How to Make a Sarong? A DIY Sarong Guide!

So maybe you've bought way too many sarongs and for once, you'd like to get creative and try to make your own sarong. Maybe you're on holiday and want to get busy with an art project? Maybe you think that you can produce the best sarongs in the whole wide world and you'd like to try it out and see what happens?

Whatever your reasons may be - we are your sarong guru and so let us guide you through the right steps. Here’s a quick and easy do-it-yourself (DIY) instructions on how to make your very own fringe-less sarong at home!

Step 1:

Touch, feel and imagine.

The key in having a good sarong is to know your fabric. Get to your nearest fabric shop, talk to the sales person and survey your options. It’s important to buy a piece of cloth in the color, design and fabric material that you would like as your first DIY handmade sarong. Choose a lightweight fabric like rayon or chiffon for those summer days or cotton for those winter days. Find out what are our thoughts on the best material for sarong.

Tip: Always try and wrap your future sarong around your body, be it as a skirt, dress or turban – it’s important to get a feel on how it would like when you wear it on. So wrap up with your chosen fabric to help with your decision.

Step 2:

Get the right tools.

You will need:

• Scissors
• Pins / Needles
• Thread (preferably same color as your choice of fabric)
• Measurement tape
• Sewing machine
• Mirror
• Chalk / Crayon / Marker (optional)
• Iron (optional)

Step 3 

Measure up!

After you've selected your favorite fabric and design, it’s time to get the right size and so get your dimensions right!

A standard sarong size should be in the form of 66 (width) x 44 (height) inches (168 cm x 112 cm).  Or if you plan to make a half sarong or a scarf, you can try the dimensions of 71 (width) x 24 (height) inches (180 x 60 cm). And if you’re making a plus size sarong, the measurements that we would like to suggest would be 96 (width) x 44 (height) inches (244 cm x 112 cm).

BUT WAIT! That doesn't mean that you’re going to buy your fabric cloth in that exact size.  Depending on how big of a hem you want to sew, add up those measurements with a ¼ inch (6 millimeters) on each side. (And if you’re a bad seamstress we’d suggest at least 1 inch extra on each side, lol)

Step 4

Experiment & Pin it!

So you've bought your fabric, and got your tools ready. Now in front of the mirror, wrap your fabric around your body to make a final check if the measurements are right. You can use the fabric and imagine that you’re using it as a beach cover up and test it out just to get a better idea.

Use a scissors and cut out any extra fabric that goes beyond your preferred measurement. Once you've toyed around with the fabric and you’re convinced and confident - use a ruler and crayon then draw the outlines. Use as many pins as you need and pin down the edges to make sure that you've got the symmetry right and remember to give it about 1/4 inch (6 millimeters) space for the first fold.

Well, if you're a professional seamstress or have good experience with a sewing machine, you can probably sew and fold at the same time, without marking an outline or using pins.

Step 5

Hem and sew!

For the second fold, pin the edges again with another ¼ inch (6 millimeters) towards the back side of the fabric. The best way to determine the back side of the fabric would be to check which side of the print stands out the best in terms of color and design. If they’re both the same quality then just pick any side. Tip: Use an iron to flatten out the edges and make sure that the fold stays (if you do it this way, you might not even need pins!). 

Next, with a sewing machine, you can carefully sew the edges and making sure that you sew on the inner fold at the back side. Begin with the corners of one end and then sew downward to the other end.

Take your time when sewing the edges to make sure that you can keep to a straight thread line and maintain the quality of workmanship.

To check if you're sewing correctly, look at this example and notice that the thread is sewed on the lower end of the fold.

Be gentle when sewing the 4 corners! The key is to make sure that your sarong remains in a proper rectangular shape with sharp corners. Here's an example of how your ideal sarong corners should look like.

*Cool tip: You can turn your sarong into a lungi, did you know that? To turn your sarong into a lungi, make sure that you use the plus size sarong measurement for that added comfort. Keeping the width free, sew both edges together to seal it up and turn it a tube shape like skirt! Works as a great alternative for men sarongs

Step 6

Mission accomplished, beach time!

Love this sarong? Check out the half sarong version of it!

Once you've finished sewing all the edges, your very own self made sarong is ready to be used. Try it out in front of a mirror and try new ideas on how to tie your sarong. Enjoy your new sarong!

Too much work and can’t be bothered?

If these DIY steps stressed you out or you just don't have the time and rather head out to the beach and chill out, you can always have an easier way to get your sarong. Just browse through our collection and for as low as $7.99, you can have a new sarong shipped right to your doorstep – hassle free! No machines, no thread, no pins or headache. :P We'll package it nicely and even throw in our brand new hang tag which comes with a free brief instruction on how to tie a sarong. Sounds like a great deal, don't you think? :) :)

**Note: All images are originally taken by us here at 1 World Sarongs during our research field trips as we continue to source and produce the best quality sarongs for our customers :). 

Wrap! Pose! Win! Photo Contest - May Special

We've wrapped up April's photo contest with a bunch of awesome entries and finally announced our winner of the Everything Spring, Sarong! edition. Congratulations to Vicki from Canada who shared a beautiful photo of herself in her dragonfly sarong with her over water bungalows in Bora Bora! She's got us dreaming of that island getaway just by looking at her photo.

