fleece.

For layers you can peal off as needed, especially on mobile hunts, lightweight matters. Here fleece wins hands down. A very warm fleece vest and/or shirt weighs next to nothing in your pack, yet it will provide great insulation when needed. What's critical here is your outer layer. If it's wind & water proof either fleece or wool will stay dry & you will stay warm.

Another place fleece shines is scent control. Fleece is easy to wash & it dries FAST. This means you can hunt with clean SCENT FREE clothing every day. As a rifleman, that's important but as an archer, that's critical.

IT looks like they both win. There is a place and time for both. With children the fleece will typically outshine the wool, because it is lighter and much more comfortable to wear and have next to your skin.

Fleece Your Kids!

Kids seem to always love fleece. It has a cozy and comforting feeling to it. There are many uses for fleece such as gloves, coats, earmuffs and hats. Of course these are just SOME of the possibilities. Bedding, boots and even bean bags are covered in fleece. It is probably one of the most comfortable materials around.

Fleece is great at keeping you warm but still can be very light and easily mobile.

Fleece Washing

Customs of washing Fleece vary from place to place.

In France, they seem to have always washed wool before spinning.

Throughout the Middle Ages, as far as we can tell from illustrations, wool washing was practiced much the same way at home and in industry (there was a large and lucrative wool industry in France at that time, the reading list below shows more information).

By the late 18th century when King Louis XIV commissioned a work documenting all aspects of French artisanry and industry, wool washing was performed on a larger scale, but still mainly by hand -- and still using primarily cool water. The main wash for lifting mud and "suint" from the wool happens in the large vat; then the wool is placed in the pen in the river for a rinse. After washing, the sections of fleece are draped over rods to dry.

Meanwhile in Spain, wool was a valuable commercial commodity, and the techniques for washing the valuable merino fleeces were carried out on a grand scale. Those practices and their facilities were documented by a French wool trader who was deeply impressed by what he'd seen in his travels. The Spanish system involved enormous cauldrons housed in their own buildings and heated by fire. The heat would have been necessary to remove the rich oils present in merino fleeces.

In Holland, the climate is different, and so are the sheep; and the tradition has been to spin in the grease, then wash and dye the yarn afterwards. ...By the way, some modern Dutch wool-spinning equipment is still often geared for working with greasy fleece and will work better with that than with washed wool.

In Scotland, land of tartan and tweed, spinners would rinse the mud out of a fleece, but usually not take the extra step of scouring it. However, they also normally dyed "in the wool" before spinning, and the simmering dyepot would effectively clean a fleece as a side-effect of putting colour onto the fibre. Aged urine was often an ingredient in the dye bath, altering the solution's pH and contributing urea -- an excellent scouring assistant.

In England, the old professional guild system makes it hard to figure out what went on at the household level; but the professional guilds almost always worked with clean fleece. Professional wool-combers added oil to the fleece to aid combing partly because the natural oils had all been washed out before the wool arrived at their workshops.

Peter Teal, our present-day guru of woolcombing techniques, sums up his own reasons for washing wool prior to combing in his classic work, Hand Woolcombing and Spinning:

"I am strongly in favour of scouring the fleece, because not only is it more pleasant to handle, but the spinner has greater flexibility in the use of the basic raw material. Because the spinner has a constant supply of clean, dry fleece, to which is added the required amount of oil immediately prior to spinning, the raw material used has characteristics which are absolutely constant, month in, month out. Because the quality of the raw material never varies, touch need never vary and the chances of the yarn's being similarly uniform are considerably increased. ... There is one other fact that clinched the matter for me. In all the descriptions of wool combing that have survived, observers are unanimous in stating that the fibre was scoured first."

Mr Teal's preferences are based on personal experience, but also on a keen awareness of the way the work was performed in centuries past.