#beginner bondage

I’ve seen a lot of repeat questions in my inbox and I think the general FAQ is a bit crowded and hard to read so I’ve made categories of the more in-depth posts I’ve made.
If you have any recommendations for shops, books, events, or have anything to add I’m always happy to hear! :) I’ll keep this list updated

All About Rope
Rope Length- how to attach ropes together for any harness
Rope Diameter - which width of rope to choose
Where to buy Rope- the basic types and where to buy them
Types of Rope- according to what type of tie
Cleaning Rope- how to keep things sanitary and safe
Treating Rope- dyeing, cooking, oiling, etc
How to Practice- ways to do solo rope homework
Our Tutorials- all the Fetishweekly how to shibari guides

Safety
Beginner bottoming- starting off with rope + modelling while tied
Extended rope training- improving your skills with body awareness
Wax play- an intro to playing with heat

Real Life Knowledge
Books and Events- recommendations on where to learn
Getting Started- finding the kink scene near you

Extras
Pole Bondage- an overview of take [bamboo] shibari
Kinbaku Glossary- English to Japanese rope terms

♥Hazel

Round 2! Answers about shibari in seifuku, the illusive male bodied bondage guide, and easing into kink~

Anonymous: Do you know of any ties that look good while the tied person is wearing a seifuku?
Hazel: Yeah I’ve found that skirts get all scrunched up in bodysuit type rigs. I think two separate ties would be the cutest option…

Top:

• pearl harness 
• box tie 
• orrope corset 

Bottom (under the skirt):

• rope panty
• orleg ladder 

Anonymous: Hey, I saw a earlier anon asking about male-specific bondage. This is a very NSFW PDF that covers cock and ball ties. Not super harsh, just kind of crotch ropes for them’s that got dicks. Google “bondage for cbt - tonyBuff” and it should be at the top of the page.
Hazel: Thank you! Here’s the direct link (nsfw!)

Anonymous: Hi there~! I love your blog and most of your tutorials are super easy to follow along with! I’m having problems with one of them though, the Weave Harness, I’m stuck on step 8. Would you ever consider doing a video to better explain how to do that harness?
Hazel: Thank you! Unfortunately we don’t have the time and equipment to do video right now, but I can explain step 8 a bit more:
The rope in your hands, if you’re at step 7, cross it over at your back, like you were tying it off in a knot at your spine.
Then when it comes back to the front, it’s up through the 4 bottom ropes, over, and down through the 4 bottom ropes again.
If I lose track of where a tie is going, I find it helps to trace 1 rope in MS Paint (or whichever program) with a bright colour so it becomes clearer.
I hope that helps!

Anonymous: Hey Hazel, I was wondering if you could help me out. My partner loves bondage, she adores the thought of being tied and being controlled.. However, she is pretty shy in terms of saying what she wants during sex. I have to figure it out, what feels good and what excites her. I have asked her before to tell me what she enjoys the most but she can’t get herself to tell me. I have ropes and a blind fold but I can never find a good way to incorporate them during sex.. ideas?
Hazel: If she’s not too shy, you could discuss it ahead of time. Some of the nervousness from talking about sex might be taken away if it’s in a more “here’s a list of things I like”, ‘clinical’ setting.
If that’s still too much, maybe role play? Get in a chat room, separated in real life, and cyber it up. The degree of separation between her and the screen might be enough for her to open up.
For starting out: blindfold first. The minute that goes on, you’ll feel a lot more free to try out some rope. The pressure to be sensual every minute is gone- but make sure to throw in a few caresses here an there so she knows you’re still present, even if you’re figuring out a knot or untangling :) 

Anonymous: Hello I love your blog! Big question…I really want to bleach my rope white! Is there a tutorial you can share that teaches you??
Hazel: That all depends on what your rope is made of. Once you know that, give it a search. There are loads of professional fabric wranglers out there who know way more than me!

Anonymous: Hi Hazel~ Any advice for introducing a lover to shibari in the bedroom? (We’re both female, if it changes anything.)
Hazel: There’s two camps on this- the 'do it in the moment, when it feels right’ folks, and the 'talk about it before’ folks.
I’m solidly in the second one. I think that introducing something entirely new while having sex can result in some seriously uncomfortable weirdness. Even if the person is open to the idea of kink, its sudden appearance can be a bit shocking.
But discussion doesn’t have to be super scary 'time for a sit-down talk’.
My preferred method is pictures (no surprises there). I’ll show my partner a photo of something I like and just ask “what do you think?”
This leaves a lot more room for anything from a curious “looks interesting” to a graceful rejection “looks overly complicated”.

