New becomes old, and old becomes new. Cotton cleaning cloths are an old staple in my mother’s toiletry bag, well before the current muslin cleaning cloth craze. No shade on certain skin care brands, but $22 for three cloths? No thank you ma’am. You can make many years worth for less than $15.

All you need is a yard of muslin cloth and pinking shears.

I get muslin from my local Jo-Ann Fabric. They have a variety of options, from $2 to $12 a yard depending on the width of the fabric and thread quality. Honestly, because these cloths are going to be washed again and again, the cheapest, unbleached muslin is probably sufficient. Always check for coupons before buying! I got the ‘premium’ unbleached muslin, with a 50% coupon total cost was $6.

The pinking shears are from Amazon ($7). You can get also buy them at your local craft shop. They have these funny teeth:

The zigzag pattern helps prevent cut edges from fraying. You’ll probably still see some loose threads as you use the cloth but it won’t unravel. Pinking shears are a great sewing machine alternative, especially if you’re just doing the odd fabric project once in a while.

Step 1: Lay out muslin and measure out your cloth.

I use a black piece of cardboard which is 12×12 exactly. You can adjust the size depending on your needs.

Step 2: Trace or mark your measurements. Use pencil or tailors’ chalk.

Step 3: Cut along markings.

And voila! Your new muslin cloth ready to go.

I’m not even half done with my muslin yet and I’ve already cut out 12 cloths. Some are more rectangular than others as my cloth width isn’t an exact multiple of 12” But that’s the beauty of diy – you can experiment and see what size cloth works best for you!