What is muslin? A muslin or toile (twahl) is a trial stitch of your pattern. It is a mock-up garment to test the fit and make any necessary alterations to fit better before sewing the nice, real fabric.
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Most pattern instructions will not tell you to create a muslin, so when is it best to do so? |
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Usually, when a pattern design is intricate and needs to be fitted to the body as perfectly as possible without any tightness or looseness at any area of the garment, that is when it’s recommended to make a muslin. Patterns fitted with darts and seam lines are mostly the projects you’ll need to create muslins for.
Though taking accurate measurements of your body to select the pattern size is a great first step in sewing a garment that fits you, everyone will not be able to fit the mold. Our bodies vary in different ways, and patterns are designed around the “perfect” body measurements, symmetrical in every way. Perfect in the sense that it is manageable for a pattern designer to design a garment and offer it in several sizes.
Real bodies are asymmetric in shape, width, and length. Some will have short-waist with long legs or long torsos with short legs, broad shoulders with tiny hips, one shoulder slightly higher than the other, high or low bust points, and so on.
Sewing patterns are just templates to make a garment, and for a well-fitting garment, we may need to tweak a few seams here and there to fit a particular body shape.
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Creating a muslin sounds like such a chore, especially if you’re ready to sew AND wear your outfit to a special occasion, but certain pattern designs may need muslin created to save you money and free you from an ill-fitting garment. In the long run, testing your pattern first will prevent your nice fabric from going to waste.
Muslins are created with fabric that is not your final project’s fabric (not nice fabric). These fabrics are also called muslin. They are made of 100% unbleached cotton in plain weave and come in different weights, from light to heavyweight.
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When choosing the muslin fabric for your muslin mock-up, select a weight similar to your final project fabric. That way, you will have more accurate adjustments. There’s no point in creating a jacket muslin with lightweight fabric when your final fabric is thick, heavy wool - the lightweight muslin may fit perfectly, but the thicker wool will fit snug. So, choose accordingly.
An alternative to muslin fabric is using any fabric that’s available to you. Old sheets or curtains or excess fabric from previous projects. As long as the handle is similar to your final project fabric, you are good to go.
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Muslin fabric pictured is excess fabric from a previous project. |
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There is no need to finish your seams with muslin - chances are you may need to remove stitches, adjust and sew again. Once it's put together, try it on and evaluate the fit in front of the mirror. Are there areas that are pulling? If so, it may be too tight, and the pattern chosen is too small. Are there areas that are sagging? Then, you need to take it in. Is the length too short or long? Are the shoulders too wide or narrow? Are you able to sit and move your arms freely with it on? Are you happy with the overall sense of ease? Remember, fit is subjective. Make sure that the amount of ease in the garment is comfortable to you, the wearer.
Use pins to pinch or fold areas you need to take in or take up. Make use of markers and draw on your new necklines, armholes, seam lines, or darts so you still have references of where you made adjustments when you removed the pins.
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If you’ve made several adjustments, it’s better to retrace your modified pattern onto paper. Remove the stitches and pins, lay your fabric pieces flat over the paper, and trace using a tracing wheel, then straighten your lines using proper pattern-making rulers. Before tracing, press the fabric pieces, but ensure your markings remain intact. If you’ve used a heat-erasable pen, they will disappear when an iron goes over them. And, for good measure, you may need to create another muslin of your new pattern to confirm your adjustments are giving you the desired results. |
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When you’re satisfied with the fit, you are ready to cut out your nice fabric! |
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