Double gauze is two layers of fine, loosely woven cotton tacked together with tiny stitches at regular intervals, which makes it soft, airy and slightly crinkled, and also shifty, fray-prone and quick to shrink. Pre-wash it in warm water with a tumble dry, because it loses 5 to 10 % and softens; cut it in a single layer with a rotary cutter and weights; sew with a universal 70/10 or 80/12 needle at 2.5 mm; enclose the seams in French seams; and hem with a double fold rather than a narrow hem. Press lightly from the wrong side, or barely at all, since the crinkle is the point.
Quick reference: how to sew double gauze
| Setting | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Needle | Universal 70/10 or 80/12 |
| Thread | Polyester or cotton all-purpose |
| Stitch length | 2.5 mm |
| Presser foot | Standard; walking foot if the two layers creep |
| Pre-wash | Yes, warm wash and tumble dry; it shrinks 5 to 10 % |
| Pressing temperature | Cotton setting, light pressure, from the wrong side; steam to restore the crinkle |
| Seam finish | French seams; overlock as a second choice |
What is double gauze, and what is it like to sew?
Gauze is a plain weave with the threads spaced wide apart, which is why it is so light and breathable and also why a single layer is sheer and unstable. Double gauze solves both problems by weaving two layers at once and tacking them together with a thread that passes between them every centimeter (3/8 in) or so, in a tiny grid you can see if you hold it to the light. The result weighs around 110 to 140 g/m² (3.2 to 4.1 oz/yd²), feels soft from the first wash, and is cool against the skin. It began as a Japanese fabric, printed by designers such as Nani Iro, and is now woven in plain colors and prints everywhere.
The things that make it comfortable are the things that make it fiddly. The open weave frays as soon as you cut it. The two layers can slide against each other and against the table. The grain wanders, and the fabric stretches if you pull it. None of this is hard to manage once you expect it, and the fabric forgives uneven stitching because the crinkled surface hides it.
How should you pre-wash double gauze?
Always, and generously. Double gauze shrinks 5 to 10 % the first time it is washed, more in length than in width, and it changes character: the layers pull in slightly against the tacking threads and the surface crinkles. Wash it warm, tumble dry on medium, and shake it out rather than ironing it flat. That crinkled, washed state is the fabric you are going to sew, so measure and cut after it, never before. Zigzag or pink the raw ends first, or the loose weave sheds long threads in the drum. The pre-washing guide covers the routine, and fabric shrinkage by fiber explains why loosely woven cottons move more than tight ones.
Buy 10 to 15 % more than the pattern asks for. Double gauze is often 110 cm (44 in) wide and some prints are directional, so check the layout for your width before you order.
How do you cut double gauze without it shifting?
Treat it as a slippery fabric that happens to be cotton. Lay it in a single layer on a cutting mat, smooth it out without stretching, and use pattern weights and a rotary cutter; scissors lift the top layer and the pieces come out a few millimeters off. If you must cut on the fold, pin the selvages together first and check that the crosswise crinkle lines are square to the fold. Find the grain from the selvage or the tacking grid rather than the cut edge, which is rarely straight after washing. The cutting layout guide shows how to true the grain.
Mark with chalk or a washable pen on the wrong side; tracing wheels snag the open weave. Use fine pins or sewing clips, and staystitch necklines and armholes as soon as the pieces are cut, inside the seam allowance, because those curves will have stretched by the time you reach them.
Pockets and facings show through pale double gauze. Cut them from the same fabric so the shadow is even, or plan to line the garment with a single layer of cotton voile or a second gauze.
Which needle, thread and stitch length should you use?
A universal 70/10 for the lightest double gauze and an 80/12 for the usual weight make small holes that the open weave closes around. Polyester or cotton all-purpose thread, a 2.5 mm stitch and normal tension are enough. Start each seam with the needle down and the thread tails held behind the foot, or the fabric is pushed into the needle plate; a straight-stitch plate or a scrap of tissue under the first centimeter helps if your machine has a wide zigzag hole.
Sew with a light hand: guide the fabric, do not pull it, and do not stretch the layers to make notches meet. If the top layer creeps over a long seam, a walking foot feeds both evenly. Backstitch gently; too much stitching in one spot chews the weave.
How do you finish seams in double gauze?
French seams are the answer for almost every seam. The fabric frays badly, is thin enough that an overlocked edge shows through from the right side, and is light enough that the enclosed seam adds no bulk. Sew wrong sides together at 6 mm (1/4 in), trim to 3 mm (1/8 in), press, fold right sides together and sew at 9 mm (3/8 in) to enclose the edge, which uses a 1.5 cm (5/8 in) allowance exactly. How to sew a French seam covers curves and corners. Where a French seam is awkward, at an armhole with a set-in sleeve for example, overlock or zigzag the edges together and press them towards the sleeve, or bind them with bias tape.
Finish necklines and armholes with bias binding cut from the gauze itself or from a plain cotton lawn; facings in double gauze are floppy and show through. Bias binding necklines shows the method.
How do you press double gauze?
Lightly, and mostly for the seams. A hot iron pressed hard flattens the crinkle and leaves a flat, shiny stripe that only a wash will bring back. Press seams from the wrong side on the cotton setting with the iron lowered and lifted rather than slid, and use a pressing cloth on the right side. After the garment is finished, a wash or a hover with steam restores the texture everywhere. Fusible interfacing is a poor match for the open weave: the glue comes through and the bonded area puckers. Where you need support, in a button band or a hat brim, use a sew-in interfacing or a layer of plain cotton.
How do you hem double gauze?
Skip the narrow rolled hem: the open weave frays inside the tiny fold and the rolled-hem foot pulls threads. A double-fold hem of 1 cm (3/8 in) then 2 cm (3/4 in), pressed and stitched at 2.5 to 3 mm, is stable and hangs well. Bias binding is a good alternative at a curved hem. Let a full skirt hang for a day before hemming, as the bias sections drop. How to hem has the double-fold method step by step.
What should you sew with double gauze?
- A boxy top or a shift dress: a woven top in the boxy or puff-sleeve version is the first thing most people make in double gauze, and a shift dress in it is the lightest dress you can own in summer. Sewly's sewing guide gives fabric quantities for 110 cm (45 in) width as well as 140 and 150 cm, which matters for a fabric so often sold narrow.
- Pajama shorts and a kimono jacket: pull-on shorts in double gauze are the coolest thing to sleep in, and a kimono jacket in it is a light robe or a beach cover-up.
- Baby clothes and small things: a scrunchie from the offcuts, and a lined bucket hat with the gauze as the inner layer against the head.