Homemade Binder

DISCLAIMER: I am writing this post to share my experience. I am NOT encouraging anyone to make a chest binder, especially if one is unfamiliar with garment-making. Binding can pose a genuine health risk and many precautions must be made to do it safely.

Earlier this year, I made a binder following this tutorial. (against the advice of some people... whoops). I didn't put it on my handmade page because, well I simply forgot, but also I don't want to put it out there in case anyone gets inspired to do the same. In my opinion, the construction actually isn't too bad. I made sure to finish all the seams and raw edges so it holds up in the wash.

As mentioned by the tutorial, the idea is that underneath the stretchy main material, there is a non-stretchy material that will, I suppose, pull back? your chest. The non-stretchy material I used was too thin so my nipples were visible from under my shirt so I added a third panel of non-stretchy material that just covers that area. I'm not sure if this was a good or bad idea but it does flatten my chest a bit more I suppose. I actually made a #huge rookie mistake. The stretchy material I use stretches best one way but I cut and sewed it in a way that that stretch direction is vertical instead of horizontal (idk if I'm describing this correctly). So the stretch is basicallyyy useless. Because of all this lack of stretch, the binder is quite troublesome to put on.

The fit itself is actually not too tight. I knew how dangerous (and wasteful) it would've been if I made it too tight so I made sure I had some breathing room. However, it is a bit restrictive around the chest area (no shit) where the third panel is. If I sit up straight, it's fine. I can only feel the pressure when my chest expands while breathing but it's not very tight. Ahh I'm not sure if this is a normal tightness for a binder or if it's too tight, but I can breathe so whatever.

I tested it for a short 2 hour walk after I made it. Uh it was a few months ago so honestly I don't remember what it felt like. I think I didn't like it. It does flatten my chest... but when I first made it, I was unsatisfied. I basically abandoned it after than because of general doubts about wanting to bind and also it was just troublesome. But I'm wearing it again today and it's actually quite decent. I think it's hard to see the difference when my chest is already relatively small. So far I've been wearing it for about an hour as of writing this, it feels the same as I described above. I specifically chose to wear this on a day when I only had class for a few hours so I won't wear the binder for too long. I brought a bra just in case I can't take it anymore. Binder safety is important!

Ok class over! I did find myself adjusting it quite a bit to move around the pressure at first. I was very focussed on my work and I barely felt like I was wearing it. I only noticed it most when I was more stressed out. Idk what that means but I think it's more of a psychological thing. As I'm writing this, the binder is quite comfortable! Wow. I remember last time not liking it, I wonder what changed. Maybe I lost some weight and haven't eaten much today, which is kinda bad because I'm underweight but I digress.

I would say this was a success. HOWEVER, just because it worked for me does NOT mean it may work for you. I think mine is fine because I researched proper binding practice and was careful to do many fittings while making it to make sure it wasn't going to crush me. If you think you can do this, I can't stop you, but please be EXTREMELY careful. Do not make it too tight thinking it will flatten your chest more, and do not wear a binder for more than 8 hours. Ok bye.

Update 2026-07-09: Ummm. Ok I wore it again today for a similar duration and it was quite uncomfortable. It felt a bit tighter and my upper back area was hurting, even now my chest and back still has some pain. Though, I'm not sure if the binder is the cause but I can only assume it is. I'm not sure why the experience was different when I literally wore it two days in a row with little difference in my routine before wearing it. Maybe the fact that I wore it consecutively is the issue? I think I forgot some binder safety practices... Anyway, I probably won't bind for a while like the first time I wore it. There are quite a few days I stay in school longer than 8 hours so it's not like I can do it that often. I think my new verdict is that this binder was a partial success. Whether I feel comfortable is very unpredictable so it is still quite a risk in that sense.