#how to tie shibari

Under the break I answer questions about absolute beginner tutorials, outdoor shoots, dildo harnesses, and more~

Anon Asked: How about more outdoorish/explicit series…? ^_^
Hazel: Yes! I want to do a shoot with the leaves changing, if I can catch them. It suddenly turned cold… so we’ll see

Anon Asked: I love the tutorials so much. They help a lot with finding new things to try. Thank you!
Hazel: I’m so glad. Whenever we post tutorials, I see a lot of people saying ‘oh I want to try this’, and it makes me ecstatic.  ♥ ♥ ♥

Anon Asked: Do you have anymore tutorials you’ll be posting anytime soon? Also, my girlfriend is very interested in shibari and being tied up in general, but she and I have never done it. Are there any ones you’d suggest first - for a newcomer to being tied and a novice tier?
Hazel: We plan on doing tutorials for as long as people want to see how we do our ties!
For beginners, it really depends on what your rope bottom likes, and your learning style. She may just want to feel the rope on her skin, so a body harness would work well. Or, she may want to really feel fully restrained, in which case a few different restrictive ties would be necessary.
That said, the tutorials with the least steps are:

• Frog Tie
• Pearl Harness & Wrist Cuffs
• 3 Simple Hand Ties

Anon Asked: Does your parents know that you are doing bondage?
Hazel: I’m old enough to have watched Alf on TV, drank Orbitz between classes, and danced to MJ on LP. Sorry if that ruins the fantasy a little

Anon Asked: Thank you for the detailed pictures and tutorials, after searching the internet your are the most helpful. Any chance you could tell me the tie that binds the thigh to the calf, and point me in the direction of the tutorial.
Hazel: Thank you, I’m so happy they’re easy to follow- I try my best to make them super clear.
For the calf to thigh, I think that’d be the leg ladder!

Anon Asked: Hello! I’ve been looking for a way to build a harness which allows for mounting a dildo in it, but have been unsuccessful when browsing your current tutorials. Any advice?
Hazel: I think you could modify the hip harness to support a dildo… although you might have to add a rope around the waist for leverage & stability.

Anon Asked: are you underage or a boy
Hazel: I’m a timeless mermaid princess, thanks.

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