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Tag: post-apocalyptic (Page 1 of 2)

Fun With DIY: Cutting Patterns Out Of A Skirt

These skulls are pretty awesome I must say.

Sometimes you order clearance items off of a site and they don’t fit. What do you do with them? Send them back, sell them, or better yet would you keep them for a future project just in case?

You guessed it, I am a bit of a pack rat. However, saving such pieces of clothing can come in handy. Such is the case with this Hell Bunny skirt. It’s a winter themed skirt but the skulls themselves look both spooky and cute at the same time. Which means they would be a perfect addition as a patch on a jacket or as a trim on a skirt.

I took a pair of fabric scissors and cut out a strip of the skulls, and then I cut out some of the skulls individually. They can be used as patches on a jacket or a hoodie, and the long strip of them could possibly become a trim for something else. You can do this sort of thing with any patterned type material. See a pattern that you love on a piece of sale clothing that you would otherwise never wear? Buy it, and then Frankenstein it to piece of clothing that you would wear.

Never feel discouraged if things don’t go your way at first because every single person who does DIY type projects has been through the same things. Nobody starts out knowing everything and that is okay. You will go through a bit of trial and error but in the end you will have something that is unique to you and that is very peachy-keen.

The Back of The Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian Themed Denim Jacket Is Done For Now

Finally done!

After many months I can finally say that the back of this jacket is done!Will I ever add anything to it? Probably, but I am happy with it right now.

This jacket is originally from the clearance section of Killstar. I actually went around my town seeing what kind of denim jackets were on sale. All of them were more expensive than this one so I went for it. It came with the grommet lacing on the sleeves and with the ripped hole in the back. Everything else on the back I did myself.

Notice how I hung the chain from two safety pins on a seam. I was originally going to hang it from the bottom, but that top seam is very thick and can hold the weight way better. I also put a few safety pins on the bottom and hung some keychains from them. I got the patches and studs from Etsy. The most difficult thing for me was sewing the arm patches onto the upper sleeves, and placing small green and yellow pyramid studs below them.

The cool thing about this jacket is that if something falls off that’s okay because it is not meant to be perfect. For example, one of the upper safety pins I used on the Obey patch has come off and I am not worried about it. It’ll get replaced when I replace it. I used mainly green and yellow accents for this jacket because it goes well with the patches.

I hope this has inspired you to create some DIY projects of your own because it’s a lot of fun and in the end you get to wear something that is distinctly yours.

Product Review: Nite Militia Vegan 3.0 Bag by Jungle Tribe

Obviously not me. I couldn’t get a good photo of myself wearing it.

Let me start by saying that this is not a sponsored post. I am almost 50 so I really doubt that anybody would send me free stuff anyway. Any product review that I put up on this blog will be of items I have spent my own money on.

This has quickly become one of my favourite bags. Mostly because it looks very dystopian/post-apocalyptic without looking like a cosplay item. I went to the grocery store the other day wearing it and it was very comfortable and easy for me to wear. I plan on wearing it mostly on my hip because it doesn’t get in my way at all while using my cane.

Jungle Tribe make a lot of hip/holster type bags and they can all be worn several different ways. This one is no different. I can wear it on my hip, across my body, under my arm or on my back. It also has a small chain from the magnetic closure that is attached to a thin card holder that fits easily inside the bag. I bought this one in particular because I really love the look of it and it was more affordable than the other models that are mostly made of real leather. It’s made by hand and is very well constructed out of thick canvas. This thing is probably going to last me over ten years easily. They may be expensive but you get what you pay for.

My new favourite bag.

There are Chinese made knock-offs of Jungle Tribe’s bags on Amazon that are cheaply made and fall apart easily so do not purchase one on there. Jungle Tribe have even made some YouTube videos talking about it. If you want one of their bags go to their Etsy store. Mine was sent out the day after I ordered it so you don’t have to wait forever to receive your bag.

I am very happy with my purchase and will be buying one of their leather bags later this year. I hope this has inspired some of you to also purchase one, because it is important to look good in our dystopian hellscape.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JungleTribe?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=512094530

Film Conversations: The Terminator (1984)

This is definitely one of the films that shaped me into the post-apocalyptic loving weirdo that I am today. I am going to assume that everybody who is reading this has seen this film already, especially since it’s approaching its 40th anniversary fairly soon. If you haven’t seen it in a while it’s up on Prime for free. Since we are in the midst of living in a dystopian hellscape I find this film to be rather comforting. Yeah, the world really sucks at the moment but at least we don’t have marauding cyborgs hunting us down to extinction. Sometimes you have to look on the bright side of things.

