Woman's muslin dress, Europe, c. 1855. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, M.2007.211.755.

Muslin (/ˈmʌslɨn/ or /ˈmjuːslɨn/) is a loosely-woven cotton fabric which originated in Bangladesh, which was introduced to Europe from the Middle East in the 17th century. It became very popular at the end of the 18th century in France. Muslin is most typically an unbleached or white cloth, produced from carded cotton yarn. It is often used to make sewing patterns, such as for clothing, curtains, or upholstery. Because air moves easily through muslin, muslin clothing is suitable for hot, dry climates.

Etymology and history[link]

Muslin clothes were traded by ancient Greeks from the Indian port town Machilipatnam, which was called Maisolos or Masalia in ancient times. Some believe that the name muslin originated from the name Maisolos.^[1] Marco Polo, the famous traveller, visited the Kakatiya kingdom in which Machilipatnam was located and praised the muslins available there.^[2] In 1298, Marco Polo described the cloth in his book The Travels. He said that it was made in Mosul, Iraq.^[3] Although this view has the fabric named after the city where Europeans first encountered it (Mosul), the fabric is believed to have originated in Dhaka, which is now the capital of Bangladesh.^[4][5] In the 9th century, an Arab merchant named Sulaiman makes note of the material's origin in Bengal (known as Ruhml in Arabic).^[5]

The word muslin is also used colloquially. In the United Kingdom, many sheer cotton fabrics are called muslin, while in the United States, muslin sometimes refers to a firm cloth for everyday use, which in the UK and Australia is known as calico.

In British slang, muslin used to refer to women or femininity, while in nautical slang, muslin can refer to a vessel's sails.

Uses[link]

Dress-making and sewing[link]

In Advantages of wearing Muslin Dresses! (1802), James Gillray caricatured a hazard of untreated muslin: its flammability.

Marie Antoinette, in 1783, in her famous "muslin" portrait

When sewing clothing, a dressmaker may test the fit of a garment, using an inexpensive muslin fabric before cutting the intended expensive fabric, thereby avoiding potential costly mistakes. The muslin garment is often called a "muslin", and the process is called "making a muslin". With the availability of inexpensive synthetic fabrics, which closely resemble the hand (drape and feel) of expensive natural fabrics, a test or fitting garment made of synthetics may still be referred to as a muslin, because the word has become the generic term for a test or fitting garment. Muslin can also be used as inexpensive green screens when painted uniform colour.

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.

Culinary[link]

Muslin can be used as a filter:

• in a funnel when decanting fine wine or port to prevent sediment from entering the decanter
• to separate out liquid from mush (for example, to make apple juice: wash, chop, boil, mash, then filter by pouring the mush into a muslin bag suspended over a jug)
• to retain a liquidy solid (for example, in home cheese-making, when the milk has curdled to a gel, pour into a muslin bag and squash between two saucers (upside down under a brick) to squeeze out the liquid whey from the cheese curd)

Muslin is the material for the traditional cloth used to wrap a Christmas pudding.

Muslin is used by beekeepers to filter melted beeswax, making it clean and particle-free for sale.

Theater and photography[link]

Muslin is often the cloth of choice for theater sets. It is used to mask the background of sets and to establish the mood or feel of different scenes. It receives paint well and, if treated properly, can be made translucent.

It also holds dyes very well. It is often used to create night time scenes because when it is dyed, it often gets a wavy look with the color varying slightly, such that it resembles a night sky. Muslin shrinks after it is painted, but it is widely used because it makes an excellent painting surface.

In video production as well, muslin can be used as a cheap greenscreen or bluescreen, either precolored or painted with latex paint (diluted with water). It is commonly used as a background for the chroma key technique.

Muslin is the most common backdrop material used by photographers for formal portrait backgrounds. These backdrops are usually painted, most often with an abstract mottled pattern.

In the early days of silent film-making and up until the late 1910s, movie studios did not have the elaborate lights needed to illuminate indoor sets, so most interior scenes were sets built outdoors with large pieces of muslin hanging overhead to diffuse the lighting.

