While browsing through the vendor market at Houston Quilt Festival last year I happened onto a booth which was selling double gauze in very enticing colors and prints. I was curious about sewing with double gauze and was assured that it was not too difficult. One usually associates this fabric with baby swaddling blankets but these were nothing of the sort.
I picked up two yards of a lovely blue and white graphic print. I finally made it up into a breezy summer top last week, just in time for beach week on the Outer Banks in North Carolina.
I have to tell you, this is the most comfortable top I have ever worn. The hand of this fabric is so soft and breathes in the heat.
Here are my tips for sewing with double gauze after my experience making this tip
- Preshrink your fabric before you start and be sure to serge or zig-zag the raw edges before doing so. It shrinks and frays a lot.
- Use a light spray starch as you iron the fabric after washing so it will be more stable when you are working with it. Don’t iron too much because the slight wrinkle in the fabric is what gives it it’s lovely character.
- Pin the pattern to the fabric rather than using weights. You’ll have more control.
- Serge or zig-zag the seams as you construct the garment. This fabric ravels a lot.
I chose the FREE Athena Top Pattern from Tessuti Fabrics and I made the long version shown on the left.
This was probably the all time easiest pattern I have ever sewn. They always have clear instructions with pictures, which I truly appreciate. The one thing I would mention is that they use something called Vilene Shields as seen below. (They are an Australian company)
Aside from the fact that we can’t find this product in the US, I find it unnecessary. Just normal stay stitching is all you really need.
There are several places online you can shop for double gauze where the prints are not totally baby focused.
In summary, I did not find sewing with double gauze to be as difficult as I had feared. I would highly recommend sewing and wearing this wonderfully breathable fabric. I also love the clean lines and easy instructions of Tessuti Patterns.
We were so happy to discover these huge magnolias blooming on our walk today. The smell was absolutely intoxicating!
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Do you think one could make the sleeves shorter?
Absolutely! Actually, I would make them a little tighter, too. I often push the sleeves up my arms and they don’t stay up very well so tighter would help. I love this top.