@CatRyan: Flannel in the US means about the same thing as what you describe, but it is most strongly associated with shirts made out of that material, and nearly always has a tartan-esque pattern. In fact, if something made of that material doesn't have that type of pattern, we will refer to it as "flannel material" to clarify. When folks in the US talk about "a flannel" they are specifically referring to a shirt made of that fabric with that pattern.

@CatRyan as a quilter, flannel is the soft textile you describe. As a Gen Xer, flannel is plaid shirt worn by grunge musicians and fans