Hi Andy,
I had a discussion with some friends yesterday over flannel vs. cotton. I cannot find any legitimate source on the internet that I can cite to prove my thoughts on the matter. I understand that flannel and cotton, while both a part of the cotton family, differ. Flannel is rawer, less refined, and has a slight nap to it and thicker threads. While cotton is more refined, has thinner threads, and overall is a more lightweight cotton. Also up for debate is what flannel looks like. I understand flannel to come in all sorts of varieties (I.E. solids, prints, plaids, etc.). Flannel is not just the name for cotton fabrics that happen to have a plaid design to them. Your help would be greatly appreciated in this matter. Thank You in advance for your time.
Sincerely,
Marla

Dear Marla: After some research, we have found that the word Flannel was originally derived from the Welsh term “gwlanan”, which is Welsh for wool. In today’s version of flannel it generally means any brushed fabric. Cotton is a fiber that can be used for thousand of different fabrics. Some cotton fabrics have a “flannel” finish. Some Flannel fabrics are made from fibers other than cotton. The design of the fabric is secondary to the hand(flannel) or the fiber content(cotton). Hope this begins to answer your question. Good Luck, Andy