There is one huge question that this film poses. Would you really want to live through a nuclear war? Machines hunting you down is bad enough but having to live in absolute squalor while being dosed with fatal levels of radiation really brings the reality that this film creates to a whole new level of misery. The aftermath of a nuclear war that this film depicts is in no way sanitized or glorified. It looks depressing, because more than likely you would be scavenging for food and dressed in rags. Personally, I would only want to live in that timeline if I was located far away from a major population centre.

This was made near the end of the Cold War, a time in which nuclear annihilation was a real possibility. Back in 1984 the truly sci-fi aspect of the film was the depiction of cyborgs and drones going around hunting people. The really scary thing to me is that we now live in a world in which drones fly around dropping bombs. Drones controlled by humans who are thousands of miles away from where the action is taking place. These machines look a whole lot like the ones depicted in the film, which freaks me the hell out sometimes. Recently there has been news that the British MOD have created a drone that is equipped with dual shotguns that uses AI to assess targets in dangerous situations. Who the fuck thought that this was a great idea? People who have obviously never seen this film.

Would humans from around the world really band together to try to save all of humankind? The current pandemic has taught us that there are governments out there who just really don’t give a shit about their own citizens let alone people located in different countries. If there was a threat of a nuclear war the heads of such governments will bunker down and leave all the survivors to fend for themselves. I think our current situation has proved that when it comes down to it you have to prepare for emergencies because the government won’t be willing or even able to help you when the time comes. Be a Sarah Connor.

I’ll be back.

One of my favourite scenes in the film is the entire police station sequence, because it really shows how arrogant the police can be. The police think they are at the top of the food chain and that they can easily defeat anything thrown their way. Then a T-800 series of Terminator enters the picture and slaughters pretty much the entire station. If the film were to be re-released right now that scene would probably get a standing ovation. When the film was made it was still widely believed, by white Americans in particular, that the police were the good guys. These days it has been shown again and again that they are anything but the good guys, so it is only natural to cheer for the T-800.

Some people may find this film a little dated but I think it is actually timely when it comes to the crap we are living through right now. Always keep an eye on the news so that you aren’t totally surprised when something horrible happens. In other words always be aware of your surroundings, whether it’s your neighbourhood or the country that you live in. The rise of the machines in the film took people by surprise and that is why Skynet had such an easy time annihilating humans. Our current pandemic took a lot of people by surprise because they weren’t paying attention to the reports coming out of China. Reports that were fairly easy to find online. I, and a lot of others, knew about the virus even before our governments made official announcements about it.

As you can tell I am a huge fangirl of this film and for me it really stands the test of time because, as I have shown, its theming can easily apply to the times we are living through right now. If you have somehow never seen this film do yourself a favour and watch it because it is definitely one of the best post-apocalyptic themed films ever made.

Just Discovered This Cool Sci-Fi Channel Called Dust

The short called Alone, which really got me hooked.

Sorry I have been gone from here for a few days. A combination of it being cold as hell and constantly watching Dust have led me astray.

As you can tell from this blog I am a huge post-apocalyptic/dystopian film fan. So, imagine my excitement when I finally found out about a YouTube channel called Dust that shows two new sci-fi themed shorts a week. A lot of them are post-apocalypse and dystopian themed which is cool as hell! They have been doing this for a few years now so I feel incredibly out of touch. Like I’m an astronaut stuck on an alien planet with no form of outside communication.

The majority of the shorts I have watched so far have been quite good. If you are a sci-fi fan I think you will enjoy this because no matter how picky you are you will find shorts that are really entertaining.

My Favourite Etsy Stores

It’s okay to look good if you’re wandering the wasteland.

If you have read some of my DIY posts you will know that I absolutely love shopping on Etsy. If you buy clothes and accessories on there you are not only supporting independent designers you are guaranteed to not look like a carbon copy of all of the people who prance around in head to toe Killstar. The only issue that you may run into on Etsy are people selling cheap mass produced crap from China. They are easy to spot though because all of them will be selling the same exact products.

With all of that being said here is a list of some Etsy stores that I really like. Since I really love post-apocalyptic and dystopian themed clothes some of these stores focus on that kind of style.

Wasted Couture This shop features handmade post-apocalyptic style clothing and accessories for both cosplay and everyday wear. I have ordered chokers, necklaces and bags from them and everything has been well made. This store is based in Poland and sells items made by different artists in the post-apocalyptic DIY community.

