Hippie muslin and macramé lace dress
1970s
Australia
Maker unknown
This long hippy dress is made from natural lightweight (unbleached) calico with unbleached cotton hand crocheted and machine crocheted lace. The bodice is stretchy and shirred.
Other information
Muslin is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It gets its name from the Indian port town Masulipatnam, known as Maisolos and Masalia in ancient times and the name 'Muslin' originated from the name Maisolos. Early Indian muslin was hand woven of uncommonly delicate handspun yarn, especially in the region of what today is Bangladesh. It was imported into Europe for much of the 17th and early 18th centuries.
When sewing clothing, a dressmaker may test the fit of a garment, using an inexpensive muslin fabric before cutting pieces from expensive fabric, thereby avoiding potential costly mistakes. This garment is often called “a muslin", and the process is called "making a muslin." In this context, "muslin" has become the generic term for a test or fitting garment, regardless of what it's made from.
Muslin is also often used as a backing or lining for quilts, and thus can often be found in wide widths in the quilting sections of fabric stores.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslin