What is skiving, and how do I do it?

First of all, it's pronounced SKIVE-ING, like "driving" and "diving". For the longest time, I thought it was skivving, like - well, I don't know what else sounds like skivving...

Anyway, skiving is the process of trimming the edge of a piece of leather to reduce its thickness. It's kind of a tapered cut, going from the full thickness of the leather to something less than the full thickness at the edge. It's a technique sometimes used to taper the edge of a turned seam, so it can be folded and finished without being too bulky.

I usually skive the front seam on hoods that are made in any sort of heavier leather - as you are more likely to feel those edges on your face if they aren't tapered down.



In order to do this, you either need an expensive machine like the one shown in action here, or a blade with a truly sharp edge. I don't have such a machine yet, so I tend to use razors, scalpels and (my personal favorite) surgical prep blades. They're the best to me for a couple of reasons: They are slightly longer than regular razors, so you have more blade to use before it dulls out, and they come out of the package sharper than any other type of razor I have tried.

Here's a closeup of a raw seam edge: When I've seen people working with a skiving machine, they tend to skive before assembly. But for me it is easier to skive after the seam is joined, as I can control the cut better that way.

The razor (did I mention it needs to be extremely sharp?) is guided at an angle along the seam allowance edge, cutting and tapering the thickness as it goes. It is surprising how quickly the leather wears down the blade - it is very abrasive stuff. But usually I can get through an entire project with one or two blades. Initially it will cut like a hot knife through butter, but you will gradually start to feel more drag as the blade dulls.

When you are done, both sides of the seam should taper gently down in thickness so the inside feels smooth and almost seamless...

London Rope Top

Sometimes you gotta say "WOW!". This guy's incredible. I came across this image a while ago on flickr:
...and thought that would be fun to try to make something similar in leather. Challenging, but what a concept. Kind of like the hogsack, but with a separate pocket for the arms and possibly hands too? Horny as all hell. I looked up one of the names tagged on the image (London Rope Top) and came across his tumblr site, which is chock full of completely bound horny fetish-wrapped gay boys. I couldn't find that exact image, but there are many similar, so I'm pretty sure it's him.

There's lots of rubber, leather, spandex, suspension and more - all expertly applied and nicely photographed. Definitely worth a visit... just not while you're at work!

More from London Rope Top's tumbler site here.

How to avoid the gap

Something that used to annoy me when I started out making things out of leather was the tendency for a little gap to appear at the intersection where multiple seams came together. It was like a little hole, and it really bothered me, until I came up with a little fix. Here's a little drawing showing the problem: See the little black triangle? Unacceptable!If you flip the workpiece over, you'll see the 2 panels on top meeting the third panel below, with their seam allowances folded down and topstitched. Part of the issue is that leather is not completely flat - it has a thickness. And when you fold that thick material, you are creating a little bit of space because it is impossible for the fold to lay completely flat. It seems to compound the problem when you have 3 or sometimes 4 panels coming together in one place.


Let's back up to see where the problem is. Here we have the same 2 panels as before - sewn together, but not yet joined to the third panel. At this stage I would clip the seam allowance at a 45º angle before clipping and sewing the third piece.
Leaving this kind of shape:
You can get an idea of the problem already. I now have to sew exactly on that seam line to keep the gap from showing up. And, as we know with leather things can stretch and move around while sewing, making precision alignment difficult at best. So my solution was the idea below: Clip one side of the seam allowance in line with the seam. Let the other seam allowance form a tab, which is folded over before sewing.
Once folded over, I usually trim that little flap (see the dotted line below) so it doesn't create too much thickness at the seam. This method has worked really well for me, and the gaps have been officially banished - even with 4 panels coming together - it's been a simple and effective solution.

So awesome... Chinese mummification game show!

How come we don't have game shows here in the US with mummified Asian hotties struggling through an obstacle course? I feel deprived!

Link to the complete YouTube video here.