Lucyfirefashion I bought one of my favourite skirts from this site. A lot of the clothes are kind of post-apocalyptic meets goth and metal. Very wearable clothes.

DaquinoHats I ordered a bolero type hat from them and it is the nicest hat I have ever bought. It’s very well made and quite sturdy. I highly recommend them for all of your hat needs.

StudsAndSpikesCom This shop carries tons of different studs and spikes. They even have coloured pyramids which are very cool! If you live in Europe the shipping might be expensive since everything coming from the US tends to be. However, you will receive what you order and not get ripped off.

Screen13Shop Some of the best horror film patches I have ever owned come from this store. If you love horror films this will be a very dangerous store for you to browse because you’ll want a whole lot of them!

darksparkledesigns I have ordered some goth and some post-apocalyptic jewellery from this site and everything is very cool looking and well made. They have a ton of items so it will take you quite a while to choose which ones to buy!

DigitalPharoahUK I purchased a Cyberdyne messenger bag and a Tech Noir t-shirt from here and was actually surprised by the print quality of the products. They carry a bunch of horror and sci-fi film merchandise, some of which I have never seen anywhere else.

WirehedLaboratories They carry a whole lot of film, spooky, etc… pins and stickers. They even have pins of the post-apocalyptic film Hardware which thrilled me to bits because it’s one of my favourite films. If you are looking for something from an obscure post-apocalyptic film you may find it here.

BohoDayAndAge Their jewellery is very inventive and includes actual chainmail pieces. I bought one of their wasteland necklaces made out of aluminium soda can pull-tabs and it is very nifty!

BlasphemyClothing They carry a lot of obscure goth and punk t-shirts, including bands like Samhain and Specimen. They are located in the US so if you are in Europe the shipping will cost a lot. However, the actual prices of the shirts are fairly cheap and the designs are unique.

That is all for now and I hope you have a lot of fun browsing these stores creating your own style. I will make another Etsy store recommendation list in a few months.

Film Discussions: Cherry 2000 (1987)

Trailer for Cherry 2000

WARNING…….SPOILERS This isn’t strictly a film review, instead it’s a conversation about the meaning behind the film’s events,etc…

I have seen tons of post-apocalyptic films through the years and Cherry 2000 is definitely one of the best to come out of the 80’s. Mostly because there is a woman lead character, Johnson, that doesn’t need constant saving. She is a total badass.

What is unique about this film is the theming. It looks obviously 80’s, but that aesthetic is blended with others to denote different locations in the film. You have the pick-up bar in which everybody has 80’s hair and make-up but with kind of a futuristic sci-fi bent. Then you have the town of Glory Hole which is 80’s meets westerns. Finally you have the enclave of Sky Ranch which is firmly planted in the 50’s with Hawaiian shirts and games of hokey-pokey. Visually it makes everything more interesting, rather than almost every character in every area wearing very similar clothes.

Speaking of visuals, I think the the guys who made Fallout 3 definitely watched this film before making the game because there are some similarities between the two of them. Specifically the enclave of Sky Ranch. In Fallout 3 there are small enclaves in the wasteland that are 50’s themed, that sometimes happen to be filled with cannibals. In Cherry 2000 we see a cookout going on in Sky Ranch in which they are grilling some meat and you have to wonder where the heck did they get the meat if they are in the middle of the wasteland? Yep, I think they are cannibals!

The film is set after the ‘border wars’ are fought. Who fought who? We aren’t given an answer, which is actually okay because we don’t really need to know. It’s a society where single people do one of two things for companionship; buy a sex robot or go to a singles bar. If you go to the singles bar and want to hook up you have to sign a contract of what will and will not happen, and lawyers are there to make sure everything is agreed upon. Sam, our lead male character, prefers his robot, a Cherry 2000 model. When she glitches and fries her circuits Sam goes to the town of Glory Hole, hires a tracker named Johnson and off they go into the wasteland of Zone 7 to find him yet another Cherry 2000.

The future portrayed in the film is kind of similar as to what is going on right now. Everybody recycles everything and there is a 40% unemployment rate. Yes, our current unemployment rate isn’t quite that bad yet, but we are heading in that direction this winter. Everything seems very soulless and people are very self-centred. If I had to live in the time of this film I would head out to the border town of Glory Hole, because at least life there doesn’t seem as manufactured. Yes, they have sex robots for hire there, but people aren’t playing it as safe. They are living life on their own terms, instead of living how society tells them to. There is something life affirming about that.

