Double gauze is a lightweight, breathable, cloud-like fabric that often has a nice crinkly texture. In this episode, we answer all your questions about sewing it – how to pre-wash it, how to keep it from fraying too much, and most importantly: DO YOU PRESS IT?! Listen in for all our best tips and pattern recommendations. Plus, we answer a listener question about how to prevent and treat underarm sweat stains!
The transcript for this episode is on this page at the end of the show notes.
From the Catch-Up Section:
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From the Listener Question Section:
- Rowan Bodysuit and Tee by Megan Nielsen Patterns – size band 1, size band 2
- “October Tutorial – 10 Minute Dress Shields” at Verity Vintage Studio
Resources:
- “Tips and Tricks for Sewing with Double Gauze” by Rosemary Huf on the Maai Design blog
- “Tips for Sewing with Double Gauze Fabric” by Tilly Walnes at the Tilly and the Buttons blog
- “Sewing with Double Cotton Gauze: Colette ♥ Cotton+Steel” by Katie Whittle at Seamwork
- “A Closer Look at Double Gauze” at the Stonemountain & Daughter blog
- “How To Adjust The Presser Foot Pressure” by Petro at Easy Peasy Creative
- “A Quilty Adventure Part II: How To Sew With Double Gauze” by Suzy Williams at Suzy Quilts
- “How to Make a Bra Strap Holder” by Kennis Wong at the Itch to Stitch blog
Where to Buy Double Gauze:
Patterns:
- Array Top and Dress by Papercut Patterns – size band 1, size band 2
- Ogden Cami by True Bias – size band 1, size band 2
Tools:
Other Mentions:
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Transcript:
Caroline: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.
Hello, and welcome to Love To Sew. I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.
Helen: And I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns and Cedar Quilt Co.
Caroline: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and wanna encourage you on your sewing journey, too.
Helen: Join us for today’s topic: Double Gauze.
Hi, Caroline.
Caroline: How are you?
Helen: I’m doing well. Thanks. How are you?
Caroline: I’m good. I’m good
Helen: I just got to see you in person, like, a few days ago. Such a treat.
Caroline: Oh, my gosh. What a treat. A whirlwind. Less than 24 hours.
Helen: Right? We like to hang out hard.
Caroline: Yeah, we still got a delicious Sam dinner and a delicious Sam brunch…
Helen: Yeah.
Caroline: …and some delicious Helen clock-, cocktails.
Helen: Clocktails.
Caroline: Clocktails. And a nice forest walk. So it was the perfect day.
Helen: A forest walk. A fire pit hangout.
Caroline: Oh, my gosh. Yeah, we squeezed it all in.
Helen: We did it all.
Caroline: Yeah, and I got to see a preview of some of the future Cedar Quilt Co patterns.
Helen: Oh, yeah. My studio’s covered in quilts.
Caroline: Yeah. That’s one of my favourite parts of coming to visit you is you’re like, come into my studio, and I get to see all the stuff you’re working on.
Helen: Yeah, it’s really fun. I love showing people the stuff in person. Like, we can look at all the garments on the rack and all the quilts on the wall. It’s so good.
Caroline: If anyone out there is jealous, you should be. It’s really fun to hang out with Helen.
Helen: I mean, it’s equally fun to go to Blackbird Fabrics, so I wanna see all these block prints and handwoven cottons in person, you know?
Caroline: Oh, my gosh. Those fabrics are everything.
Helen: They’re so beautiful. I bought four different block prints when you did the drop. Couldn’t resist. Very excited. Gonna use them for some upcoming patterns, but honestly, I think my favourite fabric that you sell is those block prints.
Caroline: Oh, yeah.
Helen: I just love it. I love the substrate that they’re on. I love the designs, the colours, I mean, everything. I love everything about them.
Caroline: Me, too. Me, too. I have, like, four garments made out of these fabrics and, like, a bunch more in my stash. It’s totally my favourite thing to wear. Can you guess the favourite, or the bestselling, block print?
Helen: Ooh. Oh, that’s really tough because everyone has different vibes, and there’s so much, like, variety in that last drop, like, something for everybody truly. Oh, I mean, oh, Caroline. One of my favourites… I really like the, like dark teal-y background with, like, the bright yellow sunflowers.
Caroline: Yeah, that one was the second most popular.
Helen: Okay. Wait, okay. So the first one was probably, then, the navy background with the gold swirling.
Caroline: Okay, the most popular one was, it’s called Pete Blush Kale. Shout out to our marketing team for coming up with new colour names. It’s, like the, the larger scale florally one with, like, a greyish-brownish background and, like, pink and yellow flowers and green foliage on it. It’s called tapestry block printed organic cotton batiste, Pete Blush Kale.
Which is not surprising because when we release these block prints, often the dark background ones, like the grey background ones or the brown background ones do the best, which I mean, I, I never know how to predict, like, what’s gonna sell the best, but definitely I gravitate towards the brighter coloured ones, but I think people love a neutral, and these ones sew up so nice. Like, they look so, so good.
Helen: I mean they would all look incredible sewn up as pretty much anything.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: Maybe not, maybe not jeans, but…
Caroline: Yeah, no. Don’t make pants. Well, maybe you could do, like, an elastic waist pant, but… uh,
Helen: Oh, yeah. You totally could. Like, a easy breezy, like, summer pant or short.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: Yeah. it’s a bit thin, but, like, it would totally work.
Caroline: Yeah, it would totally work or, like, a little pj set or something.
Helen: Oh, yeah. Well I got a bunch of the, like, the sunflower one that I was describing. I got a bunch of that one to make a dressing robe.
Caroline: Ooh.
Helen: You had some pictures of Christine Haynes in the marketing content.
Caroline: Yes!
Helen: She totally sold me on the dressing robe. I was flipping through, and I was like, dressing robe in this fabric would be amazing. I want, so I definitely am gonna copy her.
