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Not bowed by the world's plan to starve her to death,
Ivy Frozen

Breaking All the Rules

I watched the movie Legends of the Fall the other day. It basically chronicles the life of three brothers living in the west in the early 1900s. Towards the end of the movie, the eldest brother Alfred observes to the middle brother Tristan that Alfred lived his life following all the rules known to man and God. Tristan followed none of them, yet everyone loved Tristan more than Alfred. It's ironic, since we set up these rules as a sort of ideal, yet who do we tend to worship but those that defy them. In the movie, Alfred is a nice guy, nicer and more responsible than Tristan, but Tristan's just so much more exciting, even if he is a total jerk sometimes. Tristan also happens to be played by Brad Pitt; more injustice for poor Alfred. Those who follow the rules kind of fall into the cracks; they blend in but don't stand out. This is true in fashion as well. You've got to break some rules if you want to be more than just a nice guy. To find out how, click the Read More! link.

Fashion has rules too, rules you'll be familiar with if you watch What Not to Wear or pick up fashion magazines. Following these rules will lead you to a nice outfit, and that's it. Your outfit will be nice. Sometimes. If you really want an outfit that will knock everyone dead, you've got to break a rule or two. Now, breaking rules does not guarentee a good wow! factor. The people we hate the most are the people who can't seem to follow the rules. The key is balance. You've got to know which rules to follow and which to break and when. To help us out, I've found two ladies who chronicle their wears on the net. Both of them have taken items that would traditionally be used in insults on other items and turned them into covetable things.

First up, we have the lovely Nadine over at Strawberry Kitten. Her magic with diffucult to wear items has been mentioned here before. But today, or rather a few days ago, she managed to wear an actual garbage bag and made it look good. Granted, it was for a school event, but when it looks that good, do we care? That little tie detail on the skirt is what takes it from trash to high fashion. Also note how she keeps the outfit simple, allowing the garbage bag to shine. And the bag is also monochrome black/grey, which is the safest color to experiment with crazy details. It's a fairly boring color, so it can handle a little jazzing up.


And now, making her debut on this blog, I''d like to present the lovely Double-Speak, from The Life and Times of Archy and Mehitabel. She also has her own website here, and her own etsy here. We'll talk more about her etsy in a future post; she has some fubulously cheeky slips. For now, take a look at her shoes. Closely. Do you know what those are?


Why they're crocs of course. One of the most hated enemies of the fashion world. When you consider such things as the open-toe shoe boot, you do wonder why crocs and uggs are so rejected by the fashion set. Perhaps shoes such as these, which don't even have comfort going for them, are more well loved because at least they have a sort of cool factor to them. Crocs and uggs do not. Yet Double-Speak has managed to make these atrocities of human manufacturing, look, well, good. While she is working with the less offensive mary jane version of the shoe in black-- the best color to refine a crazy design-- she makes me want to run out a grab a pair, especially when she couples them with dark socks. Then I pinch myself and come to my senses.

While in the first two looks, she downplays the crocs with monochromality, here she manages to rock them with color, but she sticks to classic pieces and silhouette.

And finally, for the guys; I have not forgotton about you. May I present Frank Sinatra in Guys and Dolls?


While Guys and Dolls was not the best movie ever, I'm still orgasming over this stripes and dots combo. Stripes and dots are traditionally clashing patterns that will make an outfit "too busy". There's a lot of movement with all the lines in the coat, Sinatra--or should I say Nathan-- manages to keep his outfit cool by using the nuetral black and white. The proportion of the black and white in each pattern is also similar, making the patterns go together and not against each other. You really can't comprehend this combos assumness from the tiny bit visible in this picture. I reccomend seeing the movie for this and other outfits.

Once again, Ivy Frozen encourages you to break the rules and form your own. An outfit works if it accomplishes the goal YOU set for it. Go crazy, experiment. I feel like my style is settling down now that I've done a lot of experimenting to figure out what exactly my style is. That doesn't mean I don't still experiment a bit though.

