Fleece cotton, known for its softness and warmth, is primarily made by applying a specialized mechanical finishing process to a knitted cotton fabric. While the initial steps involve spinning cotton fibers into yarn and then knitting that yarn into fabric, the characteristic fuzzy texture of fleece is created through a process called napping or brushing.
The Process of Creating the Fleece Texture
The key step in transforming a flat cotton knit into fleece cotton is napping. This mechanical process raises the fibers on the surface of the fabric to create a soft pile.
Here's how the napping process works, utilizing the details from the provided reference:
- Base Fabric: The process begins with a knitted fabric, which in the case of fleece cotton, is made from cotton fibers.
- Mechanical Brushing: The fabric is passed through machines equipped with multiple cylindrical brushes.
- Varying Brush Speeds: As described, "Each brush spins at a different speed." This variation is not random but is "carefully calculated".
- Breaking Knitted Loops: The brushes' wires or bristles gently yet effectively "break the knitted loops without tearing the fabric." By snagging and pulling the surface fibers from the loops, they lift them away from the fabric base.
- Creating the Nap (Fuzz): This action of pulling fibers from the loops creates a dense, fuzzy layer on the surface of the material. This raised fiber layer is called the "nap". The reference confirms that "The NAP side of the material is now fuzzy".
This controlled brushing action on one or both sides of the fabric is what gives fleece cotton its distinct fluffy and insulating quality, trapping air and providing warmth.
Beyond Napping
While napping is crucial for the texture, the complete process of making fleece cotton also includes:
- Fiber Preparation: Cleaning and preparing raw cotton fibers.
- Spinning: Turning cotton fibers into yarn.
- Knitting: Creating the fabric structure, typically a knit construction like jersey or fleece knit, which has visible loops.
- Dyeing (Optional): Coloring the fabric.
- Finishing: Including processes like washing, drying, and the essential napping described above.
In essence, fleece cotton starts as a standard cotton knit fabric that undergoes a specific brushing treatment to achieve its signature soft, fuzzy surface.
