The pile surface provides space for air pockets between the threads, and this goes for both sides of the fabric. Because it is moisture-resistant, it can keep wearers warm even under extreme weather conditions. In the United States, the fabric was first made popular by Patagonia, a leading manufacturer of outdoor clothing and equipment.
The firm marketed polyester fleece jackets to mountain climbers, and ardent customers tested the new material up and down many peaks.
Other out-door clothing manufacturers followed with their own polyester fleece garment lines. Gradually the fabric crossed over from its niche as a high-tech, high-performance textile into general use. The raw material for polyester fleece is polyester, which is made from two petroleum products: terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol. Some or all of the polyester yarn may be recycled from soda bottles.
Various dyes also make up raw materials, as well as finishing substances such as Teflon or other waterproofing chemicals. An advertisement for Lewis union suits issued by the Lewis Knitting Company during the late s. Until the late s, women wore chemises, or one-piece shifts, against their skin. Often made of linen, these shifts were not always effective in removing the perspiration that formed against the many layers of clothing worn at the time.
By the s, however, there was some concern that women who wore these chemises were continuously damp, thus, in cold weather, these chemise-wearers might catch a chill more easily as they might be soaked with sweat.
Prominent women's rights advocates such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, urged women to wear "union suits. They favored the union suit because the knitted suits would absorb moisture away from the skin preventing chills. Particularly favored were wool union suits—even in hot weather—because wool perhaps best draws the moisture from the body. However, short legged and short-sleeved cotton or linen suits were available for summer wear if need be, and those who could afford it might purchase silk union suits.
The bales of bottles are emptied onto a moving belt. Workers first sort the bottles by color, separating green ones from clear ones. Then workers visually inspect each piece, and remove anything, such as non-PET caps or bases, or any foreign objects, so that the final result is strictly PET bottles. The sorted plastic then moves into a sterilizing bath. The clean containers are dried and crushed into tiny chips. The chips are washed again, and the light-colored batch is bleached. Chips from green bottles stay green, and become yarn that will be dyed a dark color.
When the chips are thoroughly dry, they are emptied into a vat and heated, then forced through spinnerets, the same as for virgin polyester. The finishing steps-drawing, crimping, cutting, baling-are the same as in the process for virgin polyester. Making polyester fleece from recycled PET bottles is a significant means to reducing the amount of plastic that is otherwise buried in landfills.
Patagonia, the leading manufacturer of recycled polyester fleece garments, estimates that 25 soda bottles go into each jacket made from the fabric. Recycling PET into polyester is also alleged to be less damaging to the environment even than growing organic cotton, because cotton leaches nutrients from soil and requires so much open space to grow.
The energy used to make polyester from recycled PET bottles is also significantly less than that needed to heat the chemicals for virgin polyester. Long-lasting clothes. Smooth fibres mean less friction in the wash. Helps to retain their shape.
Helps protect against colour fading. Keep your clothes the colour they were when you fell in love with them. Softer clothes. Amazing softness even for sensitive skin! You can check Comfort Pure here! Added protection against bobbling. No more picking bits off your jumpers; fabric conditioner keeps your clothes looking brand new. Freshly scented. Although fleece is usually made of polyester, there are other types of fleece.
Funky Fleece Hat You will need to sew just a little for this project. Measure the head of the person who will be wearing the hat. Add two inches to that measurement. Cut a piece of fleece that is as long as your measurement and 16 inches wide.
Sew a half-inch seam up the inch side of your fabric. Turn the fabric inside out, and roll up the bottom twice so that it forms a 2-inch cuff on the bottom. Gather the top of your fabric and either tie it closed with a piece of string 3 inches from the edge, or sew it closed. Match the fleece pattern to each recipient — fun flowers for a little girl or bold stripes for the rebellious teenager. Fleece Scarf This no-sew project is perfect for getting even the youngest crafter involved.
Get some fleece in a fun pattern. You will need about two yards per scarf, but you will be able to get several scarves out of one piece of fabric. Carefully cut the fleece fabric every 6 to 8 inches, cutting down the full 2 yards to make strips. Cut narrow, 4-inch long pieces of fringe at each end of the scarf and tie each piece of fringe in a knot to separate it from the rest.
Give it to someone who needs to stay warm in the wintertime. Fleece Pillow Find a pillow size you would like to make — you can either use a pillow form, or stuff it with foam or batting.
Cut two identical squares from the fleece, making sure to center any pattern you want on your pillow. Sew a seam around three sides of your pillow, and turn inside out. Insert the pillow form or batting and hand stitch with tiny stitches down the open side. Fleece fabric is so easy to work with that almost any project you craft will make you look like a pro. Make fleece animals, socks, scarves or anything else you can dream up that can be made from this versatile fabric.
Because most fleece is made of at least partially recycled materials, you can feel good about buying fleece products and using them in your craft projects.
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