Fleeces

elljay

There's lots of mention of cheap fleece throws etc on here but I've got a fleece throw from Ikea and it has neither weight nor warmth.  I'm thinking I don't really know what is meant by 'fleece'.  Can anyone describe the sort of fabric you mean and maybe a link to the type of thing?  People talk about using 'fleece' as curtain lining which would be good but this thing that I've got wouldn't keep light or cold out.

Thanks -Liz

Floss

The cheapy ikea "fleece" are very thin but would work as a curtain lining as they are lightweight & will still act as an extra layer.

For fluffier ones look in B&M, Asda or Dunelm 

ariarnia

discribe it? hmmm.... fleece is like if felt cloth and cotton wool had a baby.

you can get different weights that are measured in gsm (like wool or cotton). modern fleece can be quite often thiner than natural fibres that give the same 'warmth feeling' and it works by trapping air because it's structure is fluffy like cotton wool on the microscopic level.

i find it's cheapest to buy fleece online by the meter and it's great because it doesn't need hemming (it doesn't fray). so I sometimes use a 2m piece of thin fleece in place of a sheet in winter. it's between me and my duvet so the duvet traps the heat and it washes dries and goes back on the bed easier than a duvet. then it's like old brushed cotton sheets but lasts more than the one winter (I found even fairly expensive brushed cotton or jersey sheets didn't wear well). 

thriftwizard

Eeek, @ariarnia, it must be that modern brushed cotton sheets don't last; I have some old-fashioned candy-striped ones that my mother bought before I was born (i.e. in the 1950s) and although there's the odd thin patch, most of them are still fine! (They make a fabulous warm quilt backing.)

There are a lot of synthetic fabrics going under the name of fleece at the moment; there's a world of difference between a proper "polar" fleece, which doesn't actually come very cheap, and some of the cheap & rather nasty fabrics sold under the same banner. You should be able to feel the difference; good fleece won't stretch too far, and is fairly thick & luxurious to handle. There's a distinct "hardness" to the feel of cheaper brands, especially after a few washes. None of it is great for the environment, as it sheds microfibres into the water when washed. Curtain lining, which probably won't be washed too often, is a great end for it!

I've just "padded" a Japanese-stye jacket with a damaged M&S acrylic throw which I suspect would have been sold as "fleece" although it had an open weave. That wouldn't have stopped drafts, or light, but it does have a cellular effect between a layer of linen (old curtains) & a layer of cotton (old duvet cover) so the jacket is both lightweight & warm. The rest of the duvet cover has been used to line some old curtains that used to be over an interlined blind, now sadly fallen apart. It's not going to provide a lot of insulation, but does cut out a lot of light from the streetlight outside that window. So even something as thin as cotton is better than nothing!

ariarnia

thriftwizard said:

Eeek, @ariarnia, it must be that modern brushed cotton sheets don't last; I have some old-fashioned candy-striped ones that my mother bought before I was born (i.e. in the 1950s) and although there's the odd thin patch, most of them are still fine! (They make a fabulous warm quilt backing.)

I remember my nan had the same and that's why i kept trying for so long before giving up and going with fleece fabric. i'd prefer natural fibres as i find they wick better but it's better than struggling to get the duvet covers on and off so often over winter to wash them (we must sound like right filthy pups!). 

the other thing i've not been able to find is proper waffle cotton blankets. the kind of thing that's almost woven of string and you can get it filthly and just chuck it in the wash again and again. ive got an old and really tatty one that's a nice thick thread that's a bit stiff when just washed but losens up easily. makes a great dog blanket and it's been used by the dogs and the kids in the back of the car for years but now has some quite big holes where it's just started to give up the ghost. i've tried to buy several over the last couple of years to replace it abut all of them now are really thin. i'd buy the fabric and hem it myself but i can't even find something online that approximates it. really frustrating! 

[Deleted User]

Fleece is such a gamble to buy because of the very fact you speak of @elljay, i agree with a previous poster @Floss that says B&M and Dunelm have good ones, the thinner ones feel just like a thin, silky, blanket - to me, poor value for money.

The ones i've bought from Dunelm, over the past 10 years, are still going strong, they wash well and stay cosy.

I use mine in various ways - one for my cats bed, one to throw over my legs when watching tv in the evenings, and one to lay on the top of the bed on chillier nights.
The B&M one i bought last year is proving to be just as good too - that's in the conservatory for over my legs in the cooler days !
 

Edit:
Matalan have fleece lined joggers - i buy 2 pairs a year as i live in these things for indoor wear, they're the 1 cheap n cheerful item of clothing i buy because they're literally worn to the death of them !
When they're totally worn and threadbare they're used when i'm working in the garden where no-one sees their see-through-ness 😂

MrsStepford

Just bought two tartan fleeces and two waffle throws from Damart for  25.92 with free delivery. All double bed size. The cheapies from market stalls go hard and feel rough but ones I've bought from Dunelm.and Damart before,stayed soft

Grumpysally

ariarnia said:

thriftwizard said:

Eeek, @ariarnia, it must be that modern brushed cotton sheets don't last; I have some old-fashioned candy-striped ones that my mother bought before I was born (i.e. in the 1950s) and although there's the odd thin patch, most of them are still fine! (They make a fabulous warm quilt backing.)

I remember my nan had the same and that's why i kept trying for so long before giving up and going with fleece fabric. i'd prefer natural fibres as i find they wick better but it's better than struggling to get the duvet covers on and off so often over winter to wash them (we must sound like right filthy pups!). 

the other thing i've not been able to find is proper waffle cotton blankets. the kind of thing that's almost woven of string and you can get it filthly and just chuck it in the wash again and again. ive got an old and really tatty one that's a nice thick thread that's a bit stiff when just washed but losens up easily. makes a great dog blanket and it's been used by the dogs and the kids in the back of the car for years but now has some quite big holes where it's just started to give up the ghost. i've tried to buy several over the last couple of years to replace it abut all of them now are really thin. i'd buy the fabric and hem it myself but i can't even find something online that approximates it. really frustrating! 

