Alright friends, I've gone down this rabbit hole for you - maybe not exhaustively, but at least I've ventured - the double gauze wholecloth quilt.  This project started with the recent arrival of Japanese double gauze - it is the most soft and beautiful fabric that I have ever felt! Due to it's loose weave, I knew it could be extra "fun" to piece together with traditional piecing methods. But it called out, needing to be made into something... and a wholecloth quilt seemed like a perfect project.

A wholecloth quilt uses a whole piece of fabric, two in fact - one for the quilt top and one for the backing.  No piecing is needed, although sewing two pieces of fabric together to make a larger quilt is allowed.  Since I wanted these to be to be baby size, I used fabric pieces that were 1.25 yards by width of fabric, roughly 44" x 44".

The first quilt... the one that started it all... used pale pink double gauze for the top and Warp & Weft Pink Flicker for the backing.  Since I wanted this to be the drapiest quilt that I had ever made, I used the thinnest Quilters Dream cotton batting that I carry - the Request weight.  This 100% cotton batting has a beautiful hand and drape while being incredibly light weight. A quick quilt sandwich was made and a diagonal grid quilted.  And for a day or two, this was my favourite quilt I had ever made.  I showed it to everybody and demanded that they admire the softness and how cuddly it was. 

After washing, this quilt became crinkly and even softer - the Warp & Weft fabric acted much like the double gauze, softening even more, with such a light and airy feel.  I started planning out the king size version I would make as a summer quilt - this is a quilt that I would definitely love to wrap myself in.

I love all Quilters Dream batting, but I had always wondered about making a summer quilt with no batting. Two pieces of fabric slapped together seemed too thin for me though - I'd need more texture, more weight... but still wanted it to be light.

And along came the second double gauze wholecloth quilt. Art Gallery Fabrics knit called out to me - this is a deliciously soft knit, usually marketed to apparel sewing. But I paired the AGF Striped Alike Grey with the Bright Teal double gauze and a beautiful quilt was born!

And look at that, I had a new favourite quilt.  This quilt, let me tell you, is by far the most cuddly quilt I have ever made, seen, felt, held, whatever. The lightness of the double gauze paired with the weight of a knit drapes around whatever it is laid on, perfectly embracing, especially since it had no batting! This is the quilt that everyone would gravitate to as a quilt to grab when needing a light layer and tons of comfort.

But now that I had made one quilt with no batting and it turned out so well, I was eager to find another combination that would work so well.  Knowing that I wanted more texture than regular quilting cotton, I turned to Essex Linen.  This quilt pairs the Dark Teal double gauze with Essex Linen in Rose, again using no batting.  And as I got going on this quilt, I was sure that I had made a mistake!  I tell my customers every day that Essex Linen softens up beautifully with washing and wear... but the stiffness of unwashed Essex linen had me convinced that this was not going to work with the soft double gauze at all.  But I carried on and had it quilted with another grid. Binding it with the same linen, this was such a fast project, and even though it didn't feel cuddly, the crispness of the quilting, binding, fabric; it all felt perfect.

And, my persistence and patience were rewarded - after washing and drying this quilt, it softened considerable and hinted towards the dreamy quilt it will become. 

I have three amazing women working for me and we stood around these three quilts and tried to figure out which was our favourite.  

The first quilt, double gauze and Warp & Weft (top in the stack on the chair), is luxurious in it's softness. Because it has a thin layer of batting, it has warmth and a perfect crinkle. This is the quilt that I would make for myself as a summer quilt on my bed - light and airy but with a bit of substance to it. It is the quilt that I would make as a baby gift if I wanted the parents to adore the gift.

The second quilt made with double gauze and Art Gallery Fabrics knit (bottom in the stack on the chair) is absolutely, completely drapey.  Drape is it's first, middle, and last name.  Drape Drape Drape. Also, these words that I found in the thesaurus are perfect for it: cloak, enclose, swathe, and enwrap. It's really, really good.  This is the quilt that I would use as a sofa quilt - everyone would be fighting for it. It is the quilt that I would make as a baby gift if I wanted the baby to adore the gift - this quilt has the feel of a quilt that will be dragged around the house and used to comfort.  

The third quilt, using double gauze and Essex linen (middle of the stack on the chair) - this is the refined quilt of the bunch.  Almost crisp and completely light and airy - this is the quilt that I would want on the hottest nights of the summer. The double gauze and linen are both so breathable, so natural, so weightless, and guaranteed to get more soft and supple with washes and use. It looks quite refined, so as a baby quilt, I'd give it to the perfect Instagram parents.

I could have kept going with more and more versions.  I'd love to try a double gauze and linen combo WITH batting. And knit and quilting cotton? Yeah, that would work really well too.  Warp & Weft on both sides? Mmmhmm, yep, I'd do that. So many possibilities, and each is perfect for the lazy days of summer - a quick and easy project that becomes a quilt perfect for this weather.

Did I leave any questions unanswered?  Be sure to email me at info@piecefabric.co or ask below! I'd love to help you put together one of these wholecloth quilts.... maybe then I can stop planning out infinite versions!