Medicine[link]

Muslin gauze has also found a use in cerebrovascular neurosurgery. It is wrapped circumferentially around aneurysms or intracranial vessels at risk for bleeding.^[6] The thought is that the gauze reinforces the artery and helps prevent rupture. It is often used for aneurysms that, due to their size or shape, cannot be microsurgically clipped or coiled.^[7]

References[link]

Look up muslin in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

v t e Fabric Woven Aertex Airdura Airguard Barathea Barkcloth Batiste Bedford cord Bengaline silk Beta cloth Bombazine Brilliantine Broadcloth Buckram Bunting Burlap C change Calico Cambric Canvas Chambray Capilene Cedar bark Char cloth Charmeuse Charvet Cheesecloth Chiffon Chino Chintz Cloqué Cloth of gold Cordura Duck Coutil Crape Cretonne Dazzle Denim Dimity Donegal tweed Dowlas Drill Drugget Foulard Flannel Gabardine Gauze Gazar Georgette Ghalamkar Gingham Grenadine Grenfell Cloth Grosgrain Habutai Haircloth Harris Tweed Herringbone Himroo Hodden Irish linen Jamdani Kerseymere Khādī Khaki Khaki drill Kente cloth Lamé Lawn Linsey-woolsey Loden Longcloth Lumalive Mackinaw Madapolam Madras Moleskin Muslin Nainsook Nankeen Ninon Oilskin Organdy Organza Osnaburg Ottoman Oxford Paduasoy Percale Pongee Poplin Rakematiz Rayadillo Rep Rinzu Ripstop Ripstop nylon Russell cord Saga Nishiki Samite Sateen Satin Saye Scarlet Seersucker Serge Scrim Shot silk Stuff Taffeta Tais Toile Tucuyo Tweed Twill Ultrasuede Ventile Vinyl coated polyester Viyella Voile Wadmal Wigan Whipcord Zephyr Zorbeez Figured woven Brocade Camlet Damask Lampas Songket Pile woven Baize Chenille Corduroy Crimplene Fustian Mockado Moquette Plush Polar fleece Terrycloth Velours du Kasaï Velvet Velveteen Zibeline Nonwoven Felt Cedar bark Knitted Boiled wool Coolmax Machine knitting Milliskin Jersey Velour Netted Bobbinet Carbon fiber Fishnet Lace Mesh Needlerun Net Ninon Tulle Technical Ballistic nylon Ban-Lon Conductive Darlexx E-textiles Gannex Gore-Tex Silnylon Spandex Stub-tex SympaTex Windstopper Patterns Argyle Bizarre silk Herringbone Houndstooth Paisley Pin stripes Tartan (Plaid) Tattersall Textile fibers Acrylic Alpaca Angora Cashmere Coir Cotton Hemp Jute Kevlar Linen Mohair Nylon Microfiber Olefin Pashmina Polyester Piña Ramie Rayon Sea silk Silk Sisal Spandex Spider silk Wool Finishing and printing Androsia Batik Beetling Bingata Bògòlanfini Calendering Decatising Finishing Fulling Heatsetting Mercerization Moire Nap Rogan printing Rōketsuzome Roller printing Sanforization Tenterhook Textile printing Waxed cotton Woodblock printing Indienne Related Dyeing Fiber History of textiles History of silk Knitting Pandy Shrinkage Synthetic fabric Terminology Manufacturing Preservation Weaving Yarn

Yaya Touré

Personal information
Full name	Gnégnéri Yaya Touré
Date of birth	(1983-05-13) 13 May 1983 (age 29)
Place of birth	Bouaké, Côte d'Ivoire
Height	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[1]
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Manchester City
Number	42
Youth career
1996–2001	ASEC Mimosas
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2001–2003	SK Beveren	70	(3)
2003–2005	Metalurh Donetsk	33	(3)
2005–2006	Olympiacos	26	(3)
2006–2007	Monaco	27	(5)
2007–2010	Barcelona	74	(4)
2010–	Manchester City	67	(12)
National team‡
2004–	Côte d'Ivoire	67	(10)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:46, 18 May 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 24 February 2012

Gnégnéri Yaya Touré (born 13 May 1983),^[1] commonly known as Yaya Touré, is an Ivorian footballer who plays primarily as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City and the Côte d'Ivoire national team. Touré is renowned for combining speed, passing ability, and physical power with technique. A versatile player, he aspired to be a striker during his youth^[2] and has played centre back, including for FC Barcelona in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final.^[3] He frequently plays as a box-to-box midfielder for club and country and often switches from defensive and offensive positions throughout matches. Touré began his playing career at Ivorian club ASEC Mimosas, where he made his debut aged 18.

