How to Iron a Barong Tagalog
Part of the preparations I made for last weekend’s wedding was ironing two sets of barong Tagalog. One for my husband, and one for my son. My three-year-old has a barong already because he was the ring bearer at my brother’s wedding last March. I love being able to dress him up in it. He looks so cute in his little barong!
My mom taught me how to iron a barong Tagalog. I hope I do her proud with this method:
1. After hand-washing the barong, hang it on a plastic hanger (never on a metal one since that might rust and stain the fabric!). Let the excess water drip until the barong is just damp. Alternatively, if the barong is already clean but just needs pressing, simply wet it with water and let it drip.
2. Put your iron on a low to medium setting. Jusi and pinya, which are the fabrics that barong is made of, are very delicate.
3. Use an ironing board.
4. Start with the embroidered areas on the front. For the best effect, invert the barong and iron the embroidery on the back side. Then revert to the right side and iron the sleeves and collar, just as you would any dress shirt. When ironing the front and back, insert the narrow end of the ironing board inside the barong.
5. Pass the iron over a damp area of the barong a few times, making sure that the fabric doesn’t get too hot. You’ll see the steam rising from the fabric, and the wrinkles starting to disappear. Repeat as needed.
Tags: how to iron barong Tagalog, ironing barong Tagalog, barong Tagalog, Filipino formal wear
5 Comments
Well thank you Maricar! That’ll save me a few bucks taking it to the dry cleaner. I dont like the crispy look of a jusi barong after I get it from the dry cleaner anyway.
barongs are uebercool! my husband loves his barongs (he has 2!) and he wears them whenever he could here in germany. proud pa sya to explain pag tinatanong sya about it.
my sons (3 and 9months) both wore barongs for my sister’s wedding last week. again, impressed mga alemans. hehe
You’re welcome, Noypetes!
Melissa, I love seeing barongs worn in public too. It’s such a proudly Filipino thing.
My husband has 2 of them. He’s got a beige one and a green one. You know how it is to find one that fits an American male who’s got wide shoulders.
We have a Filipina friend whose Canadian husband love to wear his jusi barong tagalog. Unfortunately, after she brought it from the dry cleaner, the jusi cloth became kind of brittle and easily tore off. Anyway, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, my husband will surely be thrilled to know that at last we can clean his treasured jusi barong tagalog safely and with a peace of mind. Best regards to you and your family.