Oush the Limits!
Ivy Frozen

Hiding My Face Around Here

School has started for me, meaning things are going to be a little wonky while I figure out my new schedule and adjust my diet to support the new activity. Food and I don't get along as well as I'd like. I have a very sensitive stomach prone to stomach aches, and I'm a picky eater, partially due to the sensitive stomach. My stomach is so sensitive that I can't watch Nightmare Before Christmas without throwing up. You see, the first time I saw the film, I ate a bunch of gummy bears and hurled. Gummy candy has been on the outlawed list since that day. My stomach also growls in warning whenever the bad guy from that movie comes on, which is my cue that I still cannot handle the movie. If I could give up one necessary function and still survive, I'd give up eating. I'd be very happy to never have to eat again. I hate the feeling of a full stomach (weighs me down), and for the most part eat about as little as I can and still survive. Accordingly, remember when Heather from America's Next Top Model went down at the Enrique video shoot because she needed to eat? That would be me at the moment.

I've complained about this to my doctor(s), but I have Kaiser, and Kaiser does not care. It might seem nice to maintain your weight without specific effort like going to the gym, but it's trying emotionally when your family doesn't understand and think that you're just being difficult. It's also annoying when you have to ruin your friends' fun because you need to eat and/or you can't eat anything there. And, being a woman, I get the added bonus of having to balance my diet for my period or else I get really bad PMS. PMS where I'll be in a good mood and mean to say soemthing nice to someone, but somewhere between the thought of the action and the action itself, it gets warped by rage and will come out pretty damn mean. Uncontrollable for me since I never thought the mean thought. Where'd it come from? Was by body taken over by some unseen invader? I'm Spock, dammit, part of the reason Ivy Frozen stuck around as my internet name. It is terribly disconcerting.

So, there you get a lovely explantion for my difficulties with school and why I will likely slack over here on Mondays, when I'm in class all day. When I'm sick, it's usually this; I never really get colds anymore. Looks like I will need to talk to some of my teachers about being able to take a roaming snack break.

Eating disordered,
Ivy Frozen

P.S. Watch out. I might just do a post on Star Trek Fashion.

P.P.S. Gotta love the dramatic music in the Spock video I linked. Imagine that playing behind my post.

Worken Like A Dog

'ello lovlies. I'm around. Just really busy now getting ready for classes which start next week. I'm truly a child of the spring and summer, yet fall is just the one season I look forward to the most. I just love fall colors, and all the changing leaves. So, click the Read More! link to see the images that are inspiring my fall fashion.





Artfully jumbled letters as an adornment. Curtesy marc Jacobs Fall '08.



Collars on socks. Curtesy Emilio Cavallini on mytights.com and the Queens



Rich monochrome starting with the hair. Curtesy of Tori Amos from her Beekeeper album.

Did I mention I love Princess Jasmine, and that she sparked my love of harem pants? However, in this image of Princess Jasmine in her spacesuit, it's all about the bodice. Expect it. This is curtesy of streetrat.net, where they cover quite a few of Jasmine's different outfits.

This sweater. Guy diy. This image is from the Facehunter.

Did I mention I love harem pants? I like this sleeker version of them. Unfortunately, I can't remember where this image came from. It was on another blog. If you know its origins, please share.

An Edwardian coat that I'm obsessed with. It's just the perfect coat in every way. One day, I shall recreate thee, my love. One day. I can't find the link for it right now, but I shall update when I do.


I know. Pants aren't my thing, but these ladies make the whole oversize thing look so good. And I found a pair of vintage jeans of my mom's that I like, probably because they're too big... These two ladies were spotted by Garence Dore.



And I have these. I want to wear them. Now. from Sock dreams.



Spats. They're on my to-do list.



Did I mention I made a romper? It has ladybugs on it. It and the hat I'm wearing are both intended for the shop. I plan to make rompers into fall because I love the look of this sexy, fitted kind with tights, a belt, and a cropped jacket, though I have some much more Fall types on my to do list. Keep an eye out for them.

Considering marrying her sewing machine,

Ivy Frozen

Rainbows and Clouds

New dress! The fabric is the clouds from Toy Story. They rather resemble popcorn though too. This is a test of a new pattern and new techniques I hope to use on future dresses for the shop. I used shirring for the first time, along the back panels. This will allow me to make larger (and smaller) sizes and ensure a nice fit, even if you aren't shaped like me. Otherwise, to ensure the fit without the smocking/shirring, you'd have to request a custom from me. I orginally found a smocking tutorial over at Kuky Ideas, but my first attempt didn't go so well. When Threadbanger finally posted their own tutorial, and I saw others had no problem with it, I kicked myself into gear and gave it another go. I'm satisfied with it this time, but I still need to test it's durability etc. If it passes my tests, I'll be offering larger sizes and even better fits in my etsy shop soon, hurray! But I'm keeping this one cause it's too perfect for my major (3d animation, basically) and isn't quite up to my standards for stuffs I sell, being the tester. Like this dress but can't wait until I make this style available in the shop? Or you just don't have the money to buy from me? Click the Read More! Link to find out where you can get a similar pattern for free!