Caroline: Oh, my gosh. I was gonna say Christine Haynes is killing it with her block print makes. Like, she has a few that are so, so beautiful, and I agree that dressing robe, I wanna make one, as well. When I saw it, I was like, yeah, I definitely need that. Absolutely.
Helen: I need that. Yeah, it was so funny. I was definitely marketed to. It worked. Well done.
Caroline: Thank you. Thank you.
Helen: Oh, my gosh. No. I’m not surprised that this one was the best. I didn’t personally get this one, but I can see why people love it. It’s so pretty. That pink colour is just gorgeous. I mean, love it.
Caroline: But they’re all just so beautiful.
Helen: Really are. And you guys have lots of stock in these, right? You said…
Caroline: We do. I mean, the one that I just mentioned, we sold a hundred metres of it on day one, which is amazing. I love that there’s gonna be that many people out in the world with this fabric. Um, it still, like, thrills me when I think about that, but, so that one is, I think we only have 30 metres left in stock, maybe.
Um, so by the time this episode comes out, it will probably be sold out, but otherwise, yeah. Some of the other ones have quite a bit of stock still, so we try to bring in a lot because these take a long time to make. So to restock them, it’ll be a few months which I’m sure we’ll do a restock this summer.
Helen: The artisans do such a good job on these. Like, they’re so beautiful. You almost rarely see the, like, lines where the blocks happen. It’s very impressive.
Caroline: But I do, kind of, love when you have a little bit of overlap…
Helen: Oh, yeah.
Caroline: …or a little bit of imperfection ‘cause it just, it shows that maker’s mark, right?
Helen: Yeah.
Caroline: You’re like, oh, somebody hand block printed this with love…
Helen: Yeah.
Caroline: …and attention, and it just makes that fabric feel all the more, more special.
Helen: Totally. Yeah. I love it. Okay well, we’re not talking about batiste today.
Caroline: I know. We’re talking about double gauze.
Helen: Yes, we are. But first we have a question here from listener Desi: “I discovered your podcast fairly recently, and I have been bingeing episodes ever since. I aspire to make garments I love made of good-quality fabrics that will last me a long time—but I’m a sweaty person and armpit stains seem to foil my plans time and time again! Looking for any and all advice: types of fabrics to use; care techniques; patterns to try, etc.”
Caroline: Ooh. Okay. Desi, this is so relatable. I think this is a problem a lot of us have. I certainly am a sweaty person.
Helen: Same.
Caroline: So we have lots of tips for you today. But first, let’s talk about preventative measures. So you wanna make sure you’re using the right fabric. Natural fibre fabrics like cotton, linen and wool and plant fibre fabrics like rayon or Tencel are going to allow moisture to pass through.
Synthetics like polyester and nylon can trap moisture and heat making you sweat even more. And the exception to this is moisture wicking fabrics, which are synthetic. But designed to draw moisture away from the skin and into the fabric. So this is often like athletic wear fabrics that you would use for making leggings and things.
And they’re often marketed as moisture wicking. They’re also gonna dry quickly, unlike natural fibre fabrics. So these are actually a great option for sweaty situations. But I guess our first tip is to choose a fabric that’s gonna help you breathe so that the sweat doesn’t sort of fester.
Helen: Ooh, yeah. I can’t wear a polyester because of the sweat situation.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: It’s not great. Another tip we have is to dress in light layers. This is a good way to keep yourself from getting too hot. Might seem obvious, but just in case you hadn’t thought of this. You can try lightweight cardigans, jackets, and dusters that are easy to take on and off.
You don’t even need to make cardigans out of sweater knit material. You can make cardigans like the Blackwood Cardigan is great in just, like, a bamboo rayon, like something really light that then gives you the layering option, but is not heavy like a sweater knit.
Caroline: Oh, yeah. I love a lightweight cardigan that I can just throw on. Like, it’s so, so nice and doesn’t feel heavy or make me feel sweaty. So great tip.
Undershirts can absorb moisture and protect the garments you wear over them. So you can make an undershirt from a lightweight cotton or moisture wicking performance fabric and choose a close fitting t-shirt pattern or tank pattern. I think the Helen’s Closet Dawson Top would work well because it has that open neckline that could make it wearable with a lot of different garments over top.
But if you wanna avoid extra bulk or having to pull down the undershirt, you might want to go for a bodysuit. The Rowan Bodysuit by Megan Nielsen would be good for that. Or you can buy ready to wear body suits and wear your me-mades over them. Google no show short sleeve bodysuit, and you’ll find some good options.
Helen: Yeah. Let that ready to wear bodysuit soak up all that sweat.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: Okay, next we wanna talk about antiperspirants. They are actually more effective if you put them on at night. I didn’t even know this…
Caroline: No. Me, neither.
Helen: …but this is interesting. The aluminium takes time to penetrate your skin and work effectively. You can even take a shower in the morning and the antiperspirant will still work because it’s already absorbed into the sweat glands.
And keep in mind, this tip is only for antiperspirants. If you don’t like to use antiperspirants and you’re more of a deodorant person, or you’re just going au naturel, if it doesn’t have aluminium in it, it’s not gonna work In the same way.
Also, antiperspirants need to be applied to the dry skin. So if you’re just out of the shower or you’re already sweaty, you need to actually dry off your skin before you can apply and have it be effective.
There are also antiperspirants out there that are made so they don’t leave stains on clothes. So, that might be a problem that you have. I know Dove makes some that are called Advanced Care Clear Finish. Caroline, do you use antiperspirant or deodorant? I’m curious.
Caroline: I use deodorant, but now I’m wondering if I should switch ‘cause the idea of having something that doesn’t leave stains is appealing to me.
Helen: Yeah, it is super appealing.
Caroline: How ‘bout you?
Helen: I’ve always tr-, I’ve avoided the aluminum antiperspirants ‘cause, like, I don’t love the idea of the aluminum, like, getting into my, like, pores.
