
First up in my experiment with different cotton fabrics: double gauze. I didn't write about it first because it was the most disappointing. I've heard people talk about it in such reverential tones that I expected something amazing. And it's super pricey so I hoped it would be worth the investment. I ordered a little over a yard of this Nani Iro print from Superbuzzy. I waited for the order to arrive and read and read and read as much as I could. There's a good introduction here; What is Double Gauze?
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 woven simultaneously.
My favorite use of this fabric is this little jacket. This is another lovely use of the fabric.
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To be completely frank, I kind of don't get it. It's very pretty and soft but not as gauzey as I hoped. It also wrinkles like linen. In fact, it reminds me a lot of linen in texture too. I haven't heard it described as such by anyone else so I might be way off base, but I'm sticking by it.
So, on to the sewing. I washed and dried it gently and had very little ravelling. I had a pattern already picked out before I received the fabric. This was a mistake. I chose a classic little baby dress (Simplicity 1701) which is just too formal for this fabric. I pressed on, not wanting to be indecisive. I held up the finished dress and the texture and drape were all wrong. I mean, it's passable but the goal in this little experiment was to better match my sewing projects to my fabric choices and this was a big fail. I'm not ripping it all out... yet (though I think it'd make a cute romper). If I can find a pretty royal blue velvet ribbon to stitch around the waistline then it might really fix it all but at this point the dress is a bit big anyway so I'll mess with it over the summer.

(My china cabinet... Wedding set, holy card, tiny broomstick skewers, and Peanuts glasses circa 1980 McDonald's - pretty accurate representation of our family)
This fabric called for a more casual dress. I grabbed a little Gap sundress from the laundry and set to work on a knock off with my leftover remnant. It came together with minimal swearing and in just a couple hours. Aside: How many years must I have sewn before I stop inadvertently sewing wrong side to wrong side? So, this worked better and she stayed in the dress all day long. It's a bit roomy but I can see this style and fabric working through the summer months.


Bottom line though, I don't love the fabric so I wasn't going to love any of the finished pieces. I always leave a little wiggle room to change my mind but I have no plans to reorder double gauze right now. It's too pricey and too wrinkley to work for baby clothes (IMO).
Still to come: A voile peasant dress and a corduroy skirt. I have plenty of more cotton fabrics still to explore - pique, lawn, and shirting are next on the list but not currently in the budget. I need to do a thorough assessment of supplies here pretty soon as well (because before I order shirting, I need to see if I already own shirting..)
(My photos are posting washed out and weirdly gray - what's up Typepad?)
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