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Muslin, also known as calico, is a loosely woven, lightweight fabric. It's usually unbleached and looks either white or light tan in colour.

Uses for muslin[edit | edit source]

A dress in muslin.

Muslin has many uses, including sewing clothing and soft toys, embroidery backing, straining food through, wrapping food for steaming (such as boiled/steamed puddings), holding items and as a test fabric before making garments or items from more expensive fabrics. Muslin is often used as the lining for garments and sewn items, or as the backing for quilts and blankets.

Naming conventions[edit | edit source]

Calico is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and Australia. In the United States, the term muslin is preferred. In the UK, the term "muslin" may be referring to a much more sheer fabric.

Purchasing muslin[edit | edit source]

Muslin or calico is usually found in stores that sell fabric and/or craft materials. It can be purchased in the desired amount off the bolt or pre-cut sizes packaged according to the retailer's methods. It's generally very affordable.

Note that muslin comes in varying grades and quality. This may or may not matter, depending on your intended end use. Usually higher thread count means that the muslin will cost more.

Handling muslin[edit | edit source]

Muslin is easy to work with and the best thread to use with it is cotton or all-purpose polyester. Use sharp fabric scissors or a rotary cutter on a board to cut the fabric. Alternatively, muslin can be torn along the grain.

Using muslin for embroidery.

Muslin will wrinkle easily––ironing before and after using it will take care of this.

Muslin will shrink moderately; this should be accounted for when making something with it.

Caring for muslin[edit | edit source]

Muslin is machine washable, making it easy to care for but take embellishments on the fabric into account before washing. If washing after using for cooking, simply rinse it out and hang to dry so that it doesn't grow mildew prior to the proper wash. Muslin can be air dried or added to the tumble dryer.

Iron using medium heat and steam.

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Authors Felicity
License CC-BY-SA-3.0
Language English (en)
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Created April 14, 2012 by Felicity
Modified March 2, 2022 by Page script
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