Get your free patterns here! Modern Sewing Patterns is a site chock full of free patterns you can print out and use. The site design isn't the best. You face clicking every link in a list with such descriptive names as "# 5520 Dress" in the dress category in the dress category alone to find a pattern that doesn't look like something Queen Amidala rejected. I haven't actually used any of them, but I did save a couple to my computer to try out later. There are a few nice nice patterns mixed in among the galaxy queen ones. Many have parts that can be used, even if the whole design isn't to my taste. So, give it a look. At the very least, you can make entertain yourself coming up with stories and captions for the women in the pattern drawings.



This dress is similar to the ones I make. Click on the picture to go to the page where you can download the pattern for free. For my size, small, I usually use a little less than two yards on my dresses. I don't think anyone will really need more than three yards. To be safe, you might want to look at the envelope of a similar pattern online or at your local sewing supply store to see how many yards they suggest for your size.

As I haven't used their patterns, I can't vouch for how good this pattern is. Let us all know if you do use any pattern for their site.



Look out for a thoughtful post,
Ivy Frozen

The Dresses are Coming!

I promised you new dresses this week. Camera and photography problems (mainly the fact that I live in a place with the worst light ever!) kept me from bringing you the images on Wednesday. But, I have overcome the issues by basically taking all the mobile lights in my house to my kitchen/dining room area and shining them on me with the windows open to let sunlight in and still finding the pictures coming out a bit dark. Anyways, click the Read More! link to take a look at what I've been working on for you.

I made two of these one for me and one for you. The one I made for me is the original, so I could work out the pattern. I have to finish the adjustments on mine. They're made from fabric that DeSamothrace didn't want and thus kindly offered to members of the Diyscene forum for the price of shipping.

I didn't coudn't scrounge up enough of the fabric to make the straps wide enough on the store one, so I used blue cotton I had left over from a costume to line the straps. I originally had wanted to use the blue cotton on the dress in some way, but was scared the blue was too dark to to interact well with the blue flowers. I was right and I was wrong, and adore the blue fabric there.

Both dresses feature a contour bust top, some ruching on the bust, and a full circle skirt.

This one was concocted out of the fabric left over from the sheet I used to make this dress. Unlike that dress, this one has a full skirt gathered with pleats at the waist to make those vertical stripes look amazing. I made a big collar panel petal thingies for the bust which help make the bust appear larger and help bring attention up to the face.

Since the fabric is sheer, the top is lined to keep a little mystery to yourself. I used a cream lining fabric and with white lining fabric on the side panels for a visually pleasing inside. The dress comes with a seperate half-slip I made for the skirt. That way you can wear a crinoline if you want and you can also use the half-slip for other things.

I just love this dress with a belt at the waist. The belt curves so lovely over the side and the skirt flares just right for a sexy hourglass silhouette. You can see it a bit in this photo and the one at the top.

Right now I'm at work on a dress made of cloud fabric. It's like this dress; the same brilliant blue but clouds instead of polka dots. I also found ivy leaf sheets so I can make myself a signature ivy dress to wear out to events etc. & I've got a hat made for the shop, and a romper planned with ladybugs on it, and well, lot's of stuff coming up. Stay tuned, my lovlies!

And you are all lovly. I know,
Ivy Frozen

High Rise

I finally managed to score some high waisted shorts that I adore. They're nice and stretchy to keep my patooty covered though my less ladylike adventures, much like the romper I made. They are also denim! If you take a look at my style , coming up on a period of two years, you'll see that my last pair of denim higher-waisted shorts quickly overran all my other shorts to become my favorite pair. Thus, to celebrate this momentous occasion, I've done a faux photoshoot. Click the Read More! link to view the best results.

Where do you go, my lovely?

My argyle in the rough?

You have such long legs...

But cats don't dance.