Caroline: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Helen: And, like, I work from home soI’m fine with being sweaty.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: I just use a natural deodorant. I think I use the Schmitz brand and I really like it. It smells really good, the, like, lemon grass one.
Caroline: Oh, I definitely have tried using natural deodorant in the past, and it’s given me, like, a rash almost.
Helen: Oh, no!
Caroline: So I wonder, yeah, if I should try some different brands and see, see how they work for me.
Helen: Yeah, I mean, ultimately you gotta do what works for you.
Caroline: Yeah, totally. And this is not medical advice in any way.
Helen: No.
Caroline: Okay, moving on. Our last preventative strategy is dress shields. We’ve talked about this on the show before. These are also called sweat guards or underarm pads. You can buy disposable ones that you can stick on the underarms of your garments, or you can buy or make reusable ones that you pin to them. Verity Vintage Studio has a tutorial for how to make your own, and we’ll link that up in the show notes for you.
Helen: Yeah, dress shields underrated.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: my top thing that I do for not getting too sweaty is I wear sleeveless clothes…
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: …pretty much all the time, and then, I’ll throw layering pieces over it. But I love to be able to, like, take off all those layers and have my armpits be free.
Caroline: Yeah, I also find, like, garments that are not super tight to my underarm. Like, I don’t get sweat stains on my, like, Wiksten Shift Tops or my other, like, linen tops that are looser, like, my button ups that feel looser on my body.
Helen: Yeah.
But I definitely get sweat stains on my, like, Nikko Tops…
Helen: Yeah.
Caroline: …or my Jackson Tees or whatever, you know, like, things that are tighter get those stains. So it might just be a question of making some garments if you don’t like wearing sleeveless that have a little bit more space in the underarm.
Helen: Right. Bat wing sleeve.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: Here you come.
Caroline: Okay. Should we get into stain removal?
Helen: Yes. First we have a few general tips for pretty much every stain ever. You wanna treat it as soon as possible, so it’s best to do your stain removal at the end of the day versus doing it all on laundry day. Um, this doesn’t mean that it won’t come out if you wait, but it’s a lot easier the sooner that you do it.
Caroline: And don’t put a garment through the dryer if the stain hasn’t come out, because this can set a stain and make it harder or impossible to remove.
Helen: Finally, and this doesn’t really apply to the advice we’re about to give, but we want to say it’s always worth saying when we’re talking about stain removal to never, ever, ever mix ammonia and chlorine bleach because it makes a poisonous gas. And I just want everyone to know this. Okay. Now let’s get into stain removal nitty gritty.
Caroline: Yeah. So sweat is a protein stain, so an enzyme product is the best way to remove it. Enzymes break down proteins. So pre-treat your underarm stains with the enzyme stain remover according to the instructions. And if the fabric is discoloured, you can use ammonia to treat new stains or vinegar to treat old stains.
Helen: If you have stains that are a mix of antiperspirant and sweat, the process is a little bit different. First, you wanna scrape off any solids with a butter knife. Oh, my gosh. Solids, like, just the leftover deodorant, I guess.
Caroline: Yeah, like, the, you know, sometimes you get those little chunks.
Helen: Yeah.
Caroline: Love this. Love this conversation for us, Helen.
Helen: Love this convo. Yes. Super informative. Okay. Scrape off those solids with your butter knife, and then soak the stains in a mixture of about a quart of lukewarm water, half a teaspoon of dish washing soap, tablespoon of ammonia for about 15 minutes. Gently rub the back of the fabric to loosen the stain, and then, soak it for another 15 minutes. Then, rinse it out, and then, you can go ahead with your enzyme product. If the stains are new, you can soak it for about 30 minutes, and if they’re old, you can do up to a couple hours. If the colour is still off after you’ve done all this, you can wash it with an oxygen bleach to try and get the fabric back to what it once was.
Caroline: And we got all of our stain removal info from an amazing website by the University of Illinois extension called Stain Solutions. We’re gonna link into the show notes. It’s such a great resource to have in your pocket.
Helen: Totally. Okay. That’s a bunch of tips to keep your me-mades in tiptop shape no matter what’s happening with your pits.
Caroline: I feel like we just did, like, a mini deep dive on stain removal.
Helen: I know. A mini ep, and we’re laughing ‘cause it’s funny. We’re not laughing at you, Desi.
Caroline: No!
Helen: We are both the sweatiest people, like…
Caroline: Oh, yeah. My pits don’t lie, Helen.
Helen: Pits don’t lie. Okay. Caroline, are you ready to get into the double gauze goodness?
Caroline: Heck yeah, I am. I love a fabric episode. So let’s kick it off and just talk about what is double gauze anyway. So gauze is a lightweight, loose weave, sheer fabric, and double gauze is two layers of gauze held together by basting stitches. So you can gently separate the two layers at the edge if you wanna see this more clearly. And the double layer makes the fabric less sheer and more stable than a single layer gauze.
Helen: Nearly all double gauze fabrics are made of a hundred percent cotton, and this means that they’re very breathable and washable.
Caroline: And double gauzes fabrics usually have some texture to them. They vary from just a little spongy to very crinkly. And the crinkling is usually what’s trips sewists up, but we have some good tips for working with crinkly double gauze coming up, so don’t worry.
Helen: Yes! And because of its open weave, double gauze is very soft against the skin. The double layer makes it feel airy. It’s almost cloud-like. Its weight and breathability make it comfortable to wear in the summer, but double gauze is also great and cooler weather since the air that gets trapped between the layers is like a good insulation.
Caroline: Ooh, so interesting. And double gauze has a soft drape, meaning it’s at the midway point on the drape continuum, so it does stand away from the body, which is really nice in hot weather.
Helen: Double gauze does not have good recovery. That’s why it’s best for casual, easy fit garments. If you try to make something super fitted with double gauze, you’re gonna be disappointed by the end of the day. It’s gonna get all bagged out, and it’s not going back until you wash it.
