Flannel shirt

“ Coming down, he looked strange in a flannel collar and a flannel shirt-front, with an evening coat and vest. It was rather large.
“The tailor can make it right,” she said, smoothing her hand over his shoulder. “It’s beautiful stuff. ”

“ A thin flannel shirt is more useful than anything, worn with a short light skirt. I have seen such terrible and distressing results arise from the wearing of skirts which, though short in front, dropped at the back that I cannot too strongly emphasise the need for all-round shortness ”

“ Now, a shirt should be a workmanlike thing, as neat as a man’s, and with long sleeves finished by real shirt-cuffs with links. It can be composed of silk, flannel, or linen, but if it is a shirt—that is, a garment for the morning, and to be worn with a rough serge or tweed winter suit—it should have no meaningless fripperies about it. ”

“ If you are economical with your tailor, you can be extravagant with your laundress. The beaux of forty years back put on three shirts a day, but except in hot weather one is sufficient. Of course, if you change your dress in the evening you must change your shirt too. There has been a great outcry against colored flannel shirts in the place of linen, and the man who can wear one for three days is looked on as little better than St. ”

“ The “barrow-coat,” a square of flannel wrapped around an infant’s body below the arms with the part below the feet turned up and pinned, was part of the old swaddling-clothes; and within ten years it has been largely abandoned for a flannel petticoat on a band or waist. The bands, or binders, have always been the same as to-day, and the bibs. The lace cuffs and lace mittens were left off before the caps. The shirt is the most important change.
Nowadays a little infant wears long clothes till three, four, or even eight months old; then he is put in short dresses about as long as he is. ”

“ I have had so many things to direct your attention to, that I had nearly omitted to notice that most useful garment to a workman in a hot country—a flannel jacket, with sleeves, made of good materials; for it will be more comfortable and healthy to work in than a shirt ”

“ I wondered what in the world those boys wanted of red flannel when they came up and asked me if I had a piece. I thought they wanted it to bait frogs or something like that, and I hunted out an old shirt of Mr. Clover’s to give ’em. ”

“ Flannel is the best material to wear next to the body during physical drill, as it absorbs the perspiration, protects the body against drafts and, in a mild manner, excites the skin. When the conditions permit it the men may be exercised in the ordinary athletic costume, sleeveless shirt, flappers, socks, and gymnasium shoes. ”

“ Two flannel shirts, one on and one off, is enough for any man. Two or three pairs of thick stockings. Them as is very particular can carry an extra pair of breeches in case of getting caught in a storm, though for myself I think it is just as well to let your things dry on you. You want a pair of high boots, a buffalo robe, and a couple of blankets, one with a hole cut in the middle to put your head through; that does as a cloak, and is like what the Mexicans call a poncho. You don't want a coat or waistcoat; there ain't no good in them. All you want to carry you can put in your saddle-bag. ”

“ The entire apparel of an individual usually consists of a pair of gray pantaloons and two red flannel shirts, a pair of long boots, and a woollen covering for the head, and all these things are worn at one and the same time. ”

“ If any article of underclothing is to be thrown off in summer, it should be the drawers, the under vest never during the day. Clothing worn in the daytime should invariably be put off at night, to be replaced by cotton or linen night dresses. Many wear under-flannels night and day, but the good effects which result from wearing flannel next the skin are thus much lessened. ”

“ As to economy, if the flannel costs less to wash, it also wears out sooner; but, be this as it may, a man’s wardrobe is not complete without half a dozen or so of these shirts, which he will find most useful, and ten times more comfortable than linen in long excursions, or when exertion will be required. Flannel, too, has the advantage of being warm in winter and cool in summer, for, being a non-conductor, but a retainer of heat, it protects the body from the sun, and, on the other hand, shields it from the cold. ”

“ Ladies, who are rightly more particular as to the appearance of even so unlovely a thing as a sola topee, would do well, perhaps, to buy theirs before starting. Really becoming pith helmets seem very scarce in the East!
After sunset, or under awnings, any sort of cap may be worn.
21. Shirts and collars are obviously matters of taste. A good supply of white shirts and collars must be taken to cope with the destruction and loss which may be expected at the hands of the dobie. Flannel shirts can be made easily enough from English models in Srinagar. ”

“ The buyer for flannels next took the floor, and many women were surprised to learn that the all-wool flannel for petticoats and binders for the layette, the all-wool shirts and stockings for the new baby, represented a waste of father’s money. Wool and cotton mixed or wool and silk will shrink less, wear longer and 21 give more comfort to the wearer than the coveted all-wool. ”

“ The younger men find it more profitable to sell it at once, and to wear, instead of the old bawneens, shirts called flannel which are brought over from cotton-spinning Lancashire, and sold in the shops. The younger women think that they look prettier in gowns made artfully by the local dressmaker out of feeble materials got up to catch the eye. ”

“ Wherewithal shall a man be clothed? We begin at the beginning with flannel always. Experience has taught us that flannel next the skin is indispensable for health to a traveller, and the sick- and dead-lists always include largely the names of those who neglect this material. Cotton stands Number Two on the list, and linen nowhere. ”

“ Whereas in certain countries it is not legal to sell as "pure wool Flannel" a material containing cotton, there is nothing to prevent a manufacturer from selling as Flannelette a material in whose composition a certain amount of wool may enter. Unlike Cotton Flannel, which from its very name shows that the material is of cotton, and by inference cotton only, the term Flannelette may not always designate an all-cotton material, although by general acceptance in the trade Flannelette should be an all-cotton fabric. ”

