Polar Fleece Throw Blanket - Fleece Blanket FabricIf you are looking for something beautiful, warm and luxurious to cuddle under when you go to bed at night, you should consider a fleece blanket. Not without good reason, these comfy blankets have become all the rage over the last few years. As well as being lightweight, soft and warm, they are also available in a whole host of sizes and colors and are reasonably priced. When compared with an average wool blanket, fleece cost very little and are much easier to look after. When it comes time to wash them, just throw them in the washing machine - no dry cleaning required. Once washing is complete, a quick tumble in the dryer is all that is required. No need for them to be hung out to dry although you can certainly let them blow dry in the sun if you wish. A fleece blanket, sometimes called a Polar Fleece, is a man made material that is mostly made from polyester. However, it can also be blended with other materials such as cotton or acrylic. It has one side that is smooth and the other which is fluffy. The actual fabric is made by tightly twisting fibers into a yarn which is then knitted together. It is then brushed with rough wire brushes to raise the fibers which in turn creates the downy surface. The whole thing is then machine sheared and finished. Because polyester and acrylic fibers are naturally hydrophobic (literally meaning water fearing), they will retain little moisture. Consequently, even if a fleece cover gets soaking wet, it will still feel dry to the touch and weigh about the same as if it were bone dry. As well as it's water resistant properties, a fleece is a good heat retainer and provides excellent insulation considering it's light weight As well as blankets, fleece is also used to make various clothing items such as hats, gloves, hooded sweat shirts, children's sleepers and pants. When it is used as a coat or jacket it will normally have some type of outer layer to protect against the wind. A lot of people make their own fleece blankets as the material is so easy to work with. It doesn't ravel like most materials and can even be used without any sewing around the edges. However, most will edge it to give it a nice finish. Decide the size of bed cover you want and buy a piece of polar fleece which is larger than you need. This is so that you will be able to finish the edge nicely. You can either hem it all around with a half an inch hem or just use a blanket stitch to finish off the edges. If neither of those appeal, you can just serge the edge. No matter which you choose you'll have a nice fleece blanket to keep you warm and cozy.
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