Hopefully some helpful tips in there, and another thank you to the anon who provided the male body bondage link! 
♥ Hazel 

There’ve been a slew of anonymous asks recently, so I’ve answered them all together. If you asked a question as an anon, it’s probably here, if not answered before!

Under the break: questions about beginner bondage, self tying, eeling, orgasms, and more ♥

Anonymous asked: Hey I was wondering if you had many self-bondage tutorials
Hazel: Yes! I made a post here featuring a few very nice ones.

Anonymous asked: Hi there! I was wondering if I could ask about some easy harnesses and ties for newbies? I would love to get into bondage and was hoping there was a way I could work up to the more complex ties. Your blog is incredibly helpful and lovely by the way! Thank you so much for everything you do!
Hazel: Our pleasure! Honestly all ties take a certain amount of practice to master, but here are a few that don’t require complex knots and have the least steps:

• Hand ties
• The Samurai Tie
• Pearl Harness & Wrist Cuffs

Anonymous asked: Do you have any ties that are extremely restricting and allow for no movement? Like ones that bind the arms, legs, torso, maybe go around the neck, etc. Basically tie up as much of the body as possible? And also very hard to escape from? Thank you in advance, and your blog and shoots are lovely, have a wonderful day you beautiful person! ^w^
Hazel: I’m definitely not an expert on “eeling” (trying to squirm out of bondage), but my best suggestion would be to use wrist cuffs at intervals up the arms and legs.
While the hog tie is definitely hard to get out of, it doesn’t “feel” restrictive in my opinion, but the multiple wraps of the cuffs sure do. Any eelers out there with better suggestions, please comment <33
*It’ll take time to cut it all off if something goes wrong. So go slow, stay alert, and be super safe, okay?

Anonymous asked: What are your favorite things to wear?
Hazel: PINK! Anything pink, white, and frilly. I also like cute prints (stars and hearts and so forth), as well as Hello Kitty and Sailor Moon stuff. (o´▽`o) Oh, and I would never say no to Agent Provocateur lingerie, but that would be under what I’m wearing~

Anonymous asked: A lot of your stuff is in Japanese as well, and it made me wonder what languages you speak/write?
Hazel: Just the two. I’m actually super slow at learning stuff. Even English still has so many mysteries (＞﹏＜)

Anonymous asked: I just wanted to say your photos are excellent and I really appreciate your educational tidbits too.
Hazel: Thank you! I’m always so happy & touched when people take the time to say stuff like this

Anonymous asked: I have a lot of questions, however I first have to say love the blog. So anyways both my boyfriend and I (gay couple) like bondage, however there isn’t much on gay bondage, so if you can, can you link me to anything? Or do you have any tips for us?
Hazel: I’ve had a few questions about male bondage, but I’ve never found anything specific (readers, please comment if you have, I’ll even make a post just for that!)
But, on the bright side, all our tutorials are unisex. The only bondage I’ve seen that doesn’t work on all body types are those that rely on an ample bust to support the rig.
My only tip would be to try out anything you can- you never know what feels good until you’ve been tied up in it (^_−)☆

Anonymous asked: hey so ive been sexually active for a while, but i dont know if ive ever had an orgasm or not?? as a fellow female, is there anything you could tell me that might help me figure that out?
Hazel: Hm, how to describe an orgasm… it’s like a rising wave of pleasure, that hits a peak (or multiple peaks) and will subside a bit from there. I’m tempted to say if you don’t know, you probably haven’t had one - but it may have just bee a “light” orgasm, for lack of a better word. There’s definitely an “oh my god” moment.
If you don’t have any vibrating toys, I would suggest trying some out. Those tend to be guaranteed orgasm makers. If you can’t get ahold of an official toy, a vibrating toothbrush works just as well. Try applying light pressure to your clitoris, gradually getting harder as sensation increases.

Hopefully some of this is at least a bit helpful! Thank you so much for your interest & support everybody 
♥ Hazel