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 :). 

Get to Know your Sarong - The Batik Tools

So if you're well informed, you'll know that Batik is a traditional art medium and methodology for creating designs on cloth. It is a technique of applying wax to portions of the material and then dyeing it with colors, followed by removing the wax. We do realize that there's a lot of intricate craftsmanship being put into each sarong piece!

Now the question is, how exactly are they applying wax to the cloth? To answer this question, we'd like to introduce two traditional instruments in the art of Batik making - the Tjanting (Canting) and the Tjaps (Chops).

A 'Tjanting' is a hand drawing tool that functions as a wax pen. This ancient Javanese gadget is used to hold hot wax in a tiny copper bowl attached to a wooden handle. This gives an artist better control and precision when hand crafting batik pattern lines or dots onto a sarong material.

The 'Tjaps' are Batik stamps which are made of copper, where each stamp consist of patterns or designs that are cut out and shaped in detail. The tool is then dipped into wax and used to stamp onto the sarong material to get the best results of aligned and accurate repeat patterns or design borders.

As we continue to run about and meet all the amazing people behind the scenes while sourcing and researching for the best sarong selections, we also like to understand and share knowledge of the production processes as well as cultural references. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!

Read more about 'What is Batik' or shop for an Indonesian Batik Cotton Sarong!