I’m happy to say, I have been sewing and knitting like crazy and I have several projects backlogged to share. This little number is the April Rhodes Staple Dress sewn in a double gauze I bought at Stitches on Capitol Hill in Seattle.
Pattern- April Rhodes Staple Dress
Fabric- Flight Shroom Double Gauze Organic Cotton by Birch Fabrics, purchased from Stitches
This is my second Staple Dress and while I initially thought this dress was so not my usual silhouette, my first Staple Dress turned out to be something I wear all the time. Plus, it is super quick and easy to make. So when I saw this fabric at Stitches I had to make another one. I’ve seen this fabric used for a Staple Dress before, in fact I think it’s the same fabric as on the back of the pattern envelope (just in a different color). When it comes to handmade clothes, I am not at all above being being a fabric copycat. If it’s been done before, I know it will look good!
I’m not sure if the other bird print versions were also double gauze, because the double gauze was not so awesome for this pattern. I used a cotton lawn for my first Staple dress and this pattern is really meant for lighter weight fabrics. The heavier weight double gauze just didn’t drape as well or take to the shirring very well. It just seemed like so much fabric, so I ended up taking in the sides and shortening it.
Alterations-
- I had added 3″ to my first Staple Dress and used the saved traced pattern, but since this dress ended up looking so big, I decided to take 3″ back off of the length of this dress.
- I also took in the side seams 2″ on each side (from underarm to waist).
For the belt loops, I used the same technique for making thread belt loops from Nancy Zieman’s Sewing A to Z Book
Here are some pics of the double gauze in case you are unfamiliar with what it is as well. It’s pretty cool when you think about it. It’s basically just two layers of gauze sewn together with tiny practically invisible stitches.
I ripped a swatch of fabric apart for you so you can see what I mean.
Since this pattern is silkscreened, the ink goes all the through both layers.
Pretty cool, huh? I will certainly sew with double gauze again, now that I know what it is, just probably not for another Staple Dress. The alterations I made to this dress did work though and this dress has been getting lots of wear. This may be my new TNT pattern. 🙂
This dress is very pretty! Gotta love a quick and easy make! The double gauze looks great even if it was not fun to sew with 🙂
Thanks Amy! And to be clear, it’s not that it was hard to sew (it goes through the machine quite easily), I just didn’t realize how different the weight and drape would be from the cotton lawn I sewed my first Staple dress with. I will totally sew with double gauze again. Now that I know how it behaves, I think I’ll be able to pair it with the right pattern better! 😉
Thank you for posting that pic of double gauze! I’ve been seeing it online everywhere and been tempted to try it because it looks so comfortable (sort of like silk? warm but not too warm because it breathes!) but the price seemed high yet when I see from your pics what it actually IS I can now understand why and I would love to try it! Rather like having someone else do your underlining for you 🙂 Love your dress! It is just the garment that would get worn to death 😉
You’re welcome! I’m glad to hear it was useful. I figured someone might want to see what exactly double gauze is. I know I was intrigued by it. And I suppose it could be similar in texture to a raw silk!
It’s beautiful! This is one of my favorite neutrals. And it looks so soft too. : )
Yeah, I’ve been really drawn to grays lately. If I’m not careful, my whole wardrobe and house might be gray pretty soon! And this double gauze is pretty soft. Now that I know what double gauze is, one place I keep seeing it is in the baby section at fabric stores. I almost got some super soft gray double gauze for a robe I just made, but ended up getting flannel. I will blog about that one soon!
I am looking into buying some double gauze to make a Veronica Dress with but was curious about having to line it. Did you use a liner or is the double layer of gauze enough to keep the whole thing modest?
Hi Sarah, I did not line this dress as the double gauze was think enough that it wasn’t see through. I suppose you could line it if the double gauze is see through. With this pattern, I would probably just underline it.