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  • 1.  Muslin Types for Covering Artifacts

    Posted 01-27-2025 07:55 AM
    Has anyone procured muslin from theater companies and used it to cover large/macro artifacts? Even though it says "untreated" from fire-retardant materials, I am concerned about the heavy weight of it. Any insight is appreciated!





    Carrie Bowers
    Collections Manager
    National Museum of the Marine Corps
    work cell: 571-320-4878

    "When museums collect things they take on ethical obligations not only to the communities those objects came from, or are meaningful to, but also to the objects themselves." -- Steven Lubar



  • 2.  RE: Muslin Types for Covering Artifacts

    Posted 01-28-2025 09:04 AM
    Hi, Carrie - being both a retired curator and an artist, as well as a former theatrical designer - I can offer some thoughts.  For artists, there are many weights of canvas and it can be made of cotton or linen.  You could try major art supply houses for those.  A thousand years ago, we used lightweight muslin to create mock-ups for period costumes and sometimes lined the costumes with muslin to make them more comfortable for actors, especially for heavy costumes built from weighty brocades, etc.  There are a number of online shops and garment district dealers in these types of muslin.

    Also, my quilting friends use muslin for backing as well as for "pillow cases" made to house quilts in transit.  These textiles are available easily from several online sites by the bolt.

    Good Luck!  Vivian





  • 3.  RE: Muslin Types for Covering Artifacts

    Posted 01-28-2025 09:17 AM

    Hi Vivian, 

    Thanks for the idea; I normally purchase muslin from traditional museum suppliers but they don't have the sizes we need but I will look into other fabric suppliers. 

    Cheers, 

    Carrie



    ------------------------------
    Carrie Bowers
    Collections Manager
    National Museum of the Marine Corps
    Triangle VA
    ------------------------------

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  • 4.  RE: Muslin Types for Covering Artifacts

    Posted 01-29-2025 05:47 PM
    Dharma Trading in San Rafael, CA offers extra wide, 100% cotton undyed muslin. I believe they ship nationally: https://www.dharmatrading.com/fabric/fabric-from-dharma-trading-co.html

    Best,
    Yadin



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  • 5.  RE: Muslin Types for Covering Artifacts

    Posted 01-29-2025 07:24 PM

    Do check with your Fire Marsal about your planned use of a flammable/non-flame resistant fibre fabric (including the sewing threads). There might be human safety requirements in the event of a fire that will direct or change your planned fibre content.

     

    The thread count of the fabric should be high enough to provide both the needed dust protection but also light protection.

    Also consider how the large amount of fabric can be safely placed and removed from the artifact. You don't want to drag the fabric on the surfaces of the object nor snag any components of the object while the fabric is being placed/removed.

     

    Flat king size bedsheets (100% cotton; 60% cotton/40% polyester blend – machine rinsed before use) are another source of wide cotton fabrics.

     

    Cotton fabric sold to quilters for backing quilts they are making are also very wide (108" – 116" wide) (you could even get a printed fabric):  https://www.equilter.com/category/90/quilt-backing-cream-taupe-+-earthtones

     

    The company Rose Brand (3 locations in the US) sells cotton fibre content muslin fabrics as well as fire retardant fabrics AND those fabrics that are really really wide (39 feet!): https://www.rosebrand.com/fabric-stage-curtains-backdrops/muslin-fabrics-extra-wide.aspx   Samples of their different fabrics can be bought. Rose Brand also offers  custom sewing.

     

    Regards,

    Meg

    .   _    _    _   _   _  _  _  _   _   _  ______    
    Margaret E. Geiss-Mooney    PA-AIC

    (she/her/hers)

    Textile/Costume Conservator &     
    Collections Management Consultant     
    National Heritage Responder

    CAP Assessor
    1-707-763-8694   
    meg@textileconservator.com

    www.linkedin.com/in/margaretgeiss-mooney

     

    'Conservator' (sp. Conservador), noun – Professional responsible for safeguarding and making cultural heritage accessible for present and future generations. The work may encompass various types of actions, including collection care, preventive conservation, among others. Source: Dictionary of Museology, Routledge and ICOM, 2023.

     

     




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  • 6.  RE: Muslin Types for Covering Artifacts

    Posted 01-30-2025 10:34 AM
    The New York Public library for the Performing Arts used Rose Brand for all gallery fabrics -- scrims, case liners, etc. because we shared public access with Lincoln Center buildings and were bound by NYC's fire codes*. It matters less  for artifact wrapping, but Rose also provides accurate colors on its website.  Rose deals with an enormous range of widths and weights and provides chemical or non-chemical analyses to satisfy any conservation or collection specialists. 

    *Usually described as dracionian, but fire safety is worth the extra time and cost.  



    --
    Barbara Cohen-Stratyner, Ph. D., FRSA
    Suite 7C, 265 Riverside Drive
    Now blogging at outsidethemuseumblog on Wordpress.com

    (ms.,mx. or s/he)
    Suzan-Lori Parks -- "In the beginning came the word. But that may just be the word's point of view."
    James Baldwin --  "You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read." [Early Essays]
    Desmond Tutu -- "If you are neutral in times of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." 





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