Caroline: Yes, and you can find double gauze in solids and prints. Sometimes both layers are printed or dyed. Sometimes only the top layer is and the lower layer is white, or sometimes it has different patterns on each side, so it’s actually reversible.
There are also really pretty double gauzes embroidered with eyelet designs or just like floral, kind of, embroidery designs on them. So you can find a really cool variation of double gauze, but probably the most common is just, like, a solid coloured a hundred percent cotton double gauze.
We carry this at Blackbird, and one of the reasons why I wanted to do this episode is because double gauze is so popular. Like, people love it. We sell so much of it. It’s just such a great versatile fabric.
But we also get a ton of questions about it at Blackbird. People ask us, how do I work with this? How do I wash it? Do I iron it? Do I not iron it? Like, tons and tons of questions. So I thought it would be fun to address all of those in this episode today.
Helen: I love it. I mean, I also think double gauze is such a cool fabric. It looks really modern. I think that’s in part because in the last, like, five years or so, we’ve seen more fashion labels doing double gauze in their lines and having, like, these beautiful, modern looking makes created with this, kind of, like, childlike baby fabric.
Caroline: Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Helen: It’s a really interesting juxtaposition. And I think people just love it because it’s freaking comfortable.
Caroline: Yeah, totally. And sometimes it can be hard to picture what you can make with a double gauze. I know when I first saw double gauze with one of our suppliers, like, years and years ago, I didn’t really wanna carry it ‘cause I was like, that’s for swaddle blankets. Like, that is a baby fabric. And I remember Laura, being like, no, like, look at this designer and what they’re doing with double gauze. Look at this picture and what you can make with double gauze. And I was like, oh, I get it now.
Helen: Thank you, Laura.
Caroline: Thank you to Laura for opening my eyes, but it’s true. Like, it can be hard to imagine. So we’re gonna also talk about pattern suggestions today to get your creative juices flowing.
Helen: Yeah. Okay. Caroline, I wanna know if you’ve ever worked with double gauze personally.
Caroline: Yeah, so I have made swaddle blankets for my sister’s babies years and years ago. I think a simple project like this is a great way to practise working with and sewing double gauze. I’ve also seen some really gorgeous double gauze napkins, so that could also be a great project if you don’t have a kiddo or a pregnant friend, or if you’re not having a baby, you might want to still make something that’s really simple to kind of get your feet wet. So, I think a napkin would be a great way to start. I also get to wear a double gauze March Dress that Helen gave me. Thank you, Helen. And it is so, so comfortable. It’s like wearing a cloud. I can attest to that. It’s amazing. I love it.
Helen: Yeah, that comfort, like, the March Dress being this oversized…
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: …comfortable garment already, and then, pairing it with a double gauze, it’s just, like, the ultimate.
Caroline: Yeah,
Helen: It’s amazing. It, like, feels like a nightgown, but it looks like fashion. It’s really incredible. Shout out to my sample sewer Juliana because she made that dress, and she did such a good job, and it looks great on you.
Caroline: Thank you! She did do such a great job. How about you? What have you sewn with double gauze?
Helen: Oh, okay. I have a double gauze Donovan Skirt that I made years ago when we released that pattern. That’s our, like, super simple, beginner friendly skirt pattern. Just elastic waist, can’t go wrong, easy sew, and that’s a great option if you’re just getting started with double gauze, as well. It works really well for that pattern, and it’s so comfortable. I absolutely love it. I wear it a lot in the spring and summer months.
And then, other than that, I haven’t done a ton of sewing with double gauze, but I’ve had a double gauze Gilbert Top on my to-make list for ages, and I’ve seen other people make double gauze Gilbert Tops, and it really works well with that pattern. It looks so cute. So that’s next on my list.
Caroline: Ooh, yes. Okay. I feel like that would be so, so cute. And I’ve seen some inspo images of, like, the camp collar shirts in double gauze, and I, I think it could be cool.
Helen: Yeah, it really works.
Caroline: Okay, so we’re gonna get into how to pre-wash and care for double gauze first. So it’s definitely a good idea to pre-wash double gauze because it shrinks. So you wanna wash it and dry it the way that you expect to wash and dry the finished garment. And we recommend washing it on a cold, gentle cycle and hanging it to dry. This is gonna extend the longevity of your garment. It’s gonna keep it from shrinking too much.
But if you wash all your clothes with hot water and dry them in the dryer, like me, uh, then you can do that for your pre-wash. Just do what you would normally do with your finished garments so that you’re not veering from the norm for how you care for your clothes.
Helen: Exactly. And because of its loose weave, double gauze is prone to fraying. You may want to finish the cut edges of your fabric by serging or zigzagging over the edges. You can also sew the edges together to make a big loop, and that will help it from getting tangled up in the washer, as well. So that’s a precaution that you can take. I honestly didn’t do that. And yeah, the edge is frayed a bit, but then I just cut the frayed edges off and…
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: …it was fine.
Caroline: Yeah, and double gauze is also prone to snags and holes. So if you’re washing your fabric with other garments that have metal or plastic bits like zippers and buttons that could snag it, you could put it in a mesh bag or even in a pillowcase to protect that garment so that it doesn’t get snagged.
Helen: Smart. After your fabric is washed and dried, it’s time to make a choice.
Caroline: Yep.
Helen: Sounds so serious.
Caroline: Big decisions.
Helen: Big decision to make at this point. You need to decide whether you want to work with the double gauze in its crinkled state, or you wanna work with it flat and press all of those crinkles out. You wanna make this choice before you cut, and you’re gonna stick with it throughout the process. So let’s go over how you make this decision.
Caroline: Yeah. So the good thing about working with the fabric in its crinkly state is that you’ll have a better idea of how the garment is gonna look and fit when you’re done. But the difficult thing about working with it is that you’ll have to make some changes to your sewing process.
