Muslin
Muslin is a plain-woven cotton fabric, from very fine and sheer to coarse; dressmakers also use the word for a test garment.
Muslin is cotton cloth in plain weave. Historically the finest muslins, handwoven in Bengal, were so light they were traded across the world and shaped the white gowns of the 1790s and 1800s. Coarser muslins are everyday utility cloth.
Why do sewers say “make a muslin”?
In American usage a muslin is a trial version of a garment, cut from cheap cotton to test fit before cutting the real fabric. In British and French usage the same thing is called a toile.
Sources
- Muslin (AAT 300014087). Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Muslin (Q725457). Wikidata
See also
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