“ Now it is used very extensively for underclothing, night gear, dresses, dressing-gowns, shirts, &c. It is usually made with a much coarser weft than warp, and its flannel-like appearance is obtained by the raising or scratching up of this weft, and by various finishing processes. Some kinds are raised equally on both sides, and the nap may be long or short according to the purpose for which the cloth is required. A considerable trade is done in plain cloths dyed, and also in woven coloured stripes and checks, but almost any heavy or coarse cotton cloth can be made into flannelette. ”

“ Most people wear flannel under their clothes, and a very prudent practice it is, and the best protection against sudden alternations of weather. When flannel irritates the skin, as it does, and is not endurable to some, silk is an excellent substitute. ”

“ Several of us clubbed together and bought a large piece of twilled cotton, which we made into trousers and jackets, and, giving them several coats of linseed oil, laid them by for Cape Horn. I also sewed and covered a tarpaulin hat, thick and strong enough to sit upon, and made myself a complete suit of flannel underclothing for bad weather. Those who had no southwester caps made them; and several of the crew got up for themselves tarpaulin jackets and trousers, lined on the inside with flannel. Industry was the order of the day, and every one did something for himself ”

“ Flannel night dresses are preferable for children to linen or cotton. Children have [710] less heat-producing powers, and are apt to throw off the bed-clothes. For them a night dress, made somewhat like a bathing costume, suits best, as it is then impossible that, though the bed-clothes are tossed off, the child can be entirely exposed. In old persons, and in those with strongly developed rheumatic tendencies, flannel is also the best material for night dresses ”

“ A week is the limit to the time they should be worn before being changed, and thus an endeavour should be made to have a sufficient number of underclothes to allow of this necessary frequency of change. There is no special virtue in coloured flannel. One often hears red or blue flannel, especially when new, credited with surprising qualities; but it has a doubtful advantage in that it does not show dirt so soon as white or cream-coloured, is assuredly not warmer, and brightly dyed wools are often the cause of eruptions on the skin. ”

“ Woven with either a plain or twill weave, Flannel is a soft-finished material, which, in the better grades, should be of a non-shrinking character. When a very small percentage of cotton is found in so-called all-wool Flannel, it is sometimes due to cotton having remained in the machines used for the carding of the wool prior to making it into yarn. In some countries as much as 1 per cent. of cotton is allowed in an all-wool Flannel. When a higher percentage is found the fabric is no longer considered an all-wool Flannel. ”

“ Such habits, combined with a total absence of any general ablution of the body, will, no doubt engender that tendency to chill and to taking cold which is so unjustly put down to the wearing of flannel by some writers. Where a flannel is washed at reasonable intervals, say at least once a week, and if the whole body is bathed daily, only good can come from wearing it next the skin. ”

“ Flannel is always preferable if the wearer can put up with the irritation. In this respect the schools are well looked after by the masters. Both trousers and shirts must be made so as to fit loosely, but not flappingly. ”

“ For ladies a hood, for gentlemen a felt hat, are the proper head-dresses on the route.
In all parts of the South woolen clothing is required in winter, and flannel under-clothing should be worn by every one who goes there in pursuit of health. Next to flannel, cotton is to be recommended. It is more a non-conductor of heat than linen, and thus better protects the body from changes of temperature. ”

“ Flannelette is indeed little, if at all, inferior to flannel as a nonconducting material and as it is very cheap and does not shrink in the wash, it has become very popular and is manufactured in enormous quantities and almost universally used for the clothing of children, especially in the homes of the poorer classes. ”

“ Pinning blankets are open all down the front, and are usually made in the shops with a broad band of stiff white muslin, which shows that the people who made them never tried to dress a baby. The band should be of flannel or coarse linen many times washed so that it may be soft, and the pins will go through many folds of it. Flannel skirts are usually made of two breadths of flannel, and are more or less embroidered. These are not left open, except just enough to make the dressing easy. Shirts are made so well in stores that few people care to knit them. ”

“ The arguments appear to be in favor of the practice, provided that the thickness of the flannel be proportioned to the seasons of the year. In winter it should be thick; in summer it can scarcely be too thin. Flannel is preferable to linen or calico, because, although it may be saturated with perspiration, it never strikes cold to the skin; whereas linen, under similar circumstances, always does, and the sudden application of cold to the skin, when warmed by exercise, checks the circulation, and causes illness. ”

“ In Wales the short staple wool of the mountain sheep was used, and in Ireland that of the Wicklow variety of the Cottagh breed, but now the New Zealand, Cape and South American wools are extensively employed, and English wools are not commonly used alone. Over 2000 persons are employed in flannel manufacture in Rochdale alone, which is the historic seat of the industry, and a good deal of flannel is now made in the Spen Valley district, Yorkshire. Blankets, which constitute a special branch of the flannel trade, are largely made at Bury in Lancashire and Dewsbury in Yorkshire. ”

“ I recommend you to work solely on childrens’ clothing, as these fag-ends will seldom serve for larger garments. Little hands, moreover, might become coarse and expand (which is not desirable) over rougher and larger work, like womens’ aprons and flannel petticoats. Those can be made at our Dorcas meetings, and sold or given away upon a regular organised system. The list and strips of flannel which you will find among these pieces make beautiful flannel petticoats, and I know that they last as long as those made out of a piece. ”

“ Like the riding-habits mentioned on p. 215, these dresses are lined with flannel, and the ideal way of wearing them is with woollen combinations next the skin, a flannel body fitting closely to the figure to take the place of stays, and buttoned on to this a pair of knick-bockers or trousers of cloth to match the dress. Of course, these unmentionables do not show; but a lady clothed in this way is better able to face the risks of accident than one in petticoats, which are liable to hamper her movements. ”

“ I longed for a little trimming, a softer quality of flannel.
"'I am afraid they must hurt the people who get them,' I said one day, when Miss Marjorum exhibited her bale of flannel underwear.
"'They are delightfully warm, and friction promotes circulation and maintains the health of the skin,' she replied severely. ”