Do you mean the ones that are like cot blankets?
Coincidentally I was lucky enough to find one in our local charity shop just yesterday. In a lovely buttery yellow. Huge double and looks like it never been used. I think it's quite old though as the label says Made in Huddersfield. I bought one from Amazun a few years back, the quality is rubbish compared to this one.
A few years ago I was also lucky enough to buy a wool version, in its original packaging unused. It came with a guarantee post card which was prepaid, in shillings😁

ariarnia

Grumpysally said:

ariarnia said:

thriftwizard said:

Eeek, @ariarnia, it must be that modern brushed cotton sheets don't last; I have some old-fashioned candy-striped ones that my mother bought before I was born (i.e. in the 1950s) and although there's the odd thin patch, most of them are still fine! (They make a fabulous warm quilt backing.)

I remember my nan had the same and that's why i kept trying for so long before giving up and going with fleece fabric. i'd prefer natural fibres as i find they wick better but it's better than struggling to get the duvet covers on and off so often over winter to wash them (we must sound like right filthy pups!). 

the other thing i've not been able to find is proper waffle cotton blankets. the kind of thing that's almost woven of string and you can get it filthly and just chuck it in the wash again and again. ive got an old and really tatty one that's a nice thick thread that's a bit stiff when just washed but losens up easily. makes a great dog blanket and it's been used by the dogs and the kids in the back of the car for years but now has some quite big holes where it's just started to give up the ghost. i've tried to buy several over the last couple of years to replace it abut all of them now are really thin. i'd buy the fabric and hem it myself but i can't even find something online that approximates it. really frustrating! 

Do you mean the ones that are like cot blankets?
Coincidentally I was lucky enough to find one in our local charity shop just yesterday. In a lovely buttery yellow. Huge double and looks like it never been used. I think it's quite old though as the label says Made in Huddersfield. I bought one from Amazun a few years back, the quality is rubbish compared to this one.
A few years ago I was also lucky enough to buy a wool version, in its original packaging unused. It came with a guarantee post card which was prepaid, in shillings😁

the old satin edged blankets? no but they're good as well. i managed to make some after a visit to an old army surplus store netted a load of wool blankets for £5 each. i just sewed (inexpertly but functionally) a nice wide statin hem on each one to protect against scratching and they're part of our winter stash. 

the dog blanket isn't a fleece at all. it's i think 100% cotton and it's honestly nothing more like this kind of fabric but double blanket size. https://girlsownstore.co.uk/product/hand-woven-linen-cotton-cloth/ 

i'm only mentioning it in the hopes that someone might know where i can buy a replacement, this one wasn't expensive just from somewhere like ikea but it's at least 15 years old at this point and every replacement i've tried just hasn't been the same kind of almost canvas like thickness to hold up to the dog and kids long term. 

Grumpysally

This is the blanket 🙂

Rosa_Damascena

ariarnia said:

Grumpysally said:

ariarnia said:

thriftwizard said:

Eeek, @ariarnia, it must be that modern brushed cotton sheets don't last; I have some old-fashioned candy-striped ones that my mother bought before I was born (i.e. in the 1950s) and although there's the odd thin patch, most of them are still fine! (They make a fabulous warm quilt backing.)

I remember my nan had the same and that's why i kept trying for so long before giving up and going with fleece fabric. i'd prefer natural fibres as i find they wick better but it's better than struggling to get the duvet covers on and off so often over winter to wash them (we must sound like right filthy pups!). 

the other thing i've not been able to find is proper waffle cotton blankets. the kind of thing that's almost woven of string and you can get it filthly and just chuck it in the wash again and again. ive got an old and really tatty one that's a nice thick thread that's a bit stiff when just washed but losens up easily. makes a great dog blanket and it's been used by the dogs and the kids in the back of the car for years but now has some quite big holes where it's just started to give up the ghost. i've tried to buy several over the last couple of years to replace it abut all of them now are really thin. i'd buy the fabric and hem it myself but i can't even find something online that approximates it. really frustrating! 

Do you mean the ones that are like cot blankets?
Coincidentally I was lucky enough to find one in our local charity shop just yesterday. In a lovely buttery yellow. Huge double and looks like it never been used. I think it's quite old though as the label says Made in Huddersfield. I bought one from Amazun a few years back, the quality is rubbish compared to this one.
A few years ago I was also lucky enough to buy a wool version, in its original packaging unused. It came with a guarantee post card which was prepaid, in shillings😁

the old satin edged blankets? no but they're good as well. i managed to make some after a visit to an old army surplus store netted a load of wool blankets for £5 each. i just sewed (inexpertly but functionally) a nice wide statin hem on each one to protect against scratching and they're part of our winter stash. 

the dog blanket isn't a fleece at all. it's i think 100% cotton and it's honestly nothing more like this kind of fabric but double blanket size. https://girlsownstore.co.uk/product/hand-woven-linen-cotton-cloth/ 

i'm only mentioning it in the hopes that someone might know where i can buy a replacement, this one wasn't expensive just from somewhere like ikea but it's at least 15 years old at this point and every replacement i've tried just hasn't been the same kind of almost canvas like thickness to hold up to the dog and kids long term. 

Now that is a memory!! I used to love mine as a child, I found my "blue blanket" so comforting. I remember fraying the edging by a couple of threads a day and enjoying the softness of that across my cheek in particular.