3 Pervy Artists

Like everyone with a pulse and an internet connection these days I spend way too much time surfing around looking at pervy images and stuff. I try to avoid being a link list here on the blog, as there are many who do that way better than I ever will. But, just in case you haven't come across these yourself, I humbly present the sites of a few artists I think are doing incredible stuff.

First up is the prolific artist PSUKUA (no, I have no idea how you say it) who has so many creative fun ideas when it comes to full-enclosure bondage, he's a vertiable fountain of creative pervery. I love the imaginative scenarios he comes up with, from comic super-heroines in distress to ladies being coated in various viscous, semitransparent substances (with the appropriate "GLUB, GLUB, GLUB" sound-effects). He's got a wicked sense of humor, and you can just feel the glossy latexy-rubbery(?) whatever that substance is squeaking away as our helpless damsiel struggles hopelessly away.

How about some total-enclosure wall-suspension in chocolate? He's got that:

Oftentimes the slickery substance is animated, with a mind of it's own. Of course it's mind has one track - to entrap and enclose it's victim in orgasm-inducing envelopes of pleasurable restraint. I dig it!

His ideas for restraints are a lot of fun too. Although simply drawn, wouldn't it be cool to try and make one of these:

It would actually be a bitch, but he makes me want to try. Whatever he's on, I hope he continues to smoke, drink, and/or indulge in it, because he's so much fun to watch! Check out PSWKUA's blog here.

Next up, we have Shiniez, who has a lot of work posted on DeviantArt. My jaw dropped the first time I came across his work. He just has it all going on, hot girls, great anatomy, and excellent drawing chops. Not to mention his incredible coloring work, sexy scenarios and very nicely thought-out and detailed restraint and costume design. I'm pretty sure this guy is a comic-art pro of some sort who does these for fun on the side - he's just too polished to be just some guy with a wacom tablet. There must be some anatomy drawing classes somewhere in his past...

These don't just come across as drawings - he has a real ability to create a sense of presence and interaction between his girls... Love the sensual mood on this one: That's not easy, folks!

Love his expressions, his poses. They're damn sexy... Nice lighting effect, too.

Shiniez also creates designs that would be a lot of fun to try making in real life. Now if I could just find two volunteers for the one below... Just awesome work!

Last but not least we have these images from Peter Pool, who has an entire gallery of creative fashion pervery on flickr. He seems to work with found images, photoshopping them into creative bondage garments.
He annotates his work with descriptive marketing copy, as if coming direct from the Stayput®-Brand soft & cuddly restraint catalog. I just love it!
When I look through his stuff, I am blown away by the creativity, inventiveness and imagination at work. Who wouldn't want to cuddle up in one of these on a rainy Sunday afternoon?
He is working against the typical, shiny black or rubbery red with chrome hardware look. All the closures, zippers and buttons he uses are those that would appear on everyday street clothes and outer wear. Some of his designs feature hidden restraints - such as sleeves sewn into the pockets - so they could be worn in public without anyone knowing you were tied up.

There are so many ways to look at bondage, and his devices are playful, comfortable-looking and just plain snuggly. I could almost see these being sold on the home shopping network. It's just a step or two away from a snuggie.

I love the fact that the internet allows a mode of expression for these fantasies, and a way for the more obsure, unique fetishes like these to be shared... and possibly made real?

Visit Peter Pool's flickr site here.

My new favorite movie?

OK, so I haven't seen it yet. I don't even think it's out yet, but this is right up my alley: beautiful Asian girls, vac-bed bondage stylishly shot, all wrapped in a Hong-Kong film noir thriller - what's not to love? Hopefully this will come out on DVD someday soon. Check out the trailer below or on YouTube.

Fall 2012 - High Fashion Fetishism

The fall 2012 fashion shows took place a couple of weeks ago, and I'm glad to announce it looks like another great year for sexy tall boots and leather jackets and gloves. (woo-hoo!) Many designers showed looks that keep pushing fetish dressing further into the mainstream.