When Johnson and Sam finally arrive in Las Vegas things will look a little familiar. That’s because Blade Runner 2049 used some of the same visual landmarks. Others have argued that Blade Runner 2049 also stole the idea of a non-human companion. I wouldn’t go quite that far, because it’s a bit of a step from robots to holographs. However, I do think that Denis Villeneuve, who directed Blade Runner 2049, had seen Cherry 2000 before he made that film.

This film is pretty much a ‘falling in love’ story set in the wasteland. Sam, who only wants a Cherry 2000 for company, slowly realises that Johnson has something that a robot can never have; a soul. Cherry only ‘lives’ for Sam, does everything that he wants her to do. While Johnson does as she pleases and isn’t afraid to tell Sam when he is wrong. I think Sam realizes that Johnson actually cares about him, rather than being programmed to do so. This whole aspect of the film doesn’t feel forced, rather it feels like something that would naturally happen.

Feel like taking a trip through the wasteland? Then Cherry 2000 is definitely the film for you!

Here Are Some DIY Ideas That I Have Had Lately

The denim post-apocalytic/dystopian jacket I’m working on. It came distressed.

I originally posted this over on Reddit, but I think it deserves a place on this blog.

Through the years I have worked on quite a few DIY clothing projects, but since the virus started I have come up with a lot of ideas. I wasn’t working before the virus started because I have MS, and that had me really depressed. However, since the world economy is crashing I decided to finally work on some projects that I have always wanted to do. Mainly, I have wanted to achieve a post-apocalyptic/dystopian meets goth look for ages that doesn’t look like a costume. Here are a few of the ideas I have had and I hope this post inspires some of you to create your own style.

  • I bought a spiderweb pattern pleather jacket and a distressed denim jacket on sale for fairly cheap on Killstar’s site. A regular pleather jacket and a regular denim jacket would have cost me more than these two did. Also, they have features, such as grommet work, that I don’t feel comfortable doing. Plus, if I mess up doing things to them I won’t feel completely heartbroken because I didn’t spend a lot on them to begin with. There is no shame in buying ‘dark’ clothing brand products on clearance, and then using them for DIY projects.
  • I used Angelus Leather paint combined with some hardener to paint the pleather jacket. Stencils helped me with this greatly and there are tons of different stencils for sale on Etsy. It’s also fairly easy to make them yourself. Just use an x-acto knife to cut out your drawing made on cardstock. I also might stencil some radiation symbols onto some plain knee high New Rocks that I have. Yes, they sell boots without all of the metal crap.
  • I’m going to sew some post-apocalyptic/dystopian film patches onto the denim jacket. I will also probably stud part of it with skulls and pyramids. I got them, and a very sharp awl, off of Etsy.
  • I cleaned out my clothing drawers and found some old craptastic bondage belts with chains clipped to them. I am going to take those chains and either put them on the jackets or on some of my messenger bags.
  • I am going to distress some thrift store finds and use some big safety pins for decoration on them. I will also be cutting up and distressing some ‘goth’ online store finds that I bought on clearance. Things such as ripping off peter pan type collars and replacing them with some torn up fishnet fabric.
  • Buying a plan black messenger bag and sewing some band and horror patches onto it. I will also probably be studding it to some degree.
  • Buying some jewellery wire and making some broken jewellery into zip pulls and for clothing decorations. I will be attaching them to zip pulls and bondage belts with some metal clips. I also bought some cheap spooky keychains off of Etsy to use in the same way. Keychains with skeletons, spider webs,etc…
  • Using stencils, and a bleach pen, I have created radiation and pandemic bleach drawings on black leggings. The leggings I got for very cheap off of New Look’s site.
  • I will be distressing some film and band shirts. Rather than creating a fancy cut pattern on them I’m going to make more random cuts. I will also be cutting off the sleeves of some of them.
  • I don’t feel confident enough to make my own jewellery so I have bought some very cool post-apocalyptic themed pieces on Etsy. Those are usually not too expensive. However, the ready made post-apocalyptic themed clothing is usually very expensive! Most of it looks very cosplay, but I have found some very cool skirts that I can pair with a plain top so that it doesn’t look like a costume.
  • Etsy!!!! Etsy!!!!! Etsy!!!! If you haven’t guessed by now I get a whole bunch of my craft supplies, patches, jewellery, bondage belts, band shirts,etc…off of there. Most shops on there are reasonably priced, especially when it comes to studs and spikes. Also, head over to Bandcamp for shirts and patches because some bands have them for sale on there.

