Pet & Animal: How to Make a Toga out of a Bedsheet

Thursday, 30 October 2014

How to Make a Toga out of a Bedsheet

A toga is essential wear for anyone regularly attending college fraternity or sorority parties in the US, and it's fun for all people when an occasion like Halloween or a fancy dress party arises. While a bed sheet is not the ideal fabric for fashioning a toga, it's a versatile source you can use, since being caught off guard is no reason to be sans-toga.

Steps

Basic Toga

Take the corner of a top sheet in one hand. Leave about 6-8" (15 - 20 cm) to spare. Hold in front of the top of one of your shoulders.

Drape the sheet snugly across your chest. Tuck it under the opposite (right) arm.

Shorten if necessary. If the toga is too long for you, fold one edge over by six inches (15 cm) or so, and try again. Keep adjusting until you get the right length, which is at the knee.

Wrap the toga around your back. Tuck it under the left arm and once more around the front of your chest.

Bring up the second corner. After bringing it across your chest, under your right arm the second time and around your back, bring the second corner up over your back. Secure the two ends with a brooch, pin, or simple knot.

Secure the layers tightly. Use a couple of hidden safety pins inside the toga. Try to make sure they aren't in an uncomfortable position.

Head to the party to show off that nice toga!

Sari-style Toga

Hold the corner of the sheet hip level at your left side. It should be covering the front of your body, and not the back.

Wrap the fabric around your back to form a skirt. Wrap until it overlaps the first corner by a few inches.

Pin it in place. It should fit securely, forming a waist band.

Throw the remainder of the sheet over your right shoulder.

Women’s Greek Chiton

Decide the length of your toga. It is recommended to use a twin sheet, though a full sheet can work (especially if you are taller). Fold the sheet lengthwise until it is the desired length of the final dress. For a short toga, fold the sheet in half. For a longer toga, fold down only the top 6” to 1’.

Fold the sheet in half again. This should be done such that one half covers the back of your body and the other half covers the front. The folded down section should be at the top and outside of the rest of the material.

Pin the shoulders. Use a single pin for each shoulder or a number of pins. Pin the front section of sheet to the back section of sheet where your clavicle meets with your shoulder. You can buy fancy pins for the occasion or you can use 2” or similar round button (like political buttons).

Place your arm through the hole. A hole should have been formed by the pinning on the side where the front of the sheet meets the back. Place your arm through this hole.

Tie the waist. Use string, a ribbon, or a tight fitting belt to tie the waist. You will probably need to overlap the open sides a bit before you secure the waist, to ensure that your skin is not exposed.

Enjoy your toga! Have fun telling people that this is a historically accurate Greek dress...if you’re into that kind of thing.

Video

Tips

If you are going out in public, be sure to pin it. You don't want it falling off!

Use a white twin sheet if possible. This gives the cleanest and most toga-like effect.

If you are left handed, you might want to wrap the edge of the bed sheet on your right shoulder because it might look better for you.

Girls didn't usually wear togas back in the Greek/Roman time, but in this case you can. After all, it's fancy dress and anachronisms don't matter.

Men need less coverage and the toga should only be about knee length or slightly longer. You can wrap yours in the same way but a little looser – no need for safety pins!