All about chest binding! Tell us about the brands you love or get tips on how to make your own. No gatekeeping here!
What do you think? Icons, Headers and Tutorials
I did the icon with my mouse in Photoshop since my graphic tablet refused to work. Do you think it's very terrible? If anybody wants to create a prettier one, feel free lol. (Same for the headers.)
Also I'm thinking about uploading a tutorial on how to sew your own binder. Would taking photographs of each step and explaining what I'm doing be helpful? I'm not a native English speaker and don't have much sewing vocabulary, so I'm hoping that photos can bridge that gap somewhat. It's actually really easy to sew a binder, the hard part is getting it to fit you, so I thought that people who run into problems could post (anonymously if they want) in the comments and I'd try to give tips. Would you be interested in that sort of thing?




A tutorial sounds wonderful! I'd love to make some shirt-style binders (the ones that look like tank tops or whatnot that you don't have to wear something over) if you know how to do those and can explain it.
Pictures would be very helpful!
Trying this again from my computer. Sorry! I know how to do those! I haven't actually made many tank length binders because they weren't as popular with my friends, but I've always had the goal of creating binders you don't have to hide. (Or want to hide, see the picture I posted too early.) The tutorial will take some time since my sewing machine's making trouble right now, but I'm glad to hear that there's interest! :)
Those fabrics are awesome. I love them! :D
Take your time! Don't want to rush you.
I love them toooo. The silver one glitters in rainbow under direct light. The best motivation to work on a binder!
Absolutely fabulous. I love it. <3
Argh! I wanted to add a picture to my comment and now the comment is gone. Hang on.
I really love the icon! Colorful binders are great, and I like how it looks more cute and open to interpretation than the usual painful-shameful-verymasculine-etc.
And a sewing tutorial would be great! Could you also include details about the fabrics that you use? I have very little sewing experience and no binder-sewing-experience at all and that would be really helpful.
That's what I was going for, so I'm glad you like it! :)
I can answer that question now, and I'll definitely put that in the tutorial! What companies such as Underworks use is called power mesh or power net. It should be 30% Spandex and 70% Nylon (I think? Not entirely sure if that's how it's called.). I started out by using something else that works too but this is really better so I recommend that. In the US you can buy it at Spandex House's website, which is where Shapeshifters Inc. get theirs. I'm from Germany and I'd order it off ebay from the UK because it's impossible to find elsewhere. It helps if you've seen an Underworks binder before so you can make sure the fabric is the real thing.
(Aside: gc2b uses a completely different system and fabric - theirs is way stretchier to make up for the fact that the front side isn't elastic at all.)
Binders often have multiple layers.If you want it to look like a shirt, you can add a layer of jersey fabric on top - I like cotton-based but it has to have some spandex in it so it stays in shape. 5% is okay. Jersey is elastic and doesn't fray, just like the power mesh.
ooh cool, thank you :)