So you’re gonna have to be careful when pressing, if you press at all. You wanna press in an up and down motion to preserve the crease instead of that back and forth motion that we often are used to when we’re, like, ironing a finished garment. Some sewists don’t use an iron at all on double gauze. They just finger press or use a seam roller.
And by the way, a seam roller is a tool that quilters often use to avoid going to the ironing board. It’s like a cylinder roller with a handle that you roll over the seam allowance and that’s gonna press it open or to one side. It’s kinda like finger pressing, but maybe a little easier on your hands. So you can finger press or steamroll without using any heat, or you can use steam from your iron to help you out.
And keep in mind, if you’re working with the fabric in its crinkly state, you might need to order extra fabric because the fabric is gonna shrink with washing and crinkle up more than it did on the bolt. So it’s gonna be a narrower fabric and also you’re gonna lose length, so just buy extra just to make sure that you have enough for your project.
Helen: Okay, let’s talk about the benefits of pressing the fabric flat before you start working. It’s a little easier to work with if you do this. You can press your seams the way you usually do when you’re sewing.
And by the way, ironing double gauze flat doesn’t permanently remove the crinkles. They are gonna come back when you wash the garment. So you’re just removing them for the time that you’re gonna be sewing. The difficult thing, and you’ve probably predicted this, is that you’re not gonna be able to tell how the garment’s gonna look after you wash it and it all crinkles back up again. It might be a different length or a totally different fit than you expected.
But on the other hand, if you want to press out the crinkle every time you wear it and have more of a flat looking double gauze, then you definitely wanna press it flat before you work with it, so you’re always gonna have it flat. That seems like a lot of work to me and, kind of, negates the beautiful texture of the double gauze.
You can obviously do that, but I think that the beauty of this fabric is that crinkly texture. And I think you can press it flat and then make your garment. And then crinkle it back up again. And if your garment is oversized, that can actually be totally fine because it just ends up a little bit smaller and a little bit crinklier, and it’s still gonna fit. But if you’re doing something that’s a little more fitted, yeah, you’re gonna run into problems, for sure.
Caroline: Yeah, totally. And I think some people just like that look of like a pressed garment or maybe even find it meditative to go through their closet and iron all their clothes and make them really nice and crisp. So if you are that person, then you might want to be the person that presses your fabric flat before you work with it and then presses your garment after you wash it.
And, like, that’s totally cool. I think it’ll still look good.
But I do agree with you, Helen, I think that the beauty of double gauze is in, its, like, pillowy lushness and the fact that when you wash it, it gets this beautiful crinkly texture to it. It’s just really cool. There’s not really anything else like it.
So in terms of interfacing, a lightweight woven, or tricot interfacing is a good choice for double gauze. If you want your finished garment to be crinkly, sew-in interfacing is a good choice, so you can sew the interfacing to the pattern piece within the seam allowance and then treat it as one. Just make sure not to smooth out the crinkles in the piece before you attach the interfacing.
Helen: Yeah. Fusible is, has the potential to, like, press out all the crinkly goodness. So that’s why we’re recommending the sew-in here. But because the fabric is already made of two layers, you may be able to get away without using interfacing at all. Woohoo.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: The four layers sewn together like that gets pretty stable if we’re talking about something like a button pocket. Rosemary Huf wrote about her experience making a camp shirt for the Maai Design blog, and she skipped the interfacing even though the shirt has a button packet, and a collar. It still looks really great.
You could test this out on your fabric by sewing together some scraps and seeing how stable it is and making a test buttonhole or two, or maybe you’re just interfacing that little tiny square around where the buttonhole’s gonna go, minimising the amount of fusible that you’re using on your finished garment.
Caroline: Yeah, and if you wanna wear your final garment pressed, you can just use regular old interfacing. Lightweight fusible interfacing is a good choice, and it’ll be easy peasy.
Helen: Okay, let’s head to the cutting table, and we have some tips for cutting out double gauze. You wanna use sharp scissors or a rotary cutter with a fresh blade. This fabric is delicate and can snag or pull fairly easily, so you wanna make sure you’ve got that sharp blade.
Caroline: Yeah, and if you use pins, use sharp ones to avoid snagging the fabric. You wanna pin parallel to the cut edge within the seam allowance. And also don’t use dressmaker’s pins with those tiny metal heads. Use pins with ball heads or flower heads or something because the tiny metal pins’ heads can slide into the loose weave of the fabric and get hidden, and then you’re gonna have pins in your garment.
Helen: You also wanna try to handle the fabric as little as possible to avoid fraying, and you may want to serge or finish the raw edges early on to help with the fraying, too.
Caroline: And you can add extra seam allowance. So if you’re using a pattern with a seam allowance smaller than five-eighths of an inch, I would definitely recommend adding some. Or if you’re planning on doing French seams, I would add a bit extra, so you have plenty to work with. Just make sure to keep track of how much you’re adding so that your seam line is gonna be in the right place.
Helen: And if you plan to wear the finished garment crinkly, and you’re between two sizes on the size chart, choose the smaller size. The crinkle will allow for some stretch, and the double gauze does tend to grow with wearing. So if you’re concerned about it being oversized, size down.
Caroline: Yeah. That’s a good tip. Okay, so we’re gonna go to the sewing machine now. I love this. We’re taking a tour of the sewing room together.
Helen: Right.
Caroline: We went to the washing machine, the iron.
Helen: What are we making, Caroline?
Caroline: We went to our cutting table. Now we are on our way to our beautiful sewing machines. So if you’re sewing crinkly, double gauze, you’re facing two challenges.
The first is to get the layers to feed evenly through the machine, and the second is to keep the crinkle if that’s what you’re going for. So you can either use a walking foot or you can lower your presser foot pressure and increase your stitch or both.
Helen: Yeah, and if you really don’t want to buy a walking foot, you can test out how lowering the presser foot pressure and increasing the stitch length works for you first. Use some scraps and see how it goes. If it doesn’t look good, if it’s getting all smooshed out and all those crinkles are disappearing along your seam line, this might be your sign to invest in a walking foot.