Designers continue to play with new leathers, with deep, glossy patents from Viktor & Rolf, and snake or croc-skin exotic textures from Brian Atwood and Altuzarra. Ralph Laruren surprised me last year with a nice "over-the-knee" style, but this year's is even sexier, with a super shiny black leather and contrasting color strap and rear heel. I love the play with contrasting textures on display, such as smooth leather vs. suede, or in the case of the Donna Karan boot, a fur texture playing off of the smooth calf. Laces, straps and buckles abound.
Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen showed one of the most "far-out" shoes of the season, with these "heel-less" booties, with ankle strap. I know some pony-girls who will have these on their Christmas wish lists. Start saving now...



Some were predicting the end of the OTK or thigh-high boot look this season, but I'm glad to see it is still alive and kicking. Altuzarra showed some strap- and leather flourish-embellished styles with their world-culture/gypsy-vibe ensembles.
The tassles had a great sense of movement, and definitely draw the eye (although in these boots, you don't have to worry - you will turn heads no matter what wearing these). Get your attitude ready, you'll need it!
Alexander Wang showed some of the toughest, and most fetishy looks I have ever seen from him. The boots were fierce and raw, a real mix of masculine and feminine, almost armored-looking. (Side note: Did you know boots were orginally men's wear, to protect the legs for hunting and battle? Only later to be adopted by women...) The curve at the instep is so sharp, and the arch so high on these, they look more like a drawing of a fetish boot than something you'd see in real life.
Alexander Wang also had leather puffer-jackets - something I have wanted to play with for a while now. I know there is a whole branch of fetishism for the puffy look, and of course there are the leather fans, so it's a great thing to bring the two together! Note how the cross-body strap adds to the bondage feel. I want to do a puffy, 2-layer sleepsack. Wouldn't that be great?
He also had these quilted jackets, which I think look fantastic. He had his models with the lower half of their faces covered, but I couldn't tell if he was going for a gagged look, or more like a SARs mask? Overall it had a feeling of protection. This jacket also continues a trend I have seen over the last couple years of a very heavy, stiff construction - this jacket is going to wear you instead of you wearing it!
Alexander Wang also featured these unusual materials, like the rubber-covered knit fabric shown below. I just love the way the sleeve integrates into the glove.

Givenchy also showed many styles featuring super-long (all-the-way-up-the-arm) skintight gloves, and tall shiny boots. But my favorite drool-worthy dress was this number in black leather. There is nothing like a great form-fitting leather dress with a high-collar.

Speaking of a sleek, fitted leather look, Bally presented this piece, which I kind of liked for it's impeccable fit. Although I am not crazy about the "not-sure-how-to-finish-the-hem" assymetrical skirt solution. But would I complain if my wife came home in this? Not a chance!

Gianfranco Ferre had this straight-from-the-asylum look, complete with locking-hasp buckles... Sometimes these designers aren't just aping a fetish look - that's the real harware (locks not included).
And Missoni had these high-collared under shirts in what looked like metallic latex, with beautiful, thin elbow-length gloves - another great mix of colors and textures with a fetish vibe.
Skin-tight long gloves are something I think every woman should have... It is just such a hot look! Why can't these come back, everywhere?
So why do fashion designers seem to go towards the same plastic pleasures as we perverts and fetishists? Could it be because there is some universal appeal in things that are soft, shiny and skin tight? Fashion can protect you from the world, and keep you warm, but it is also a kind of packaging - affecting how the world sees us, and how we see ourselves. We apparently like to see ourselves skintight, shiny, and a bit tied up.

One can only hope it continues, especially for someone like myself who never thought I would see these types of incredible, sexy shoes, gloves and pervy clothes outside the pages of a fetish magazine. It makes me very happy.

Interested in seeing more? Check out the "Fashion Shows - Fall 2012" link at style.com.