NEXT UP? 

May's photo contest is a special one because it's for the queen of our hearts. We'll give you a hint: "Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs... since the payment is pure love". - Mildred B. Vermont

Mother's Day is around the corner and we want to dedicate this month's Wrap!Pose!Win! Photo contest to all Mothers. As Abraham Lincoln once said, "All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my Angel mother". 

Stand a chance to win a FREE SARONG for Mom, because every day is Mother's Day - don't you agree? You have the entire month of May to submit your best photos of you or your family in OUR sarong products. Don't forget to send it together with your NAME & ADDRESS to style@1worldsarongs.com. Have fun submitting and we can't wait to receive your submissions!

Terms and conditions:

1. CONTEST PARTICIPANTS must be wearing items FROM 1 World Sarong’s. EITHER clothing or sarongs in photos…BE creative, BE imagination and KEEP it clean! (OUR MOM’S ARE WATCHING)
2. SUBMITTED PHOTOS WILL BECOME THE PROPERTY OF 1 WORLD SARONGS AND WILL BE USED ON OUR WEBSITE OR IN PROMOTIONS AT THE SOLE DISCRETION OF 1 WORLD SARONGS AND BY SUBMITTING PHOTOS ALL CLAIMS TO PHOTOS ARE RELINQUISHED.
3. Chosen winner can choose your free sarong gift for your Moms and the maximum value will be 16.99.
4. We will ship your sarong for FREE to you. This means sarong prize includes free shipping to a U.S. continental address only. International orders will need to pay for shipping or have 1 free sarong with shipping.

Sarongspiration - Modest Street Fashion

As we embark on our Sarongspiration quest, we're discovering a ton of fashion ideas from across the globe that reaffirms the versatility of a sarong. With our focus on sarongs + inspiration, we want to travel and expand our horizon by researching the different ways a simple large piece of cloth called 'Sarong' can not only be functional but also fashionable. Be it at the beach or in the city, tropical summer or cold winter, whatever the conditions may be - we're convinced to have sarongs for ALL - all over the world, anytime and any day!

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One of the infinite ways to use a sarong or scarf would be to cover a woman's hair or head, most commonly known as a head wrap, scarf or turban - usually for fashion styling or social consciousness (bad hair day?) or weather conditions (hot day VS. cold night) or hygiene purposes (dusty roads?) and in some cultures, for religious reasons also known as "hijab" or "tudung". If you're uncertain or simply a newbie to this way of tying a sarong, it's time to get inspired and learn! We're happy to share our most recent sarongspiration:

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We got our eyes glued on our recent find - Modest Street Fashion , it is an amazing project of "a fashion-photography-documentary of the ever growing trend & culture of modest street style". Not only are we impressed by the variation of outfit and styles and mostly intrigued by the modern version of a "faith driven style". These women are beautifully dressed up with their own sense of style as a form of character expression.

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'Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.' - Coco Chanel

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'Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn' ― Orson Welles

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Have you already learned the technique on how to tie a sarong as a head wrap? Following the inspiration from Modest Street Style, we're discovering even more stylish ways on tying a sarong as a head wrap. Be it at the city or on a hot summer day out at the beach, we simply love the idea of getting creative with a simple sarong. With a range of design prints and colors, simply take your pick from our sarong collection and try on this look today!

'Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak.' – Rachel Zoe

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'If I can have any impact, I want women to feel good about themselves and have fun with fashion' - Michelle Obama

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We're feeling really inspired by the different ways to tie a sarong or scarf as a head scarf and we're also in love with the choice of clothing colors and designs that are being used to match with a simple head scarf. Take a quick look at their video that was shot in Miami, Florida. We're happy to see the modest street style within a coastal city!

 

What are your thoughts on using a scarf or sarong as a head wrap? We would love to get your fashion ideas, so if you have outfit photos of yourself with a sarong wrapped around your head, we would like to invite you to submit them to us via email at style@1worldsarongs.com and help us spread the love on all things sarongs!

How to Wash a Sarong?

Similar to our initial advice on how to care for a sarong , we've taken further investigation by talking to our loyal 1 World Sarongs customers as well as doing tons of reading on other reliable sarong resources to get the first dips on the best way to wash a sarong.

We all use our sarongs in the most versatile way and having them exposed to all kinds of environment makes you wonder - what's the best way to keep them clean and fresh at all times? The key is to maintain your sarongs in the best way possible so that it stays in its best condition and you can have long lasting sarongs.

The first step is to find out how delicate is the clothing and so you can ask yourself: what fabric or material is the Sarong? It's always important to determine the fabric or material - are you washing a batik, silk, polyester, cotton or rayon sarong? It's also important to check whether you're washing a sarong with fringe or fringeless sarongs.

So far the most important and consistent tip that we found useful is that using COLD WATER (or low temperature water, if you must) is the best way to wash your sarongs.

Why?