Caroline: Yeah, and one more thing about presser foot pressure. The presser foot regulator is usually a knob, dial, or screw, or a pin that pops up. It can be directly above your presser foot on the top of the machine or around the side where your foot’s located. The easiest way to find it is to look at your sewing machine manual, but if you don’t have a copy of that, you can Google it. Chances are there’s a copy online.
Helen: Ooh, good tip. Yeah, this can be a little bit hard to find, and it might be something you’ve never used before. And you’re like, oh, I didn’t even know this little thing was here.
Caroline: It’s a cool tool to have in your back pocket though.
Helen: Super handy. Great for knits, as well. Similarly, you don’t wanna be stretching out those knits. Caroline, you and I both have a Pfaffm and it has a built-in IDT system, which is like a built-in walking foot that you, kind of, just pop down from the back. Big fan of the IDT. It’s awesome.
Caroline: Yeah, yeah. No, it’s so nice to have it built in there. I remember when I first started using the machine, I, like, didn’t really understand that I already had a walking foot built in, and I was like, why is this sewing things up so nicely? I don’t understand. This machine’s amazing.
Helen: How is it doing this? Yeah. Okay. Another thing you’re gonna wanna do is stay stitch any edges that go along the bias, so this means any curves or diagonal lines like your armscyes, your necklines, especially v-necks, The loose weave of this fabric means that the double gauze can stretch really dramatically on the bias, and the stay stitching will keep your pattern pieces in shape.
Caroline:: And when you’re sewing, you wanna use fine, sharp pins with large heads and pin within the steam allowance. Or if you have clips, now is a great time to use them.
Helen: And use a new sharp sewing needle in your machine. A size 70/10 is good; it’s intended for lightweight fabrics. Or an 80/12 will work as well, but you just wanna make sure you’ve got a new needle in there because again, this fabric is really prone to snagging.
Caroline: Okay. And there are a few things to keep in mind when you’re choosing a pattern for your gauze fabric. So in general, the less style lines, the better. Princess seams, pleats, and extra panels are gonna be difficult to make neatly, and those details will get lost in the texture anyway. So simpler garments are gonna highlight the fabric and save you some stress.
Helen: Garments with an easy fit are best for double gauze. It grows as you wear it, so you won’t be able to get a super close fit. And it’s nice to have a pattern that allows you to enjoy the puffy fluffiness of a double gauze.
Caroline: I love that puff
Helen: Puff and fluff.
Caroline: Double gauze makes amazing clothes for kids and babies. It’s soft and washable, but it’s not suitable for anything on the bias because it stretches too dramatically.
Helen: Even though it’s super lightweight, double gauze does have body to it. I wouldn’t go for any super drapey patterns, treat it more like a mid-weight cotton or linen when you’re thinking about what patterns to choose. And you can use that volume to your advantage with things like dramatic sleeve or getting more volume in an A-line skirt.
Caroline: Mm-hmm. And double gauze can be sheer, especially in lighter colours. So darker colours are best if you want to get the most opaque double gauze. And if you’re shopping online and you’re not sure how opaque the fabric is, you can always email the shop to ask. Sheer double gauze is great, too, though. So if you want more opacity with a shee-, more sheer double gauze, you can wear a slip or a camisole or an undershirt underneath. Smooth fabrics like bemberg, rayon, or poly charmeuse are good options for lining or for a slip. The gauze is gonna slide over it rather than bunch up.
Helen: And double cause isn’t usually great for pants. The strain on the crotch and thigh seams can cause them to pull apart, and the delicate fabric may wear away on the thighs quite quickly because of the friction. This isn’t to say that every pair of double gauze pants will be a total fail. It’s just not ideal for the pants and fabric pairing. But I do think if you wanted to make a pair of, like, pajama lounge pants…
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: …that you’re not gonna be walking around in all the time.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: Although, I mean, if you have a pair of double gauze pants, you are gonna wear them all the time.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: Let’s be real.
Caroline: I think that they would be, like, the most comfortable pants in the world, but you’d have to be, like, really delicate when you’re, like, sitting.
Helen: Oh my gosh, it’s such a catch-22. Do you want the most comfortable pants in the world, but you can’t walk around?
Caroline: Yeah, you can’t throw yourself on the couch. I do think it could work, and I’ve certainly seen pants made out of double gauze, but if you’re looking for something with that longevity then I probably wouldn’t recommend it for, like, an everyday garment.
Helen: Yeah.
Caroline: Okay, well let’s give a few pattern ideas to folks that we think would be great in double gauze ‘cause there are a lot of options.
So, first up, the Bardon dress, which is a free Peppermint pattern designed by Elbe Textiles. This would be the perfect sundress. It’s a simple scoop neck tank with a couple of gathered tiers for the skirt. You can even hack it into a top if you want.
Helen: Ooh, cute. The Array Top and Dress by Papercut Patterns is another good option. The flared sleeves would look really dramatic in the pillowy double gauze, and you could make the wrap belt in a complimentary fabric or do, like, a drawstring situation at the waist to cinch it. Very nice.
Caroline: Love that. A sheer double gauze would make a cute swim coverup. The Micah Dress by Seamwork would be really chic. It’s basically a caftan. I also think the Moss Jacket from your pattern line, Helen, would be so cute. Like, a hip length, open front, double gauze robe to wear over your bikini.
Helen: Ooh.
Caroline: I love that. And in cooler weather, you could wear it as a light jacket over a t-shirt and jeans. It would be super versatile.
Helen: Yeah, I hadn’t thought of that, but now I really, really, really, really, really want one. Okay. For shorts, I think the Bailey Shorts by Tessuti would be cute. I like that they have a bit of volume. They have an elastic waist, so they’re pretty roomy. Again, watch out for the crotch wearing…
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: …out on a pair of shorts, but if you really wanna go for it, that would be a good one.