I really hope that I have helped and inspired you, because it is always fun to do DIY projects.

On Creating A Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian Clothing Style That Doesn’t Look Like A Costume

This would make a cool hideout in the wasteland.

As a lot of you know I am a total post-apocalyptic/dystopian genre fangirl. I’ve been into the genre since the early 80’s and I have always loved the way that the characters in such films look. For example, the baddies in The Road Warrior (AKA Mad Max 2) have always fascinated me. Where did they get all of the cool black gear from, and how the hell did they put their mohawks up in a desert wasteland with no beauty supply shops nearby? Also, where did the find the brightly coloured hair-dye at?

As I slowly discovered the joys of goth and punk music there was something in the back of my brain telling me that I should combine the two as to how I looked. There were some years I looked more goth and some years in which I looked more punk. I was never successful at combining the two together seamlessly into a cohesive look.

I got diagnosed with MS about 3 1/2 years ago and within a short time I couldn’t work any longer. So, I decided that I was going to start dressing how I really wanted to, and do whatever the hell I liked with my hair. I was going to start dressing in a post-apocalyptic/dystopian style by golly! As I searched Etsy for items, and ideas, I noticed that the clothes and accessories came in two different varieties; costumes for festivals and actual wearable items. The costume items are really over the top, such as heavily stained clothing, colourful gasmasks, home-made shoulder pads and jewellery . I’m not dissing those items because they are often very creative. However, you do not want to wear all of these kind of items together while shopping or walking about because it’ll look like you are just wearing a costume rather than wearing actual everyday clothing.

A very cool choker that I bought on Etsy.

A lot of the wearable items that I have seen on Etsy are made in small batches and can be very expensive. If you have the skill and patience to do so it is cheaper, and more original, to customize your own items. So far I have painted my post-apocalyptic pleather jacket and have stencilled with a bleach pen symbols onto some leggings. I plan on distressing a few knit items that I own and sewing some patches onto a black denim jacket and a plain black canvas messenger bag that I have purchased. I have bought quite a few pieces of jewellery because I don’t feel confident making such things myself. With some broken jewellery and wire I plan on decorating some of my items. Also, I have found some very fab bottle-cap keyrings on Etsy that I plan on making into zip pulls and decorations.

The balance between costume and clothing in this style is all about limiting costume pieces to maybe only one item in an outfit. Have a ripped up skirt? Wear it with a top that isn’t as damaged. Have an over the top choker? Pair it with an outfit that isn’t as decorative. I stay away from goggles, gas masks, and shoulder-pads because they all scream costume, and I don’t want to be mistaken for a cybergoth. I also stay away from tons of bright colours, so I will wear only one brightly object at a time if I wear any at all.

I hope this post inspires you to come up with your own individual style because it’s a very fun journey to take.

I Finally Finished My Post-Apocalyptic Themed Pleather Jacket!!!!

This jacket is pretty much the collimation of years of post-apocalyptic book and film fandom. Considering how utterly crappy the world is right now it is also timely. We are in the midst of a global pandemic and economic meltdown and this jacket faces it head-on. No butterflies and toxic happiness.

This is an actual pleather Killstar jacket that I got online for really cheap. It has features to it that make it ripe for DIY work. I know that some DIY enthusiasts would give me shit about this fact, but why should I spend hundreds on a similar style jacket? Plus, if I majorly messed up on it somehow it wouldn’t get me bummed because I didn’t spend that much on it.

On the back I used a deglazer to get the dirt off of the surface before painting it with Angelus acrylic leather paint. This was my first time painting on pleather so I added a hardener to the paint so that it is more flexible and won’t crack as easily. I started all of the painting with a layer or two of white paint first so that the other colours would pop more. I didn’t add a hardener to the green paint because if the piping looks raggedy that doesn’t really matter because it would be easy to touch it up. Lastly, I used stencils for the bombs, mushroom cloud, cityscape and the radiation/pandemic symbols.

I got all of the pins on the jacket from Etsy. There are so many nice enamel pins for sale on there that it can be very difficult as to which ones to buy. Plus, it’s a great place to find spikes and studs. So far I have decided not to put any on this jacket but I may change my mind.

So what is my next project going to be? I have a distressed Killstar denim jacket that I got for very cheap, and I plan to hand-sew dystopian/post-apocalyptic film themed patches to it. Stay tuned!!!

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