Oh Joy Sex Toy: How to Make a DIY Harness

Oh Joy Sex Toy is a weekly comics series that graphically explores sex and sexuality. This week, guest artist Isabella Rotman tries her hand at a sexy DIY project.  

Read a bunch more Oh Joy Sex Toy comics, including one about the history of vibrators. 

Want more from Erika Moen? Oh Joy, Sex Toy: Volume One is 268 pages of sex tips, interviews, sex toy reviews, and more! Get your autographed copy at BitchMart.

Here is a text transcription of the comic to make it more accessible for people using screen readers. Transcription by Morgan Kelly.  

Erika begins with comic with an announcement, “My Dearest Perverts! I’m traveling for the next four comics and I’m delighted to announce that Scarleteen’s resident artist, Isabella Rotman, is our first guest cartoonist!”

Isabella is lounging on a beach, as she cheerfully says, “Hello All! I’m Isabella Rotman. Today I want to talk to you about strap-on harnesses!” Under a decorative headline that reads, “There are three major types.” She provides illustrations and descriptions of each type of harness:

•Two-Strap: Strap around mid-section and two straps around legs, leaving genitals available for “play”.

•Thong: Single strap between legs. Some find it all sorts of awesome on their clit.

•Full Cover: Often look like a pair or briefs or tight shorts.

Two nude people look at the harnesses and cry out, “But wait, I can’t afford these beautiful harnesses!” Isabella looks curious, “Hmmmm… It does get pricey… And I have always fantasized about making my own! Okay, let’s make a full cover harness! It’s the simplest design.” The two people look excited, “They look AMAZING! And I want to see if these things actually work.”

A large decorative headline announces, “D.I.Y. FULL COVER HARNESS.” Isabella provides illustrations of all the materials needed to create your own harness. “You will need… A very tight-fitting pair of underwear (thick fabric), scissors, a rubber ring that fits your dildo!, sewing pins, needle and threat. Optional: piece of soft fabric.”

Isabella includes a note, “Dildo Placement: Most people prefer the dildo to brace against the center of the Mons so that it pushed against the internal portion of the wearer’s clitoris but is still high enough to give the wearer leverage.” A diagram depicts this placement, indicating the location of the “Mons, Glans Clitoris, and Crus Clitoris.”

Next, Isabella provides illustrations of each step of the sewing process. “Cut an X where the dildo will go. The X should be slightly smaller than the ring. Turn the underwear inside-out! Place the ring around the X, and stretch the fabric flaps around the ring. Pin the flaps down around the ring. The ring should be completely covered by the flaps. Sew the ring in tightly with small stitches. Take out pins as you go. Sew extra loops in the same spot when you are all the way around. Then cut the flaps off around the stitching. Optional Step: Some people like the base of the dildo directly on their skin and some don’t. If you would prefer a barrier, sew a piece of fabric behind the rind, leaving an opening large enough to slide a dildo in the back.”

“TA-DA!” The finished harness is centered in a large starburst, the two nude people look at it and exclaim, “Oh my… Swoon!”

With a large decorative heading, Isabella asks, “So How Was It?” One of the people responds, “Honestly, it was awesome! The materials cost me next to nothing and was incredibly comfortable. I felt like there was nothing between my partner and I, and the harness had a surprising amount of control from undies made of cotton.”

Isabella adds a note, “There was one thing, rubber rings for harnesses come in multiple sizes that can be switched out to accommodate different dildos.” The accompanying illustration depicts three rubber rings with a decorative caption that reads, “The Strap-On Trinity.”

Isabella explains, “This is important, if say, you are in love with your big beautiful 8” cock, but your partner prefers something smaller. Unfortunately since I securely sewed the rubber ring into the underwear I couldn’t switch it out for a different size. Which really just results in making multiple harnesses to accommodate multiple dildos. And is that really such a bad thing? (And it’s machine washable!)”