Well, most people would use hot water wash to effectively remove heavy dirt or germs but the downfall in using hot water is that your clothes are prone to higher risk of wrinkle, shrinking or fading especially for your vibrant and strong colored sarongs. The positive factor in using cold or low temperature water when washing is that you get to protect your delicate sarongs and ensure that the color quality of your sarongs are well-maintained.

Another cool factor about avoiding hot temperature machine wash is that you get to conserve energy, avoid wastage and do your part in saving the environment with less carbon footprints on Earth. That's because setting your washing machine at hot temperature requires more electricity to heat than using unheated water and saving electricity also means you get to save money!

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Hand Wash Tips

This is probably the most efficient and effective Sarong washing method. It's the best way to wash your sarong AND the most environmental friendly practice too. If you have read our sarong labels you would already know that it's the correct way to care for your sarong and here's what we think:

1) If you want to use hot or warm water, keep the soak duration at a minimal period (maximum 60 minutes) and if you use cold water, feel free to use longer soaking hours (overnight soak is fine) to help remove stains or heavy dirt.

2) Use very minimal or no detergent at all. Besides, using less chemicals is the least we can do to help protect our Earth! If you insist to have your clean sarongs smell like fragrance then we would like to suggest a little DIY home project for you. Why not create your own non-toxic home made natural laundry detergent? Get instructions on how to make your very own natural laundry detergent.

3) Don't over do the rubbing, a gently kneading is sufficient. (So avoid washing your sarongs when feeling temperamental or angry)

4) Avoid soaking your colored sarongs with any white clothing. (Unless you plan to get into a tie dye project :))

Machine Wash Tips

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While we always encourage our customers to stick to hand wash (as instructed on our sarong labels!), some of you might still prefer to save time and effort by tossing your sarongs into the machine for a wash and if that's the case, here are some advice:

1) Wash separately from other clothing (especially for first time wash), consequently make sure you wash your sarong following the basic rule of laundry - always separate the clothing by colors.

2) Set the machine at preferably cold or low temperature.

3) Minimal wash cycles and rinses work best for your light weight sarongs. There's no point in over washing your sarongs due to its breathable and delicate material unless if you're washing cotton sarongs.

4) Use very little detergent because sarong fabrics are not thick, so you might as well save up on detergent.

LOL

Finally, now that your sarongs are all washed and cleaned, the final step is to get it dry and ready for your next usage. So the question is..

Property of 1 World Sarongs

How to dry your Sarongs?

1) For longer lasting sarongs, try to avoid using a dryer for your sarongs, hang drying a sarong is the best method.

2) If you hang dry your sarong correctly, you can avoid creases and skip the ironing process.

3) Get your wet sarongs hung out on a bright sunny day and it'll only take a few hours for them to get dry to to it's breathable fabric!

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So now that we've shared our insights on how to wash your sarongs, we hope that you'll use these tips to care for your sarong. If you have ideas or tips or personal experiences on how to wash a sarong, please do leave us a feedback!

Sarongs for Men - Forever Fashionable.

That's right. We don't leave the boys out when it comes to men sarong fashion! Our new arrivals include a collection of sarongs that are ideal for men who love to be free and who are confident enough to own a sarong! We've spoken about men sarong history before and so sarongs are really nothing new to a man's world of fashion.

Presenting our new arrivals of sarongs for men which are equipped with a variety of designs of print & colors. Be it solid color, animal prints, Celtic designs, traditional style or abstract, we've got it all to suit a range of personalities! 

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How would a man wear a sarong? Well, the best way to enjoy wearing a sarong is to wear it bare and that means going shirtless and commando! 

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In terms of men's style, you could style up with very minimal men's jewelry like a necklace or bracelet along with a pair of beach sandals or flip flops or just go barefoot! It's entirely up to your personality and fashion preference. We are noticing that sarong for men fashion never goes out of trend as you would see it on some runway fashion shows. 

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So what's the big deal, you'd wonder? We already know that sarongs were traditionally and culturally worn by men for centuries from different parts of the world and we are also used to the sight of hippie, traveler or bohemian dudes in sarongs. 

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Our believe is that sarongs are made for all men from all walks of life! Now what we'd really love to see more of would be a variation in style where sarongs for men are jazzed up to everyday casual wear or even street fashion be it at the beach or in the city. With simplicity at its best, a sarong on a man looks great when paired with a plain colored t-shirt or a casual white shirt. Pairing a sarong with a formal shirt could also be very fitting depending on the occasion and how you wear the sarong! For those who are a bit more daring than usual, you could play around with printed sarongs and plain colored shirts and match it up with some eclectic jewelry. 

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And where would men wear sarongs? We do think it's time to break the norm, steer away from stereotypes and perhaps try to wear sarongs on an everyday basis aside from the comfort of a vacation or by the beach.  Typically sarongs are worn by men when they are at home or at the beach or as a cover up on a nude beach or by the pool or on a cruise. 

We hear that it's the most comfortable thing to wear especially during the summer, as to quote one of 1 World Sarongs customer who once said, "There's nothing more liberating in this world than to have the freedom of bare necessities", John Cooper. Well said, John!  :)

What are your thoughts on sarongs for men? We'd love to hear your ideas for fashion & style or simply leave us your feedback on the thought of a man in a sarong.