His performances attracted attention from Europe, playing for clubs in minor European leagues. Touré played for SK Beveren in Belgium, Metalurh Donetsk in Ukraine, Olympiacos in Greece, and AS Monaco in France. In 2007, Touré moved to Barcelona, playing over 100 matches for the club and was part of the historic 2010 Barcelona team which won six trophies in one season. Touré then moved to Premier League club Manchester City in 2010, where he has since scored a number of key goals for the Citizens, most notably in the 2011 FA Cup semi-final and Final. Touré has a distinguished international career with 67 caps for Côte d'Ivoire, representing the team in their first appearance in a FIFA World Cup, in the 2006 competition and in 2010. He is the younger brother of his Côte d'Ivoire and Manchester City teammate Kolo Touré.

Club career[link]

Early career[link]

Touré joined ASEC Mimosas youth academy in 1996 on the recommendation of his long-time mentor Patrick van Reijendam. He then moved to Europe where he played for Belgian side Beveren for two-and-a-half years. Then, in 2003, he had a trial with Arsenal.^[4] He started in a match against Barnet, playing as a second striker. Manager Arsène Wenger recognised his talent but could not decide on his best position and described his performance against Barnet as "completely average." Wenger was still keen to sign the then-20-year old but Touré had difficulties in getting a work permit.^[5] Ultimately, Touré grew impatient and opted to sign for Ukrainian side Metalurh Donetsk instead, where he spent one-and-a-half years.^[6]

Olympiacos Piraeus[link]

Touré then moved to Olympiacos in 2005. He was nicknamed "the new Patrick Vieira" by his older brother. Here he played with such stars as Rivaldo and Greek international goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis, winning the Greek Cup and Super League Greece double in 2005-2006. His performances were impressive and attracted interest from many clubs.

Monaco[link]

After representing Côte d'Ivoire in the 2006 World Cup, Yaya Touré was signed by French Ligue 1 side AS Monaco in August 2006.^[7] Yaya had a difficult relationship with the incumbent manager, László Bölöni, with Yaya claiming Bölöni refused to play him in his preferred midfield position.^[8] Bölöni was soon sacked with Monaco languishing second from bottom in the league.^[9] Laurent Banide replaced him and Yaya became an influencial player in the second half of the season, scoring five times to help haul the club out of relegation difficulties.^[10] Yaya had established himself as a key midfielder, and with interest from around Europe he decided to join FC Barcelona in the summer of 2007.^[11]

Barcelona[link]

Yaya Touré (fourth from right) with Barcelona in the 2008–09 season

Touré joined Spanish side Barcelona for €10 million (£6.7 million)^[12] and made his official debut for the club on 26 August 2007 during the league opener against Racing de Santander.^[13]

In the 2007 Joan Gamper Trophy match against Internazionale of Italy, Touré scored his first goal for Barcelona in a 5–0 victory.^[14] He scored his first official goal with Barcelona in a La Liga match against Athletic Bilbao on 2 September 2007, a 3-1 triumph for the Catalans.^[15] His first goal in the Champions League for Barça was against Schalke 04 in the 2007–08 quarter-finals, securing a 2-0 aggregate victory and a birth in the semi-finals.^[16] The goal proved to decide the tie and Barcelona advanced into a semi-final match-up against Manchester United, which they subsequently lost 1–0 over two legs courtesy of a long drive by United midfielder Paul Scholes.^[17]

During the early stages of the 2008–09 season, newly appointed manager Josep Guardiola favoured Sergio Busquets in the defensive role of Barcelona's midfield trio. In the 2009 Champions League Final, he played centre back due to injuries and suspensions of first-choice defenders, despite having only played there twice before for Barcelona.^[18] In late June 2010, Barcelona confirmed that Touré would be allowed to leave the club in the summer.

Manchester City[link]

On 2 July, Touré signed a five-year deal with Manchester City in the English Premier League for a fee of around £24 million and was allocated squad number 42,^[19] which is the reverse of the number 24 jersey he sported at Barcelona, since Patrick Vieira had already been allocated that number. The move teamed Touré up with his elder brother Kolo, who signed for City in July 2009 from Arsenal. On 28 July, Touré made his debut for City in a pre-season friendly against Club América, which City won 4–1 on penalties after a 1–1 draw with the Mexican side.^[20] In his home debut on 7 August, in another friendly match against Valencia CF, he was named man of the match.^[21]

