How To Make A Toga - Part 4 - The Trim

OK so you now have your toga all sewn up (geddit!!!). But if you have gone for a plain material you may be thinking that it looks well, erm, rather plain. So how about adding a trim?The trim can be in any color you like, perhaps you may opt for something that matches the color your toga material, or something that is in keeping with Roman tradition (see the post Adding Colored Trims). You will need to join and hem the strip so that it forms one long continuous strip first before anything else.

So now comes the question of where to place it? Well it can go along the straight edge or the curved edge. Historically, and according to Terry (yawn!) the trim went definitely went along the straight edge but it is uncertain whether it was ever placed around the curve - but believe me if you do decide to position the trim along the curved edge it really looks great!

So here's what to do.

1) Lay your toga flat and start pinning the trim along the length of the toga, starting from one corner. You must keep measuring the position of the trim, using a tape measure, so that the trim is the same distance from the edge of the toga all the way along. If you decide to add the trim to the curved edge, and hey I am not saying this is easy, then you may need to create small tucks on the inner edge of the trim as you go along.

2) Once you have pinned the trim then you will either need to sew it on, using a basic hemming stitch or using a sewing machine. Try and use an appropriate colored cotton so that the stitches do not look too obvious. Or cheat like I do and use hemming tape!

So there it is...how to make a toga trim!

How To Make A Toga - Sexy Female Version

OK so I have mainly concentrated my how to make a toga directions for men.

So here's a video for the girlies!

How To Make A Toga - Part 3

Part 3 of how to make a toga is all about how to tie a toga now that you have your material is sorted so here goes.






Don't forget you can always wear a t-shirt or tunic or nothing underneath if you desire!

How To Make A Toga - Part 2

OK this is now the most difficult part but try to stick with it. If you follow these instructions you will end up with a great looking toga. Yes you can cut corners, and I will in another post, show you how to make a quick and easy toga, but believe me it won’t look as good.

In part 1, we went through dimensions identifying that the longest part of the material had to be 3 to 4 times your height and the width your height.

Mark out the midpoint of your material using tailors chalk. To re-iterate, this midpoint should be as wide as you are tall. Then, with your tailors chalk, try and mark out a rough semi-circle. Cut this shape out using scissors then hem the fabric.

To hem the fabric, turn the raw edges over about 1cm so that they rest on what is to be the inside of the toga and pin in place with dress maker pins. Iron along the fold. Repeat this process again, folding another 1 cm of fabric, so that you can no longer see the raw edge. Sew the hem using matching thread, either by hand (the 's' word again, a nightmare!) or using a sewing machine. Alternatively, and this is my cheats no-sew way, you can use some hemming tape. This is fabulous stuff, a total god-send, especially if you hate sewing like me! You should should end up with something that looks like this (but probably better, my drawing isn't all it should be!)


It is entirely up to you what you wear underneath your toga. The Romans opted for a tunic as bare shoulders were not considered appropriate, but a t-shirt underneath should suffice, or for the very brave, nothing! Well commando style is sure to liven any party up a bit!

Now move on to How To Make A Toga - Part 3

How To Make A Toga - Adding Colored Trims

According to Terry, many of the traditional togas had trims.

Take the toga praetexta for example , this was a white toga with a purple trim. The trim he tells me was about 3 inches wide.

I like adding trims to my toga's and we will discuss how to do this in more detail in a later post.

You don't have to stick with tradition though -you can select whatever color you like - I always like golds, silvers or reds - anything really that makes my toga look sumptuous.

If you want to add a trim my advice is to either buy ready made trims from a craft store or buy a piece of cotton fabric and sew (eww the dreaded 's' word) or iron on. I have used ribbons in the past, and found them expensive, so I would avoid these at all costs. Some of the ready-made trims can be pricey too, but they more than make-up for it in glamor!

How To Make A Toga - Part 1

This is the first stage in how to make a toga.

These instructions are for the Toga Praetexta. Terry will be impressed. I have chosen this one as it is quite an easy shape to reproduce and also hangs very nicely.

Size Of Fabric
So let's start by deciding upon how much fabric is required. This depends upon your height. Simply put, the width of fabric should be the same as your height, with the length of fabric being about 3 to 4 times your height.

Type of Material
Please, please, please do not use a bed sheet. For one, it is more expensive than buying normal fabric, and secondly, there is generally not enough fabric in a sheet to make a decent looking toga and it certainly will not hang well!

If you were literally invited to a toga party seconds before it was due to start - then OK maybe as a last resort, but you can also consider other more suitable fabric material you may have lying around your house such as old curtain material.

So what fabric should you use?

Well as you know from reading this blog, traditionally the fabric was wool, but as I have mentioned previously - hot, sweaty - not a good look! Try to get a fabric that has a cotton blend and is medium weight. You should resist getting anything too light that flies up easily (for obvious reasons - I have had enough blushes for us all in that department!) or too heavy that restricts ease of movement and were you will spend all you time at the party having to sit down and take a breather!

I know that I andmany of my friends find furnishing fabric the most suitable. This is because is is available in the larger sizes required to make a decent toga, whereas dress fabric tends to be too small.

When it comes to color - the choice it really up to you. Go to my 'Toga Variations' blog post and follow the ideas there if you are after an authentic look, otherwise you can be as creative as you like! Keep reading this blog for ideas.

Post Purchase
Once you have your fabric then it is a good idea to wash it separately prior to any sewing, ensuring you follow manufacturer's instructions. Wash any trims that you decide to sew onto the toga, prior to sewing also, so that when you wash your toga in the future, there will be no color runs between the two.

Read on for How To Make A Toga - Part 2