Natural muslin is a 100% cotton fabric that’s available in two weights. Medium is a good choice for budget-friendly home décor, but heavyweight is more durable and long-lasting. Why is muslin such a great choice for creative home décor projects? It’s versatile. Paint or dye it if you want or leave it in its natural state.
Due to its durability and availability as a flame-retardant option, muslin is a popular fabric for interior design projects. Learn more about the use of muslin in home décor.
Bathrooms
Muslin is a good choice for a lightweight hand towel or face cloth. You can also use it to make a shower curtain, just make sure you have a waterproof liner between the curtain and the water.
If you have a bathroom window, muslin curtains provide privacy when it’s needed. You can also use muslin scraps as cleaning rags. When you’re done, toss them in the wash and use them over and over.
Anyone with longer hair tends to wrap it up in a turban fashion to help towel dry it while getting dressed. Heavyweight muslin is absorbent and is a good option for a hair towel that dries quickly between uses.
Bedrooms
How can you use muslin in your bedroom décor? Sew two sections of muslin together and add buttons at the bottom. Put in a down or bamboo comforter, and button the bottom. This duvet cover adds a splash of color and is easily removed for quick washing without having to fit an entire comforter in your washing machine.
Use muslin to build shams that match the duvet. If you have pets that sleep in your room, make pet beds with poly muslin covers for easy washing. You’ll have pet beds that match the rest of your décor. If they sleep in other rooms, like the living room, you can make pet bed covers that match the colors and design in those rooms.
A DIY headboard is easy to make and an ideal use of muslin. Purchase a piece of plywood and staple batting over both sides of the plywood. Add heavyweight muslin and use upholstery tacks to secure the muslin over the batting. You’ll have a padded headboard you can attach to the bed frame. It protects your head from the wall and adds color to your room.
Kitchens and Dining Rooms
Natural muslin kitchen towels are perfect for bringing the room’s color theme together. They won’t be useful for drying items unless you make sure you buy heavyweight natural muslin. Poly muslin isn’t very absorbent. Muslin is also a handy cover for freshly baked bread as it holds in the heat without adding moisture.
Make curtains for your kitchen window or a valance if you’d rather not have curtains hanging down. With some dowels sewn into your muslin, you can create a Roman blind to raise up and lower as necessary.
Turn muslin into a tablecloth and add a complementing placemat at each place setting. You can also use muslin for napkins if you add a finishing hem to each side. They’re cloth napkins that you can wash and use over and over.
Laundry Rooms
Muslin is a fantastic option for laundry bags. Give each member of your family a bag that’s open on one side, and add a drawstring in the top hem for easy closure. Dirty laundry can go into those bags until it’s laundry day.
A lightweight muslin is also good for putting delicates into the wash. Use Velcro to seal the top of the small bag and put a delicate item in the bag. Toss that into the washing machine. When the wash is done, remove the bag and let the item air dry outside or on a rack inside.
Living Rooms/Family Rooms
Add color to your sofa and chairs by making pillow covers with muslin. If you’re creative, paint on natural muslin fabric, or dye it in gradients of your favorite colors. Make sure you choose colors that complement your room’s décor. Heavyweight muslin is the best choice if you have kids who are likely to use them for pillow fights.
A lightweight blanket is ideal for summer movie nights. With the AC going, you may want to keep your legs covered. Curl up with your blanket and enjoy the show. In the winter, a heavyweight blanket is better. Or, take two sections of muslin, put some cotton batting between the layers, and stitch them up for an insulating blanket that keeps you warm.
Take heavyweight muslin and create decorative wall hangings. You don’t need to be a painter. Aim for an abstract painting by flicking paint from your brush onto the muslin. Go outside to do this. Or, try using different objects to create brush strokes. Instead of a paintbrush, use a feather, leaves, or branch from a pine tree. Cover stones in paint and roll them around a canvas. Let it dry and hang it on the wall.
Outdoor Living Spaces
In the same way you added splashes of color to your living or family rooms, do the same with your outdoor living space. Blankets and pillows create comfortable additions to a patio sofa. If you have a fire pit, curl up with blankets around the fire as long as they’re made with flame-retardant muslin to prevent fire if any sparks head your way.
If you have a pergola, consider poly muslin curtains for privacy. Draw them across when you want shade or privacy, and open them back up when they’re no longer needed.
Other Ideas
Muslin makes great curtains. Purchase heavyweight muslin in a variety of colors and have curtains big enough for patio doors. You don’t need to do more than hem the bottom and sides and add some grommets to the top for curtain rings.
Glue a square of muslin into a smaller cardboard box and be sure you cover the outsides, too. You reuse the cardboard box, and you’ve created a storage box for smaller items like driving gloves, winter hats, sunglasses, dog toys, etc.
At Chicago Canvas, there is natural cotton muslin, flame-retardant muslin, and flame-retardant poly muslin. All of them are great for home décor craft projects. If you live in a humid area, poly-muslin fabric offers a little more protection from moisture, which makes it a great choice for sunrooms and three-season porches.
Explore the different options for muslin at Chicago Canvas. If you have questions, our online live chat help desk is happy to offer guidance in choosing the best fabric for your home décor and interior design needs.