What's the fabric for those popular "Muslin Swaddling Blankets"? Not Muslin in the US!

Image source: http://carly67.wordpress.com/2011/11/06/aden-anais-classic-47-by-47-muslin-swaddling-blankets-review-and-give-away/

As my own friends are starting to have babies and I've been browsing gift ideas, I keep coming across the same thing over and over again: a gauze swaddling blanket, like those made popular by Aden+Anais. Unfortunately, Aden+Anais calls their blankets "muslin swaddling blankets," confusing a country full of DIYers who desperately want to make their own creations.

Why do they call their fabric muslin, when it's not at all what we call muslin in the US? Well, apparently muslin means two very different things in the United States and in other countries, and the founder of Aden+Anais is from Australia. 

What Europeans call MUSLIN, Americans call GAUZE. What Americans call GAUZE, Europeans call CHEESECLOTH. What Americans call MUSLIN, Europeans call CALICO. Not surprisingly, "Muslin (American English)" redirects to Calico on Wikipedia. However, what we call Calico in the US is a different beast entirely! 

Here's some clarification to help you make your fabric selection for your own "muslin swaddling blankets" or other sewing projects that require a fabric by one of these names!

United States - "bubble gauze" or "crinkle cotton" or "gauze"   
UK/New Zealand/Australia - "muslin"
Source: fabric.com
This fabric is fairly soft, very thin, and wrinkly. You see it most often in flowy skirts or in the oh so popular swaddling blankets. It comes in a variety of colors and sometimes prints.

United States - "muslin"   
Elsewhere - "calico"
Source: fabric.com
This fabric is scratchy and firm but inexpensive. It usually comes in white or off-white. It's most often used to make practice garments for pattern fitting ("make a muslin"), for a distressed/rustic look, or for utility purposes.

United States - "calico" or "printed quilting fabric"
Elsewhere - no special name
Source: fabric.com
This fabric is very stiff, generally used for quilting. It does not flow well, and it's also not very strong. Technically, calico in the US has a floral print, but I think any quilting fabric with a small repeating print can fall into the calico category.

United States - "cheesecloth" 
Elsewhere - "gauze"
Source: fabric.com
This fabric is not really used in apparel or much sewing at all. Instead, it's used in the kitchen or for cleaning.

So, you want to make your own swaddling blankets? Or anything else out of that desirable fabric? If you're in the US, you want to order "bubble gauze" or "crinkle cotton," sometimes listed as simply "gauze." If you order muslin, you'll be sorely disappointed. If you're in Europe, though, then muslin is what you want!

If you're in the US, here are some sources:

Fabric.com sells gauze - click here for their selection. I've used it for my own clothing. It starts off a little scratchy, but a few washes (especially with fabric softener - I use unscented/free of dyes fabric softener) will soften it right up. I've made a blouse with this fabric that pre-dates the blog. I'll do a retroactive post on it soon! I also made a dress a LONG time ago.

Michael Levine also sells "cotton gauze - crinkle cotton" - click here for their selection. I haven't purchased fabric from them before, so I can't speak to the quality. I did get a few swatches, and it seems good.

Joann Fabrics sells gauze as well - click here for their selection. I've heard that they rarely have a large color selection in store, but they have more colors online, and you can always dye white gauze to the color of your choice!

Vogue 1241: final product

I just realized I never posted this! Along with many other posts, it got set aside because my computer was running really slow. You can expect a slew of posts now!

Here's the final product for the sew along this past fall: Vogue 1241

Dress front

Dress back

Ready for a wedding in my new dress

Dress in action

Winter citrus tree update

Sad news: Meyer Lemon kicked the bucket this fall. I tried everything in my power to save him, but it didn't work. I'm not sure how exactly this happened - the tree that looked so much better over the summer very quickly met its demise, seemingly due to root rot even though it got the same waterings as Mr. Orange. Hopefully I'll be able to find a new one locally in the spring (the ones I've ordered online are so tiny that it takes a lot of coaxing to get them to grow). 

The good news is that Mr. Orange looks amazing and currently has four tiny tiny green oranges right now. Additionally, the Bearss Lime tree that I bought near the end of the summer is also doing well. 

Since moving them inside, I've only been watering them about once every two weeks even though my house is incredibly dry. This has prevented root rot so far (the soil stays damp for this whole time), but the leaves and fruit don't like the dryness of the air. I keep them in my bedroom window, which is the warmest place in the whole house and also the sunniest. I run a humidifier at night (for myself as well as the plants), but I've also started spritzing the leaves with a spray bottle and using a big clear plastic bag as a humidity chamber on occasion.

Here's a photo update, with details about what I'm doing to keep them thriving!

First, Meyer Lemon. He died just before Thanksgiving. All his leaves fell off. I tried rinsing the roots (which looked pretty dead) in a really dilute bleach solution and replanting in a small pot of fresh seed/cutting starting mix, but it just didn't work. After another month, I got rid of the remains.

Dying tree just before Thanksgiving

All the leaves fell off within just a few days

My attempts to save the tree failed.

Next, Calamondin Orange. The first pictures were taken the same day as the lemon pictures. This tree is doing great. It had a few blossoms around Thanksgiving, and one turned into a tiny green fruit. That fruit shriveled up and fell off, though, because it was too dry. Some other buds did the same before even making flowers. Now that I've had some more blossoms, I'm being more careful with the humidity and haven't lost any more fruit so far.

Back in the summer when I was caring for this tree, I accidentally broke off a little branch. I tried rooting it, and after about two months, it finally grew roots! Now the root system is continuing to grow, and I might be able to convince myself I see evidence of new growth. Time will tell. That's the itty bitty tree in the purple pot.

Orange tree just before Thanksgiving

Flower buds just before Thanksgiving. These didn't bear any fruit because the air was too dry.

Orange tree today. It lives with rosemary (grown from a cutting),  some ginger (rooted from kitchen ginger), and the little orange tree (grown from a cutting) hanging on its pot. The spray bottle is to keep its leaves and buds moist enough.