Calico Facts For Kids

Calico is a plain-woven cotton cloth. It is heavier and a bit rougher than muslin, but not as thick as canvas or denim. It was often left unbleached and undyed, so it looked simple and cost less.

Calico began in Calicut (now Kozhikode) in India, where skilled weavers produced cotton cloth and printed it with bright designs. These printed calicoes traveled by ship to Europe, and people loved the bright patterns.

Calico Acts were laws in the 1700s to protect Britain's wool trade. They stopped some imported printed calicoes and later allowed unfinished grey cloth to be sold; towns like Coventry and Lancashire pushed for protection, and over time the rules changed and the cotton business grew back.

Block printing started in India with carved wooden blocks that stamped patterns onto cloth. In Britain, printers moved from wooden blocks to machines, and copper rollers were patented in the 1780s to print even faster. By the mid-1800s factory printing in Lancashire helped calico become one of the most printed fabrics.

In the United Kingdom, calico means a simple, cheap cotton cloth with a plain weave and often left white, cream, or unbleached. In the United States, the word usually means cotton cloth printed all over with small flower patterns. So the meaning depends on where you are.

Even today, calico can be a cheap, useful fabric for craft projects and practice sewing.