Fabric 101 - What is double gauze?
Certain customer questions come up again and again here at superbuzzy, and a popular one lately is “What is double gauze?”. To answer this, it is first helpful to talk about gauze. Gauze exists for many different uses (think cheesecloth, bandages, and fine metal mesh), but here I’ll focus on gauzes as used in sewing and crafting. Gauze is a lightweight, soft, and open weave fabric that is usually quite sheer. Because it allows air to pass through freely, gauze can be used in garment sewing for clothing worn in hot and humid climates. However, it can also be quite impractical because it is so sheer - slips, camisoles and other undergarments may undermine the properties of the gauze.
Leave it to the Japanese and their clever industriousness to perfect double gauze fabrics! Double gauze is literally two layers of gauze that are attached using a grid of tiny, invisible stitches. The stitches are virtually impossible to detect from the “right” side of the fabric, but the “wrong” side of this Nani Iro black double gauze makes the stitches relatively easy to see:
In this picture, you can see the grid of tiny stitches that attaches the two layers of gauze, spaced a bit more than ½” apart. The genius behind double gauze is that it retains it’s light and cool properties, but is no longer sheer because of the double layer of fabric. The backing layer of double gauze is generally not printed or dyed, but the occasional reversible double gauze is even more spectacular!
As summers in Japan can be quite hot and humid, double gauze has been embraced as an ideal summer-weight fabric. (The fabric is also praised because it absorbs perspiration without showing an unsightly mark!) But, to limit double gauze to garment sewing would be a big mistake. The fabric is so soft and cozy - I have found it to be the perfect fabric for quilts! One of my projects last year was a double gauze quilt for my baby nephew:
I pieced the top using only Japanese double gauze fabrics, and this quilt is the softest I have felt yet! It also has a certain ”plush-ness” due to the additional layer of fabric in the double gauze.
I won’t lie: double gauze does tend to be a bit pricey, but that is because you are getting twice the fabric (think: 2 layers!), and there are also additional manufacturing processes required to stitch the layers together that add to the production costs. We have a fantastic selection of double gauze fabrics, from the incredible Nani Iro designs, to organics, to novelty and children’s prints.
Have you made something with double gauze? I’d love to hear about (and see!) it!
Tags: double gauze
January 26th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Hurray for double gauze! The most comfortable fabric ever! http://www.flickr.com/photos/charlottecarotte/3222989998/
February 2nd, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Thanks for this explanation, it’s very helpful.
February 3rd, 2009 at 11:02 am
[...] The Superbuzzy Blog explains double gauze. [...]
February 10th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
[...] signature florals and Asian- and Scandinavian-influenced abstract shapes are once again printed on double gauze, one on a cotton-linen blend double gauze. There are also a few cotton-linen blends, linen canvas, [...]
February 17th, 2009 at 7:32 am
Beautiful fabric - colours are great.
April 8th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
[...] are all printed on luxurious Japanese double gauze - perfect for garment sewing, cozy patchwork and quilts, and more! The prints range from subtle, [...]
April 15th, 2009 at 6:21 am
I like your fabric 101 series. Do you think you could do a bit on what to do with reversible fabrics like reversible double gauze or some of the reversible linen/cottons that you sell? I’ve bought some and can’t figure out how to use it best.
April 24th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
thank you!! never heard of this before, but sounds perfect for sweaty summer days here in new england.
May 7th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
What is the iron setting best for double gauze?
May 7th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Hi Christina! Our double gauze fabrics are all 100% cotton, so they can take a pretty hot iron. Check your iron’s settings (or the manual) for your iron’s recommended setting for cotton fabrics.
May 17th, 2009 at 8:17 am
Thank you for your detailed explanation on double gauze! Beautiful fabric.
July 8th, 2009 at 11:05 am
I’m staring at some Nani Iro material I bought from you, bracing myself for the first cut. Before I dive into my project could you please recommend any suggestions for preparing the material beforehand? Should I wash it? Just spray with water and let dry? Can I get away with not doing anything? Iron it? I’d hate for my creation to shrink unexpectedly. Thanks for any tips you may have.
August 14th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Hi, You seem to know a lot about gauze so thought you might know about muslin. I am from Australia and muslin is very popular there for baby clothes. I now live in the US and am trying to find some muslin cloth fabric so I can make some baby stuff here. I have tried to search for it here but can’t find it. May be it goes by another name. It looks like a 2-ply gauze (I’m staring at a piece of it right now) which is weaved together about an inch apart which creates a square effect across the fabric. I can send you a picture of it if that will help. Do you know what this is called here in the US and where I might be able to purchase it by the yard, preferably with prints on it.
Thanks,
Bettina
August 15th, 2009 at 8:54 am
[...] import made by Cosmo and has a border of polka dots and then Matryoshka dolls. It’s a double gauze fabric which seems to be the latest thing from Japan. Two layers of thin cotton have been woven [...]
August 15th, 2009 at 11:06 am
Hi Bettina! What you are describing is indeed known as double gauze, and is the feature of this Fabric 101 article. Double gauze is just catching on in the United States, and is most commonly available right now as a Japanese import. I’m sure that the US manufacturers will soon catch on and begin producing double gauze as well.
Muslin, on the other hand, is a plain, undyed lightweight cotton fabric. It is less expensive than printed or dyed fabrics, and as such, is often used for “practice” sewing. In other words, muslin is commonly the fabric of choice when designing a new pattern or stitching something up for the first time. That way, the practice run is more economical and doesn’t result in an overly costly sewing or cutting error. I hope this helps!
August 25th, 2009 at 11:32 am
thanks for the explanation!
i love muslin (im in australia) but its such a limited range even though we have prints
November 15th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
I love cotton gauze. It’s so nice for dish towels, hankies and I can’t wait to make a baby blanket with it.
November 15th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Double gauze is a simple luxury. It’s perfect for so many projects and brings a unique feel to everyday objects, like wash cloths, hankies, tea towels, etc.
November 23rd, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Hello Superbuzzy,
I have been comissioned to make a quilt combining regular high quality quilting cottons with double gauzes. I don’t own a machine, I only make quilts by hand. Do you think the fabrics will be okay combined in a top? Thanks!
Wendy
November 24th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Hi Wendy! Yes, double gauze can definitely be used together with quilting cottons for patchwork. I think the main difference you’ll notice is that the double gauze is more “thread-y”, with a lot more thread ends that need to be trimmed once your piecing is done. Other than that, you shouldn’t have any trouble at all!
February 7th, 2010 at 8:33 pm
[...] February 8, 2010 clothes Leave a Comment Another Sis Boom dress, this time in double cotton gauze from Heather Ross’ Far, Far Away collection. I was super lucky to score some for cheap this [...]
May 30th, 2010 at 10:29 pm
Do they make gauze thicker and thicker or is double the thickest it gets. Do you know of examples of that or where it may be sold? Thank you
May 31st, 2010 at 11:37 am
Hi Dana!
I’ve never seen what you describe (a triple gauze?). I imagine the weaving process might get prohibitively expensive and complex to do such a thing…
June 21st, 2010 at 9:44 am
Does this fabric have any stretch/give to it? I am looking at making a baby wrap carrier. There are some on the market made with single layer gauze fabric and they have the slightest stretch to them; I am curious if the double layer gauze will be more supportive but still have just enough stretch. Thanks!