Fashions in muslin, 1838.

Muslin is a type of finely-woven cotton fabric, introduced to Europe from the Middle East in the 17th century. Cotton is a soft staple Fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant ( Gossypium sp A textile is a flexible material comprised of a network of natural or artificial Fibres often referred to as thread or Yarn. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar Its first recorded use in England was in 1670. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland It was named for the city where Europeans first encountered it, Mosul, in what is now Iraq, but the fabric actually originated from Dhaka in what is now Bangladesh. For the village in Azerbaijan see Mosul Azerbaijan. Mosul (الموصل Al Mūṣul, Kurdish: Mosul/Ninawa, Musul For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Dhaka (also known as Dacca ( Bangla: ঢাকা ɖʱaka is the Capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka District. ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially ^[1]

Muslin is most typically a closely-woven unbleached or white cloth, produced from corded cotton yarn. Wide muslin is called "sheeting". It is often used to make dresses or curtains but may also be used to complement foam for bench padding. Muslin breathes well, and is a good choice of material for clothing meant for hot, dry climates.

The word muslin is also used colloquially. In the United Kingdom, many sheer cotton fabrics are called muslin, while in the United States, muslin sometimes refers to a firm cloth for everyday use. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In the UK, that firm cloth is called calico. In British slang, muslin used to refer to women or femininity, while in nautical slang, muslin can refer to a vessel's sails. Slang is the use of highly informal Words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's Dialect or Language. Seamanship is the art of operating a ship or boat It involves a knowledge of a variety of topics and development of specialised skills including Navigation and international

Non-clothing uses

When sewing clothing, a test or fitting garment may be made of inexpensive muslin fabric before cutting the intended expensive fabric, thereby avoiding a costly mistake. Sewing or stitching is the fastening of Cloth, Leather, Furs Bark, or other flexible materials using needle and The muslin garment is often called a muslin and the process is called making a muslin. With the availability of inexpensive synthetic fabrics, which closely resemble the hand (drape and feel) of expensive natural fabrics, a test or fitting garment made of synthetics may still be referred to as a muslin, because the word has become the generic term for a test or fitting garment.

Muslin can also be used as a filter in a funnel when decanting fine wine or port to prevent sediment from entering the decanter. In Chemistry and common usage a filter is a device (usually a membrane or layer that is designed Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice ||-||-|-||-||-||-||-||-||-|} A port is a facility for receiving Ships and transferring cargo

Theater and photography

Muslin is often the cloth of choice for theater sets. Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one It is helpful in masking the background of sets and helping to establish the mood or feel of different scenes. Set construction is a process by which a set designer works in collaboration with the director of the production to create the set for a theatrical film or television It can be painted to look like countless different settings and if treated properly it can become semi-translucent. It also holds dyes very well and is often used to create night time scenes as by dyeing it, it often gets a waved look resembling a night time sky with the colors varying slightly. Muslin shrinks after it is painted. It is widely used because it makes for a great paint surface.

In video production, muslin can also be used as a cheap bluescreen, either precolored or painted with latex paint (diluted with water). Chroma Key is the name under which ex- Dream Theater Keyboardist Kevin Moore records

Muslin is the most common backdrop material used by photographers for formal portrait backgrounds. It is usually painted, most often with a random mottled pattern.

Medicine

Muslin gauze has also found a use in cerebrovascular neurosurgery. It is wrapped circumferentially around aneurysms or intracranial vessels at risk for bleeding. ^[2] The thought is that the gauze reinforces the artery and helps prevent rupture. It is often used for aneurysms that, due to their size or shape, cannot be microsurgically clipped or coiled. ^[3]

History

India could be called the 'cradle of cotton' since it is in this country that domestic cotton cultivation and manufacture into clothing really began. The civilization of the Indus Valley dates back to 3000 BC and it is here, around the towns of Harappa and Mohen-jo-Daro (now both in Pakistan), that remnants of homespun cotton garments, bone needles and wooden spindles have been discovered dating back to that time. The Indus River { Sanskrit: सिन्धु Sindhu; Urdu: urd {{Nastaliq سندھ}} Sindh; Sindhi: snd

Bengali tantees (muslin weavers) were once the finest in the world, famous for their fine cotton and silk. Etymology and ethnology The exact origin of the word Bangla or Bengal is unknown though it is believed to be derived from the Dravidian-speaking tribe Bang Indian muslins produced in Dhaka, Bengal (now Bangladesh) soon became an important part of East India Company trade. Dhaka (also known as Dacca ( Bangla: ঢাকা ɖʱaka is the Capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka District. ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially The Honourable East India Company ( HEIC) referred to most commonly as the East India Company, also historically and colloquially as John Company, or The fabrics proved to be so popular in England in the early 18th century that the British woollen and silk trades were seriously affected.

Muslins were first imported during ancient Greek times, via the Sba and Adulis traders who carried Greek trade to India and brought it back, along with spices and luxury silks.

Several British patents concerning the textile industry relied on pre-industrial techniques perfected in India. In fact, many of the earliest textile machines in Britain were unable to match the complexity and finesse of the spinning and weaving machines of Dacca.

In the early 1800s imports of Indian cotton goods faced duties of 70-80%, while British imports faced duties of only 2-4%. As a result, British imports of cotton manufactures into India increased by a factor of 50, and Indian exports dropped to one-fourth. Many ruined spinners and weavers were rendered jobless and often became landless agricultural workers.

Muslin was legendary because a 5-yard-long piece of fabric could be squeezed into a matchbox[1]. Today's Muslin is a different fabric altogether; the art is all but lost.

References