Sorry about the terrible lighting. All of the images look better if you view them larger. Just click on them to be carried to their flickr home and then click All Sizes by the little magnifying glass above them. I'm working on some pretty dresses for you (and one for me =) that will probably be listed Thursday. I've been in a rather creative mood lately, hence all the poetry. The more insane I am, the better for you; just means I'm engrossed in my projects.

Sewing pretty stuffs,
Ivy Frozen

For the Love of Argyle

While everyone else is crowing about the return of black (it was gone?!), I'm really feeling all the argyle I've been seeing in stores for this fall. Odd, since normally I wouldn't look twice at it, and the one look I did give it might have inccluded the wrinkling of my nose. Being such a dark and mysterious person as myself, it just seemed not me. They went into the box with cardigans as something that might be cute on other girls but made me feel 90. But now, for some reason, I'm excited about argyle. Perhaps it has something to do with Miu Miu's ad campaign featuring Kirsten Dunst--I know, I'm at least a season behind or am I 19 ahead?-- which made argyle a little edgy, a little dangerous, a little less clean. Click the Read More! link to see me express my newfound love of argyle in the form of a poem.


Argyle



Argyle tees...

Argyle socks...

Argyle sweaters...

Argyle dresses...

Argyle Bags...


Argyle skirts...

Argyle

Argyle

Argyle

A bit Harlequin, maybe,
Ivy Frozen

DIY or Die?

Starting from a completed garment can sometimes be harder than making something from scratch. When I transform a garment into something else, it usually involves a lot of extra prep work. So while I may save myself the trouble of doing a hem, I spend about the same amount of time, if not more, taking out stitches, ironing stuff flat, and figuring out how to make everything work. Click the Read More! link to see my tips on when to DIY, when to buy, and when to make it from scratch.

When to DIY:

When in the store, you see something that you'd love if it had a minor alteration such as humming, changing the buttons, adding a patch, etc.

When it would be perfect with different sleeves, a lower neckline, etc.

When you see the potential and plan on bringing it out.

When something is huge and thus has enough fabric for what you want to turn it into.

When your feelings for the fabric cause you to question your mental health and sexual identity.

When you can utilize a part of the garment to avoid a step that you hate/suck at.


When to buy:

T-shirts are usually cheaper to buy than to sew them. In addition, regular sewing machine stitching doesn't stretch as well as serger stitching--what they use on professional garments-- so your shirt is more likely to break, unless you have a serger.

Ditto certain basics and stuff.

It usually doesn't make sense to make anything you can find cheaply in stores, unless it's a quality or fit issue. Usually then it's worth it to buy and diy, unless the fabric is unbearable.

Circle skirts are hard to hem, since the hem curves. Buy them the right length or get a professional to hem it unless you've got the skill. Gathered or a-line skirts are much more straight forward.


When to Make it from Scratch:

If you want an entirely diffrent garment, it's pretty much always easier to make it from scratch. However, if what you want is that tee with different sleeves, DIY is your friend.

Remember, sewing is really straightforward, and not some complicated mystery art hanging out with rocket science on a ledge somewhere overlooking the ocean of For-Mysteriously-Born-Talented-People-Only. Though certain fabrics, garments, and effects may require a bit of Houdini's touch, there's usually books and internet resources on the subject.

Avoid satin. Satin is evil, and unforgiving. If you're lost of what fabics to use, bother the workers at your fabric shop for some good fabrics for your skill level and project.

Let me in your window,
Ivy Frozen

Of Link Lists and Dresses

I finally managed to get my links updated! Just waiting for my cookie now. The written instructions for the bubble dress tutorial are coming as soon as I find a suitable sheet, hopefully I can pick one up this weekend. And, I finally got that lemon-limey striped goodness listed. I did a full circle skirt for my sister about the same length as the one on the striped dress and the calculated hem of that one was over 13 feet, over twice my height. And circle skirts are such a pain to hem, since the hem is circular and not straight. Everytime I hem one, I vow never to make one again. Unfortunately, I'm rather enamored of them and their perfect movement. Click the Read More Link! to view a preview of the projects I'm working on now.

This dress and hat are next on my list. The dress has of course a full circle skirt. I look forward to hemming the litttle demon.

And if I have enough of the fabric left over, I hope to concoct this little number, which will also have a full circle skirt.

Sew excited,

Ivy Frozen