Why I love Sewing with Double Gauze - Two Summer Dressmaking Projects

Both projects ended up with completely different looks and styles, but they really show the versatility of double gauze beautifully.

I’ve also included some of my top tips for sewing with double gauze throughout this post, along with a video showing the cutting out process for the Jenna Shirt — because although double gauze is lovely to wear, it does behave a little differently to other cotton fabrics when sewing.

So keep scrolling for confidence-building tips, fabric inspiration and links to all the patterns and fabrics featured to help you plan your next double gauze sewing project.

• Prewash your fabric before cutting out, as cotton double gauze can shrink quite a bit on the first wash. I recommend washing it how you would normally launder your clothes at either 30 or 40 degrees and let it air dry. It has a loose weave so can be more prone to shrinking in the tumble dryer.
• Ironing - this can change the appearance of the fabric quite a bit. It’s typical and normal for it to have an almost puffy and crinkly texture, so try to embrace that as part of the look. 
• Consider how likely you are to iron the garment once it has been made and washed. If you are unlikely to iron it much, then don’t iron it too much before you cut out your garment.
• How much the fabric is pressed can really affect the size of the garment so its best to pre treat it as close as possible to how you will once its sewn up. If that means minimal ironing then do that!

• Use a sharp new needle (such as a Microtex or fine universal needle) to help avoid snagging the fabric.
• A walking foot can be really helpful for keeping layers feeding evenly through the machine.
• Don’t be intimidated by it — although it behaves a little differently to standard cotton, it’s very forgiving to wear and works beautifully for everyday garments.

• Finish seams neatly, as the loose weave can fray a little more than tightly woven cottons. An overlocker is ideal but you can also use an overcast stitch on your regular sewing machine. 
• French Seams are possible but can add a little extra bulk. 
• Try to avoid small seam allowances if possible. So if a binding had a 0.5cm seam allowance for example, consider cutting the binding wider and having a slightly larger seam allowance to make it easier to work with.

I’ve made quite a few versions of this lovely simple top now and I love how quickly it comes together. It’s light and breezy to wear and pairs perfectly with double gauze for a really summery vibe. For this version I picked our Lemon drops double gauze. 

I found that once I’d finished the garment, the armholes had become a little wider and looser than I expected. I think this was because of all the additional pressing involved when applying the bias binding. Before wearing it, I washed the garment again and that helped the loose weave of the fabric relax and shrink back slightly, giving a much better fit around the armholes.

I have a thing about colour blocked garments and I really so LOVE them! I think they are lots of fun and a great way to get a really unique garment. Using 4 different colours ways of the samy yarn dyed stripe double gauze, I made yet another Closet Core Jenna shirt. It’s probably my favourite shirt pattern at the moment because it feels relaxed and modern without being oversized, and it works brilliantly with softer fabrics like double gauze.

I used 60cm of each fabric and that was enough for a size XS (thats sized down 3 sizes on me!) with the cropped length. If you aren’t sure how much to get, I would recommend getting enough to cover the tallest/longest pattern piece you have. It’s likely to be the sleeve if you are making the cropped version, or the front bodice if you are making the long version.

In my latest youtube video I share the process of working out how to cut out the different sections along with lots of other useful hints and tips for working with double gauze. Grab a cuppa and pop the video on whilst you potter around in your sewing space — it’s a lovely relaxed watch if you’re planning your own double gauze project.

So if you have never sewn with double gauze before, I hope this post has given you lots of inspiration for a new project. It can be really forgiving to sew with, its super comfortable to wear, great for hot weather as well as layering up on cooler days. You’ll find links to all the fabrics, patterns and tools featured throughout the post if you’d like to try sewing with double gauze yourself.

I’ve really loved sewing and wearing both of these makes and they’ve reminded me how versatile double gauze can be!