BACK IN THE HARNESS

As you may have gathered from previous posts, I'm a big fan of accessories. Especially the type of accessories that have the ability to completely transform an outfit. So, when I read this post on Style Bubble about fabulous harnesses by Norwegian Wood I just about jumped with joy. But...then I went to see how much they cost: one of those bad boys will cost you about $375 (prices vary slightly per style)

I think that harnesses are a pretty killer accessory, but seeing as they're not something you can wear everyday, there's no way I could justify spending that much moolah. So....you guessed it! I decided to make one myself.

Here's what you'll need:

 - elastic (I bought 3 packages for $1.49 each...if you can buy it by the yard you'll probably need about 3-4 yards)

- metal or plastic ring (for back)

- three hook buckes (or whatever sort of closure you'd like...the ones I chose were easy to sew)

- one yard of small chain (or fringe, feathers, pearls, etc.)

- thread

TOTAL COST: about $10.00 

For this project, I would really recommend using a sewing machine. It's not absolutely necessary, but hand stitching through elastic can get tough, so if you're going to hand sew everything you'd be wise to use a thimble.

Here's the full view of the harness so you can see what we're about to get into:

I started by measuring how big the three waist bands needed to be, leaving a few extra inches on either side for the buckles. When the elastic is around your waist, pin or tape the rough end facing in toward your body and sew a seam about half an inch from the end of the fold. Once you have all three waist bands cut and sewn, you can hand stitch on the hooks or buckles.

When the waist bands were done, I put all three of them on and pinned the elastic shoulder straps  starting on the sides (down on either side of my waist) then positioned the elastic over my shoulders so that the two straps would meet in the back.

The trickiest part is trying to make sure that all three waist bands get evenly placed on the elastic straps. I just kept on putting on the waist straps, pinning, taking it off, sewing, putting it back on, pinning the next place, taking it off, sewing, etc.

When the straps are sewn on the sides, get out your metal or plastic ring and determine where that needs to go on your back. (I used a mirror to look at my back and pinned accordingly.)

The last strap that will go on is the back "T-strap" that will go vertically from the ring down the middle of the waist straps in the back. Make sure the spacing between the waist bands on this strap is equal to the spacing of the waist bands on the side straps. The final touch is stitching on the chains. I only put a few chains on, but you could really get crazy with the hardware if you so desire.

This project may seem a bit tricky, but once you get going it really goes fast. The biggest bugger is that if you're not working with a form (as I was not) you have to keep trying the harness on as you pin. The positive side to that is that the harness will fit your body exactly the way you want it to!

I recognize that rocking a harness isn't everyone's cup of tea, but if you have the wardrobe and the cajones to really work it, you're sure to hit a fashion home run.

Song to get you going: Eagles of Death Metal - Don't Speak