Make your own muslin backdrop

To make a simple backdrop you will need:
· About 4-5 yards (12 to 15 feet) of natural or white muslin. Buy the widest width you can find. (Try to find one that is at least 108 inches.)
· A roll or two of no-sew fusible tape.
· An iron and ironing board.
· A pair of scissors, a pencil, and straight-edge.

One of the best materials to make a professional looking backdrop is out of a material called muslin. This is an inexpensive cotton cloth that can be found in almost any fabric store. Muslin commonly comes in either white or natural (off-white) and in a variety of widths.
When you get your fabric home, throw it in the washing machine for a quick wash. After drying the fabric, spread it out on the floor and trim up the ends so that they are as straight as possible.
Use a long straight edge, make a mark with some chalk or a pencil, and then cut the fabric to be as exact as possible. Now use the double-sided fusible tape and run it along the cut edges.
Fold the fabric over to create a sharp edge. Following the tape instructions, iron the fabric where you've inserted the tape. Now you've finished your simple, professional backdrop. It's that simple! The tape, once ironed, creates a good bond that requires absolutely no sewing. The backdrop can be gently washed when needed, the the finished edges won't fray.
If you are handy with the sewing machine and enjoy this type of work, by all means, you can sew a 1/4 or 1/2 inch seam on the ends, instead of the no-sew tape, to finish the back drop.
If you have a very ample piece of fabric, you can simply toss it over a back drop pole or even tack it up to a wall. If you have a smaller size of fabric, or want a more professional look, there is another step you can add to the process.

On one of the ends that you've ironed, fold the fabric over another 4 to 5 inches, tack that end down again with the double sided tape, and iron it again. This will create a hole running along the width of the muslin that you can easily fit a backdrop pole through.
Is a natural or white backdrop a little too boring for you? Adding color to your backdrop is easy.
Back at the fabric store you can find fabric dyes in a multitude of colors. I prefer to use the liquid dyes to the powder ones. Powder dyes are more difficult to mix completely and can leave little spots on your fabric.

To dye your fabric you will need,
· a large plastic or metal tub or bucket
· rubber gloves
· dye color of your choice
· hot water

Do this process outside or somewhere where it doesn't matter if you spill a little. Dunking such a big piece of fabric usually produces some splashes. Follow the dye instructions, add the bottle of dye into the bucket of hot water, and dunk your muslin into the bucket. To make sure the color is solid and even throughout the muslin, put on your rubber gloves and swish the fabric around a lot so that every part of it gets well soaked by the dye. If you would like to have a slightly mottled, tie-dye effect, scrunch up the fabric and gently submerge it into the solution, without much movement. Either hold it there or gently let go without moving the fabric around much. If you pull out the fabric and don't like the mottled effect, simply put it back in the dye and swish it around until all the fabric is infused with the dye. Viola! Your fabric is dyed!
When your fabric has the desired amount of color, remove it from the dye solution and rinse it in warm, then cool water.

A few tips for dying the muslin:

Before dying the fabric, wash it in the washing machine.
Don't dry it, but place it pre-wetted in the dye solution.
After you've dyed and rinsed the fabric, you can send it through the washing machine one more time to get any last residue from the dye out.

Let the fabric dry on a line, rather than the dryer, for the least amount of shrinkage.
A final note about muslin is that it looks great either ironed or wrinkled up.

Making your own backdrop is an inexpensive and quick process, and in no time you have a great addition to your photography equipment. You'll find that the muslin creates a simple, lightweight background good for photographing people or objects without any other distracting elements.

Caring for Muslin Backdrops

A successful photography studio must be able to offer its clients a variety of backgrounds. Although seamless paper backdrops are very effective and commonly used in commercial studios, I prefer to use muslin backdrops in my studio.

Muslin backdrops are significantly more expensive than seamless paper and require more storage space and care. However, they provide interesting textures and more realistic backgrounds for more sophisticated studio work. Muslin backdrops vary from very simple, single color backgrounds to complicated, hand-painted works of art. Likewise, they range in price from $30 to upwards of $400 per backdrop. Thus, if you decide to invest in muslin backdrops, you certainly need to know how to care for them properly.

Here are a few tips I have found helpful in caring for muslin backdrops:

Washing - I have purchased a variety of muslins from various manufacturers. Some will indicate that muslins can be hand or machine-washed. Others vehemently instruct you NOT to wash them. I have found through experience that washing muslins will quickly degrade their quality and hasten your need to replace them. I would avoid washing muslins unless absolutely necessary.

Stains or Soil - If your muslin backdrop becomes stained or soiled, try to spot treat using a scrub brush and mild soap and warm water. NEVER use bleach or harsh, abrasive detergents. If the stain resists spot treatment, you may need to soak the area in a warm water and mild soap solution overnight. You can drape the backdrop over a tub, strategically placing the spot over the tub and placing a smooth but heavy object on the spot to hold it in the solution. If this course of action fails to remove the stain, you may have no choice but to use a more powerful detergent or, perhaps, OxyClean. Keep in mind, however, that you may damage the backdrop and have to incorporate the damaged area into your photo background, shift it out of your camera’s view, or simply place your subject(s) in front of the stain.

Creases and Folds – Your muslin backdrop will arrive heavily folded, as there is simply no other way to ship a heavy, bulky muslin backdrop. If you know you will not need to use the backdrop for several days, simply hang it on your backdrop support and allow gravity to work for you. If you cannot wait several days to use the backdrop or if the creases and folds are still visible, use a hand-held fabric steamer. I use a Conair compact fabric steamer (model GS4, est. retail $30.00) with great results. Follow the instructions included with the steamer and be careful not to rub the muslin with the steam head. In the absence of a fabric steamer, you can (if you are brave) allow your backdrop to lay outstretched on a clean, no-traffic portion of your yard overnight. The natural dew will help to remove most of the wrinkles and folds.

Ironing – JUST DON'T DO IT! Ironing your muslins will create noticeable, shiny hotspots in your backdrop and ruin the material.

Dust and Hair – Muslin backdrops, like everything else in your home or studio, will attract dust and hair. To remove dust, simply shake the muslin as you would any other linen. To remove clingy pet or human hair, use a large lint roller (est. retail $4.00). They work fantastic and won’t break the bank.

Storage – It’s best to roll your muslin backdrops into a ball when storing them. Natural wrinkles, not patterned folds and creases, can actually enhance your backdrop and create even more texture, which adds to the realism of your backdrops. Many photographers like working with wavy, naturally wrinkled backdrops. If your photo shoot is casual, then you can certainly get by with using one. If, however, you will be doing formal, more serious work, I would highly recommend removing as many of the wrinkles as you can before the shoot. I like to store my muslin backdrops, rolled in balls, in large plastic tubs. This helps to eliminate excessive dust from collecting on them and makes it easier and faster for me to simply shake and hang them when needed.

Muslin backdrops, when properly cared for, can last a number of years. They represent a significant investment in your photography business. I hope these tips will help you to better preserve the quality and integrity of your muslin backdrops.