Caroline: Another top that would look great in double gauze is the Sage Brush Top by Friday Pattern Co. If you go on their website, one of their samples is in double gauze, and you can see how it’ll look sewn up. The little ruffle across the top yoke is so fluffy and adorable. It just really works for this pattern.
Helen: It really does and for kids’ clothes,Twig and Tale has a lot of great patterns that would work with double gauze. The Breeze Shirt is a simple tunic with a slit at the neck. The Driftwood Blouse is a peasant style top with an option for a ruffle around the neck. It’s just too freaking cute, like, you have to go look at these. I love it.
Caroline: Oh, yeah. I mean, double gauze does really shine in kids’ clothes. I know we got some deadstock from a local brand called Petits Vilains, and they do a lot of kids’ clothes in double gauze, so go check them out if you want some inspo because it just sews up so nicely into kids’ clothes, and it’s just so cute. I love it.
Helen: It’s just so cute.
Caroline: So cute.
Okay, now that you have a few ideas, you might be wondering where you can buy double gauze. It actually used to be harder to source, but it seems to be everywhere now. So check out your local fabric shop or quilting shop. You’ll probably find a couple of bolts no matter where you are.
But there are even more options online and, of course, Blackbird Fabrics. We have some really great solids in organic cotton double gauze. And we also have some really cool stripes right now in the store and even a print. So go check out our shop to see the options.
Helen: Yeah, it seems like you guys pretty much always have…
Caroline: Oh, yeah.
Helen: …double gauze.
Caroline: …in the solids. We always keep it in stock.
Helen: The Fabric Store has really nice versatile double gauze plaids right now. Very cool.
Caroline: Style Maker has a bunch of gorgeous prints including florals, Nani Iro abstract designs, and Atelier Brunette reversible ginghams, which look so cool.
Helen: Ooh. Stonemountain and Daughter has some really nice solid colours and lots of Nani Iro prints, including quilted double gauze.
Caroline: And Fabric Godmother has solids, prints, eyelets, and embroidered double gauzes. So cool.
Helen: We asked our listeners on Instagram if they had any double gauze questions for us, and we already answered a bunch of them in this episode. The most popular question was, do you iron it?
Caroline: All caps.
Helen: Yes. So hopefully you all feel like you have a good handle on that situation now. Remember, you have to make the choice.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: The ultimate choice.
Caroline: The ultimate choice, the most important choice you’ll ever make.
Helen: But there are a few questions left that we haven’t addressed yet. So here we go. Kaitlyn asks, “What’s the best way to finish seams with just a sewing machine?”
Caroline: Ooh! Okay. I think the best way is French seams. It totally encloses the edges and strengthens the seams at the same time. Flat felled seams also enclose the edge, but the top stitching can look, kind of, weird on double gauze since the double gauze is so puffy. And I think you can still get a good result with a flat felled seam though, if that’s what you want to go with. You can also do a narrower zigzag over the edge to, kind of, mimic a serged finish. It might not look as neat as the other options, but the main thing is to keep it from fraying, and it’ll do that.
Helen: Yeah. And be careful when you’re doing your French seams with double gauze that you’re trimming too close to your stitch line because, again, that fraying situation. So you just wanna maintain as much of that seam allowance as you can inside that French seam. And that might mean that you wanna increase your seam allowance and have a bit of a wider seam. That will be totally fine.
Okay, next question. Ina asks, “Does every double go snag and get holes really easily or is that just a low quality variety?”
Caroline: Yeah, so I think it’s mostly just a gauze thing. The loose weave is just really snaggable and, kind of, delicate. Clover makes snag repair needles that you can buy that help you pull the snag to the inside of the fabric, and that can be pretty handy if you wanna get one of those. Like we said before, it’s also a good idea to launder your garment inside a mesh bag or a pillowcase.
And next up, Sarina asked, “Should you use a different fabric as bias tape on a double gauze garment?”
Helen: Yes, I think that’s a really good idea. It would be tricky to make double gauze into bias tape without losing the crinkles and having all of that fraying happening and just, like, thi-, the amount that it stretches on the bias. Plus, it would be, kind of, bulky in the end. I would use a lightweight, but tightly woven, cotton like a cotton lawn, if you wanted to do a bias finish on, like, the edge of a top or something like that, you could definitely get away with using a contrast fabric.
Caroline: Yeah, and it’d be a fun way to include, like, some stripes or checks or florals into the garment.
Helen: Leisa asks, “Any recommendations of patterns to upcycle baby swaddles from double gauze?”
Caroline: Yes! So you can turn swaddles into a really beautiful quilt. SuzyQuilts has a roundup of some double gauze quilt inspo. If your kid is still tiny, you can make really nice bibs. I think the bandana style looks great in double gauze and, and clothing-wise, swaddles don’t give you a ton of fabric to work with. But if your swaddles are still in good condition, I can see making a simple top, like an Ogden Cami or you can make adorable little clothes for your kid.
Helen: Ooh. I love the idea of a double gauze quilt. I mean…
Caroline: Yeah. Uh, obviously, you do.
Helen: Gorgeously cosy.
Caroline: I know it would be so cosy.
Helen: It’s so good.
Caroline: I think my cat would ruin a double gauze quilt.
Helen: This is the funny thing. It’s, like, double gauze is so snaggy, but it’s so popular for, like, kids.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: And, like, I have to imagine that they’re gonna snag. I mean, I guess if it’s a baby, it’s not really, like, moving around that much, but probably making a double gauze outfit for, like, your five to eight year old.
Caroline: Unless they’re really aware of preserving clothing. Don’t get messy. This is your nice top.
Helen: That’s most kids, right?
Caroline: Okay, our next question is from Alison. Alison asked, “How to reinforce seams? My fabric keeps coming apart at the seams!”
Helen: Okay, this might be due to the fact that your seams are too stressed, so that could mean that there’s a lot of, like, pulling happening because the garment is fitting tightly or there’s stress from it fitting not super well. So you might have, like, stress coming from drag lines that are happening or just, like, wear and tear.
