Today as a part of Riley Blake Designs Stitchin’ Kitchen Christmas Blog Tour, I’m sharing a tutorial for this simple double gauze quilted blanket. Keep reading to learn how to make the blanket yourself and find out how to get my favorite gingerbread cookie recipe!
Those of you that are participating in my Block of the Month series know that I’m working on a Christmas quilt with some of the blocks that I’m making. I’ve had to make a Christmas quilt on my “to do” list for a few years now and thought it would be a great time to tackle it.
The project is going to take a year (block of the month, 12 blocks, 12 months) which is okay with me (less overwhelming that way) but I still wanted a fun Christmas blanket to put on the couch during the month of December.
How to make a Double Gauze Quilt:
I spotted the new Riley Blake double gauze fabrics on their website a few months ago and fell in love. Especially with that red gingham! I had not sewn with double gauze a lot in the past and thought this would be a good time to tackle another project with it.
What is Double Gauze?
Double gauze is pretty much just what it sounds like. A gauzy fabric (think gauze bandages but a million times softer and nicer). It’s commonly used to make baby blankets. After washing it crinkles up and becomes super soft and light.
I thought the lightweight nature of the material would make a great throw blanket.
Before you tackle this project let me tell you, if you’re particular about straight seams and precise measurements then double gauze might not be for you. It’s soft and billowy and not really suited for precise piecing. It also does fray, so be prepared to snip threads off of it (I thought I got all mine off until I looked at the photos and realize that I missed a bunch ….grrr… so not perfect, Sorry!!
To make the double gauze blanket you’ll need:
2 yards of double gauze for the front of the blanket (I used Riley Blake Sparkle Double Gauze – it has gold threads woven into it)
2 yards of double gauze for the back of blanket (I used Riley Blake Double Gauze in red gingham)
1/2 yard of double gauze for binding
1 piece of 100% cotton or cotton blend batting 60″ x 72″ (I used white quilters dream cotton)
Tips:
- DO NOT prewash your fabrics.
- Use a bit of Spray Starch on your binding pieces.
- Baste the layers very well. Spray baste is recommended.
- Bamboo Batting works really well with Double Gauze fabric
There are not any photos of the steps in this process because it’s pretty straight forward. This is a whole cloth quilt which means that there is no piecing.
Step One: Create a Quilt Sandwich
Simply make a sandwich with your cotton batting in the center of the two fabrics. Baste it very well (I recommend spray baste and pins) then quilt as desired.
Step Two: Quilt The Blanket
My original intention with this blanket was to hand-tie it, but I lost my nerve and realized I didn’t have the correct fame to do it. I still want to hand-tie it and might later.
Instead, I simply quilted a small circle around the + ‘s on the fabric. You do not need a free motion setting on your machine for this but if you have one it will be easier.
You can also quilt an X with just a walking foot.
I quilted every 4th +. It gave me enough quilting to hold it together but not so much that it interfered with the loft of the blanket.
Double gauze lends itself very well to hand quilting also. I would not recommend a dense quilting pattern. You want just enough to hold the layers together and keep the batting from bunching up.
Step Three: Bind
After you’ve quilted it, square up your edges and bind. I used 2 1/2″ wide binding and just bound it the way I bind all of my other quilts (I do recommend hand stitching down the binding in the 2nd step, not machine binding). I did use a bit of spray starch to help the binding keep its shape.
Step Four: Wash
Now just throw it in the washer and dryer and it will come out soft and fluffy! (and yes, we have the build a bear Rudolph characters, apparently, even teenagers still love Rudolph!)
My Gingerbread Cookie Recipe:
As a part of the Riley Blake tour, we’ve been asked to share a favorite Christmas recipe. This gingerbread cookie recipe is one that our family makes every year. The cookies are crisp but not hard or dry, they have just the right amount of “chewy” to them. I also think that the spices are balanced just right.
Love your beautiful blanket! It’s perfect for the holidays! I also wanted to check out your gingerbread men cookie recipe but the link didn’t work. is there a direct address for it? Thanks!
It will be up in a minute! Sorry, just publishing in two separate posts so it doesn’t confuse Google 🙂
I love the blanket! Double gauze is a beautiful quality of fabric, so soft, I still have some here, which I want to use, have never tried it before, so thank you for this blogpost, I now know some of the pitfalls. Your fabric choices are wonderful!
Wishing you and your family a lovely, warm, beautiful and ‘gezellige’ Christmas! Also from Onno and Eline!
Merry Christmas to you an your family too!!
Please, could you explain to me what double gauze is ? I am a quite an accomplished sewer ,but I am just getting back into it.I have made a few easy things just to get my feet wet again. My real desire is a QUILT it can be just a lap size or a wall hanging. I would have loved to have started this to learn one new square at a time ,but find they all come out different size. Thanks for sharing !You are so , so talented. Berb
It’s kinda hard to explain but it’s like a really lose textured weave, it looks and feels a bit like lightweight linen.
Why not pre wash it? I’ve never sewn with double gauze and I usually prewash all fabric. I’m assuming because it gets harder to work with after its washed?
Yes, it’s really hard to work with and will crinkle up in the wash.
Is there a lot of shrinkage? I’m planning on making a billowy peasant style blouse which I think will be great with double gauze, but I’m concerned about shrinkage after I wash.
Do you know where the red gingham gauze can be purchased? Is it new or old?
It’s new it just came out this month. I’d google “Riley Blake Double Gauze” and you should be able to find a shop that carries it.
Hi! I was hoping you could tell me how your double gauze quilt has held up after some wear and washings. It’s gorgeous by the way! I’m trying to decide if this would be a good “long term” option for my daughters’ beds. I LOVE the coziness of double gauze, but I’m a little concerned about the fraying and how well it holds the quilting… Would you do anything different if you sewed another double gauze quilt? Thank you!!
We washed it 2 or 3 times over the winter and it held up fine. It’s put away right now until next christmas. It does fray and snag so if your kids are hard on blankets it might not hold up super well.
Do you pre-shrink the batting on this??
Hi Melissa
I have just finished an embroidered crazy quilt which has 120 , 6×6 squares with a fabric backing.Finished size 200 cm x 240 cm ( 2.0 m x 2.4 m)
How would double Gauze fabric be with a soft batting on the back? The quilt is already quite heavy so I wondered if the double gauze would be better than cotton.
I don’t know. I haven’t tried it for anything like that. It is very very lightweight. My guess is that it wouldn’t work.
I recently bought some Wonderland fabric on line and am wondering if it is the double gauze fabric you are talking about. It is a charming pattern – bunnies with pail green background.
Will the double gauze work on a rag quilt or does it unravel to much? I wanted to do to layers and a flannel in between. I love this material.
Hi! I am very interested in using double gauze to make a quilt with 8″x8″ squares. Do you think this would turn out okay? I have never sewn with gauze. Thank you!
It looks beautiful! Love the designs and colors.