On 14 August 2010, Touré made his Premier League debut in a 0–0 draw against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.^[22] A week later, Touré impressed in the 3–0 defeat of Liverpool at Eastlands, forming a part of a three man midfield with Gareth Barry and Nigel de Jong.^[23] On 19 September, Touré scored his first goal against Wigan Athletic.^[24] The goal was scored in the 70th minute and Touré was assisted by Carlos Tévez, who also scored in that match.^[25] Recently, Touré has been seen to have taken up a more attacking position under Roberto Mancini and has revelled so far, setting up Tévez against Bolton Wanderers.^[26] He scored a brilliant left-footed drive against West Ham United and soon scored a second, which was later credited as an own goal because the ball rebounded off the post into Robert Green's back and bounced in.^[27] He scored his third goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers in a delightful counter-attack move, with Touré making up 90 yards to latch onto the ball and fire if past the goalkeeper, with Manchester City eventually winning 4–3.^[28] Touré's fifth goal for City came on 25 February in a Europa League game against Aris. The goal was a deflected strike to make the score 3–0 to City.

On 16 April 2011, Touré scored the only goal of the game in a Man of the Match performance against Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final.^[29] Touré continued his Wembley success by scoring the only goal in his side's 1–0 win over Stoke City in the 2011 FA Cup Final,^[30] ending Manchester City's 35-year wait for a major trophy,^[31] and writing himself into Manchester City folklore in the process.^[32]

The 2011–12 season began strongly as Manchester City lead the table for the majority of the season, with Touré playing a vital part in midfield. His efforts were rewarded as he was crowned African Footballer of the Year for 2011, an impressive achievement for a midfielder, since the previous 12 awards have gone to African forwards.^[33]

On 3 January 2012, in a match against Liverpool, Touré scored City's second goal of the game, a 33rd minute header from a David Silva corner. He was later fouled for the penalty that made the score 3–0 to City.^[34] On 5 January, it was announced that Touré would be leaving to join the Côte d'Ivoire national team for the Africa Cup of Nations and would miss City's FA Cup third round clash with fierce rivals Manchester United.^[35]

Commenting to Sky Sports News after being targeted by racist mobs throughout a UEFA Europa League tie at FC Porto in February 2012 (his first game back with City after the African Nations Cup), Touré spoke of his love for playing football in England: "That's why we like the Premier League, it never happens there."^[36]

As the 2011-12 came to close, Manchester City lost ground to Manchester United in the Premier League title race. After a defeat by Arsenal on 8 April 2012,^[37] an eight-point deficit had been established between City and leaders United, with most writing off City's chances of winning the league with six matches remaining.

City, however, beat West Bromwich Albion 4–0, Norwich City 6–1, and Wolvehampton Wanderers 2–0 with United slipping up, meaning the deficit at the top was now only three points with only three matches to play. A victory against Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium would move City to top on goal difference. The match was keenly anticipated as one of the most important matches the Premier League's 20-year history.^[38][39] Manchester City won the match, thanks to Vincent Kompany headed goal just before half-time. Touré's performance throughout the match garnered many plaudits in the media, describing his performance as "dominant" and "magnificient."^[40]

Touré netted a brace on 6 May in City's 2–0 win over Newcastle United, moving three points above Manchester United with one game left to play in the Premier League season.^[41] Touré played the full first half before coming off due to injury as City defeated QPR 3-2 on the final day of the season, assisting Pablo Zabaleta's opening goal in the 39th minute, to secure the first league championship for the Sky Blues in 44 years.^[42]

Style of play[link]

Yaya Touré plays primarily as a box-to-box midfielder, often switching from offensive and defensive stances as the match progresses. His key strengths are his passing and shooting ability. He is known for immense physical presence which is often combined with lungbursting runs from midfield, and has consequently been referred to as a "human train" and a "colossus" by various pundits.^[43][44] Touré has been used by Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini as an attacking weapon. Against Newcastle United in round 37 of the 2011-12 season, Touré was pushed forward and scored two goals, helping Manchester City secure first place on the table.^[45][46]

Personal Life[link]

Yaya Touré is a strict practicing Muslim.^[47][48] He is also the brother of fellow Manchester City player Kolo Touré and Makasa's Ibrahim Touré.

Career statistics[link]

As of 10 May 2012.