If you have room to take it in, you could redo it with French seams or flat felt seams. But if it’s already fitting, kind of, tight, you might not have that room to redo the whole thing. You can try to reinforce the seams that are coming apart by adding more stitching to them.
And another possibility for this happening is that the seam allowance is trimmed too short. We mentioned that earlier. You really wanna give yourself room away from your stitches because double gauze frays, so if it starts fraying up into the seam line, then it’s gonna start coming apart.
And one more possibility is the pattern’s just not the right kind of thing to pair with double gauze. Again, if it’s a tight-fitting garment, you’ve trimmed those seams close, then yeah, it’s definitely gonna start coming apart. A serger is a good thing to, kind of, hold those seams together. So if you happen to have a serger or overlocker, that is a good option for making sure those seams are super reinforced.
Caroline: Yeah. I’m imagining, like, if you made a dress with a really fitted bodice and let’s say a zipper down the back, and you know, when you wear dresses like that and you extend your arms forward, it puts that stress on that zipper at the back. And the, if polyester thread that you’re using is stronger than the yarns that are used in the double gauze, and the double gauze is really loosely woven. So when you’re pulling your arms forward, it’s just stressing that fabric, and it totally makes sense that it would slowly sort of pull apart because the stitch line wants to stay in place, but the fabric wants to grow and stretch out. So really not recommending patterns that are really tight fitted.
Helen: But yeah, I mean, simply sewing two lines of stitching on your seams will help to reinforce the seams for sure.
Caroline: Okay. Margaret asked, “What lining to use with double gauze that’s not double gauze?”
Helen: Ooh. Hi, Margaret. Guys, Margaret is the transcriber for Love to Sew and all of our newer episodes since, like, a couple years ago I wanna say.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: We’ve been working with Margaret for a while now. All of our newer episodes have a full transcript on our website. It’s on the same page as the show notes. It’s just at the bottom. This makes it really easy to search the episode if you’re looking for something that we talked about. She does really great work. Shout out to Margaret. Thank you.
Caroline: Thanks, Margaret. We said earlier that smooth, lightweight fabric like bemberg, rayon, or poly charmeuse work really well under double gauze. I also think that it’s best to have a separate garment, like a camisole or a slip rather than a full lining. It would be tricky to attach a flat lining to a crinkly fabric, and it might even prevent the double gauze from crinkling at the seams.
So to keep it in place, you can make strap holders in your double gauze garment. They’re just like thread loops and snaps that attach and help you to, like, keep a camisole or slip in place. Itch to Stitch has a tutorial for how to make them, and bonus you can wear your cami or slip with other sheer garments. So it’s more versatile.
Helen: Yes, totally. Leslie asks, “Do you have any tips to elevate and have double gauze not look like pajamas?”
Caroline: Yeah! So a really unusual print can elevate double gauze. This is why so many people love the Nani Iro double gauzes. I think a shift dress in a watercolour print would look almost fancy, even though it would feel as comfortable as pajamas.
Helen: And bolder styles can elevate double gauze. Past guest Samantha @PurpleSewingCloud online made an ice dyed Saguaro Set that is just gorgeous. This is a casual set, but it’s elevated because it’s so stylish. Like, the super wide sleeves crop top matching wide, like, pants feel really intentional rather than feeling pajama-ish, and that pattern is from Friday Pattern Co.
Caroline: And you can mix double gauze with more structured garments. Like a crinkly white blouse would look elevated if you wear it with tailored pants. And a blazer or a long tank dress could get dressed up with a leather jacket and nice shoes.
Helen: Ooh. I like it.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: Well, double gauze is I think a great fabric for warmer weather that’s coming for us soon, fingers crossed, in the Northern Hemisphere here. It’s getting warmer every day and I’m feeling all springy just talking about it. You know what they say? Double the gauze, double the fun.
Caroline: No one says that, Helen.
Helen: I mean, they should. They should. Blackbird Fabrics can use that. I will allow it.
Caroline: Thank you. I’m gonna email my marketing team right now.
Helen: That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me Helen at HelensClosetPatterns.com and CedarQuiltCo.com. You can find Caroline at BlackbirdFabrics.com. And we’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.
Caroline: Go to LoveToSewPodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. And if you’d like to get in touch with us, leave us a message at 1-844-SEW-WHAT. That’s 1-844-739-9428. Or send us an email at hello@LoveToSewPodcast.com.
Helen: If you love Love To Sew and want more, you can sign up for our Patreon. For just $5 a month, you get a full length bonus episode and weekly behind the scenes pictures. For $10 a month you get all that plus a mini episode focused on sewing techniques and 15% off codes for Helen’s Closet and Blackbird Fabrics. Patreon is the best way to support us so that we can keep making quality sewing content for you. Go to patreon.com/LoveToSew for more info.
Caroline: Thank you to our amazing podcast team. Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant. Jordan Moore of the Pod Cabin is our editor. And Margaret Wakelee is our transcriber. And thank you all for listening. We will talk to you next week.
Helen: Buh-bye.
Caroline: Bye.
Helen: Double your pleasure. Double your fun. That’s a statement of the great mint. Double gauze. Yeah. Can we use that? Is that allowed?
Caroline: Yeah, I have no idea.
Helen: We’re gonna get sued…
Caroline: Oh, no.
Helen: …by Doublemint.
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“a statement of the great mint” ?? but “a cause for some applause” is right there! 😂
😂😂 So true!
Hi!
Does crinkly double gauze have a wrong or right side? Thanks in advance!
Hi Joanne! Because double gauze is made of two layers that are sewn together with loose stitches, some fabrics have more obvious stitching on one side and smaller stitches on the other side. On those, the right side is the one with the less-obvious stitching. Some double gauzes look pretty much the same on both sides – with those, you can just pick one and stick with it. Hope this helps! Thanks for your comment.