Muslin fabric has long been a fabric of choice due to its multiple uses. Muslin is a lightweight, woven, (highly) breathable cotton fabric. It is not as coarse or as heavy as a canvas fabric, for example, although it does come in a wide range of weights (delicate to coarse) . It comes in a variety of colors such as natural, bleached white, black, etc., as well as unbleached and free of dye. Muslin can be sold both as a flame retardant or non-flame retardant fabric, and in varying sizes, too. Whether heavy or lightweight, you can find the muslin that is right for your project or needs!
A wonderful way to purchase muslin is when it is 100% cotton and unbleached or dyed. This allows you to start with a base of a neutral color (off white or cream) to style and design for your particular desired use. It’s neutrality as well as it’s durability makes it more versatile for uses across professional or commercial industries, as well as for personal use at home.
How To Use Muslin Fabric
- Theater – Muslin has long been one of the most popular fabrics used in the theater. It’s widely used for set designs, stage flats, backgrounds and props, for example.
- Quilting – Muslin fabric can be used as the back of a quilt or even for the entire quilting project itself. The neutral color of the undyed fabric is great on its own, and a good starting point if you want to dye or add patterns and color to the fabric.
- Clothing – Due to the lightweight and breathable nature of the fabric itself, a set of pants and shirt that you could wear in the summertime or to the beach are an excellent match. Imagine how lightweight and comfortable linen is, and not only is it breathable but also protects from the sun.
- Upholstery – Use this fabric for an upholstery project. You could use it for a cover for a piece of furniture such as a sofa, or the cover of the seat of a dining room chair, or an armchair. The natural lighter color of the fabric could brighten up an antique piece, for example. Pillows or aisle runners are some additional examples of uses for home furniture.
- Blanket – A baby blanket if perfect for this type of fabric. It’s lightweight and would be great for covering a baby or child in a stroller (which also conveniently protects them from the sun and dust or wind).
- Adjustable baby swaddle or breastfeeding cover – Muslin fabric is very commonly used among mothers for children with its characteristics and versatility. You could make an adjustable baby swaddle which goes around your body to hold a baby, and it could also be used as a breastfeeding cover so you can feed your baby with greater privacy.
- Pram cover – this is essentially a cover that can go over a baby stroller. Often, strollers with babies or young children are covered with this ‘banket’ in order to protect the child from the elements (sun, wind, cooler air). The lightweight nature of muslin is unique for a pram cover since it easily allows for air flow.
- Washcloth – How convenient! The breathability of this fabric makes an excellent washcloth for face. It helps to remove dirt and makeup, and to exfoliate the skin.
- Ribbons/Home decor – are a good example of one way that muslin fabric can be used for wrapping gifts or for decorations around the home, or even a store! You can easily dye the fabric into any color you want and to take it a step farther, designs can even be stamped onto the fabric, too. This adds a really unique touch to handmade gifts! Other home decor might include accent curtains or dividers for a room, a draped ceiling and walls (sometimes these are used at a spa, too), wall coverings, window treatments, floral treatments, wall covering, or backdrops. Lastly, you can make sheets or even teabags from muslin fabric!
- Cooking – Although it’s not something we think about everyday, fabric can very easily be used for cooking. Muslin fabric can be used to wrap vegetables to help remove moisture from them. Another great use is for squeezing lemons. You can slice a lemon in half, cover the half of the lemon with the cloth and then squeeze the juice into a cup or jar below. This will keep the lemon seeds out, functioning just like a strainer. Perhaps the ‘fanciest’ and most delicious way to use this fabric is for making cheese. Using muslin with cheese, it is affordable, easy, washable and reusable. For cooking, use light unbleached cotton muslin fabric.
Caring For Muslin Fabric
After each use, rinse the fabric immediately. You can wash it either in the washing machine or by hand in the sink. If using a washing machine, wash it in a cold temperature for colors (and with like colors), and warm or hot for lights and white (and with like colors). If washing in the sink, use warm water and add a half an ounce or so of detergent. You can soak the items for an hour or so, and then use cool water to rinse it. Try to avoid using any detergents, fabric softeners, or harsh chemicals if you are using the fabric for food, or if there are any sensitivities to these things in general.
If you are rinsing the fabric after using it for cheese, you may want to add white vinegar to help remove any of the cheese curd. One other thing to keep in mind about muslin fabric in general is that it does wrinkle when it becomes wet.
When drying muslin fabric, it may shrink, since it’s made of woven cotton, but not as much as a knit cotton. To dry, you can lay the fabric flat or tumble it on low — and do not iron or dry clean it!
As you can see, Muslin is a very versatile choice for a wide range of projects. While this fabric is popularly used within the theater world, there are many uses for home purposes too. We sell a muslin fabric that is 100% cotton and dye free. As mentioned, this is a great starting point for many projects. Buy your muslin fabric and get started today!