International goals[link]

International goals

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	24 January 2006	Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt	Libya	1–2	1–2	2006 Africa Cup of Nations
2.	3 June 2007	Stade Bouaké, Bouaké, Côte d'Ivoire	Madagascar	3–0	5–0	2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
3.	25 January 2008	Sekondi Stadium, Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana	Benin	2–0	4–1	2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
4.	20 June 2009	Stade du 4-Août, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso	Burkina Faso	0–1	2–3	2010 World Cup qualification
5.	5 September 2009	Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire	Burkina Faso	3–0	5–0	2010 World Cup qualification
6.	25 June 2010	Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit, South Africa	North Korea	0–1	0–3	2010 World Cup
7.	4 September 2010	Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire	Rwanda	1–0	3–0	2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
8.	10 August 2011	Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland	Israel	2–0	4–3	Friendly
9.	9 October 2011	Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire	Burundi	2–1	2–1	2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
10.	4 February 2012	Nuevo Estadio de Malabo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea	Equatorial Guinea	3–0	3–0	2012 Africa Cup of Nations

Honours[link]

Club[link]

ASEC Mimosas

• Côte d'Ivoire Premier Division: 2001

Olympiacos

• Super League Greece: 2005–06
• Greek Cup: 2005–06

Barcelona

• La Liga (2): 2008–09, 2009–10
• Copa del Rey: 2008–09
• Supercopa de España: 2009
• UEFA Champions League: 2008–09
• UEFA Super Cup: 2009
• FIFA Club World Cup: 2009

Manchester City

• FA Cup: 2010–11
• Premier League: 2011-12

Individual[link]

• African Footballer of the Year: 2011^[49]
• PFA Premier League Team of the Year: 2011–12

References[link]

External links[link]

• Yaya Touré career stats at Soccerbase
• Yaya Touré French league stats at LFP.fr (French)
• Yaya Touré profile Goal.com
• Yaya Touré profile FC Barcelona
• Yaya Touré at National-Football-Teams.com

Côte d'Ivoire squads v t e Côte d'Ivoire squad – 2006 Africa Cup of Nations Runners-up 1 Tizié 2 Akalé 3 Boka 4 Touré 5 Zokora 6 Kouassi 7 Faé 8 Kalou 9 Arouna Koné 10 Yapi 11 Drogba 12 Méïté 13 Zoro 14 Koné 15 Dindane 16 Gnanhouan 17 Domoraud 18 Keïta 19 Touré Yaya 20 Demel 21 Eboué 22 Romaric 23 Barry Coach: Michel v t e Côte d'Ivoire squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup 1 Tizié 2 Akalé 3 Boka 4 Touré 5 Zokora 6 Kouassi 7 Faé 8 Kalou 9 Arouna Koné 10 Yapi 11 Drogba (c) 12 Méïté 13 Zoro 14 Koné 15 Dindane 16 Gnanhouan 17 Domoraud 18 Keïta 19 Touré Yaya 20 Demel 21 Eboué 22 Romaric 23 Barry Coach: Michel v t e Côte d'Ivoire squad – 2008 Africa Cup of Nations Fourth Place 1 Barry 2 Djakpa 3 Boka 4 Touré 5 Zokora 6 Gohouri 7 Faé 8 Kalou 9 Arouna Koné 10 Gervinho 11 Drogba 12 Méïté 13 Romaric 14 Koné 15 Dindane 16 Loboué 17 Tiéné 18 Keïta 19 Touré Yaya 20 Sanogo 21 Eboué 22 Zoro 23 Koné Coach: Gili v t e Côte d'Ivoire squad – 2010 Africa Cup of Nations 1 Barry 2 Angoua 3 Boka 4 K. Touré 5 Zokora 6 Y. Touré 7 Faé 8 Kalou 9 Tioté 10 Gervinho 11 Drogba 12 Méïté 13 Gosso 14 B. Koné 15 Dindane 16 Zogbo 17 Yapi 18 Keïta 19 E. Koné 20 Demel 21 Eboué 22 Bamba 23 Angban Coach: Halilhodžić v t e Côte d'Ivoire squad – 2010 FIFA World Cup 1 Barry 2 Angoua 3 Boka 4 Kolo Touré 5 Zokora 6 Gohouri 7 Doumbia 8 Kalou 9 Tioté 10 Gervinho 11 Drogba (c) 12 Gosso 13 Romaric 14 Koné 15 Dindane 16 Zogbo 17 Tiéné 18 Keïta 19 Touré Yaya 20 Demel 21 Eboué 22 Bamba 23 Yeboah Coach: Eriksson v t e Côte d'Ivoire squad – 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Runners-up 1 Barry 2 Angoua 3 Boka 4 K. Touré 5 Zokora 6 Gosso 7 Doumbia 8 Kalou 9 Tioté 10 Gervinho 11 Drogba 12 Bony 13 Ya Konan 14 Coulibaly 15 Gradel 16 Yeboah 17 Tiéné 18 Keïta 19 Y. Touré 20 Lolo 21 Eboué 22 Bamba 23 Gnanhouan Coach: Zahoui