Chris

@elfkin
7 Followers
63 Following
727 Posts
Greek daddy elf living with my husband, a dog, and two cats in the heart of West Hollywood where I spend most of my time #sewing, #cooking, and #cycling with occasional bouts of #photography and #origami. #queer af.
Bloghttps://www.elfk.in
AIDS/Lifecycle donationshttps://giving.aidslifecycle.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donordrive.participant&participantID=2466
Custom garment inquirieshttps://www.elfk.in/about
ChrisJul 22, 2023
I made all kinds of progress today on the prototype for the summery silk (this version is in poly) shirt. Sleeves and side seams are in, both with French seams, and the convertible collar is on though unshaped. Actually, this is the second collar after I made a mess of the first one. I wasn’t as ready to go off book on the new catching-in method as I thought! #sewing
ChrisJul 21, 2023
Gwen FisherJul 21, 2023
PSA: If you want to learn how to sew clothes (or housewares) you need this book, “Reader’s Digest Complete Guide to Sewing.” If you know a kid who wants to learn to sew, please buy them a copy. Want to know how to sew a waistband? It explains 11 types. Mine is copyright 1978. The new versions are textbook prices, but the old ones are cheap, and sewing techniques haven’t changed much over time. If I had a copy growing up, I would have been sewing my own clothes twenty years sooner. #sewing
ChrisJul 21, 2023
Plackets are stitched in, darts are made, and shoulders attached for the summery silk shirt prototype. Glue basting on slippery fabrics is my new favorite thing. #sewing
ChrisJul 21, 2023
your auntifa liza 🇵🇷 🦛 🦦Jul 20, 2023
EMACS is the devil's text editor.
ChrisJul 20, 2023
Have any #sewing folks out there ever put in a custom length zip for something detachable? I’ve got a design I worked up for military fatigues with detachable legs to convert them into shorts but have been stymied in my search for zipper material that can both be cut to a custom length AND completely detach.
ChrisJul 20, 2023
It’s time to stitch up the prototype of a summery silk shirt that’s part of #ElfkinLaunch. This polyester caftan (that I wore exactly once when I wanted to work a “Mrs. Roper on vacation” look and then promptly shoved into the scrap fabric stack) has found its new purpose in life. #sewing
ChrisJul 19, 2023
The military shirt prototype is done! There are plenty of tweaks to be made for the final iteration, which shall be in sky blue ombré cotton, but I’m very pleased with the result. It translates my original sketch really well. #sewing #fashion #ElfkinLaunch
ChrisJul 19, 2023
Slapdash topstitching aside, I think I may be a convert to David Coffin’s (completely mind breaking) method for catching in cuffs and collars when attaching. The joins of both to the body of the military shirt prototype are far superior to other methods I’ve used. Thankfully I have five more prototypes to practice on before I get to production pieces!
ChrisJul 19, 2023
Fellow #sewing geeks, I seek your wisdom. Washable fabric glue for seam basting - do you use and/or recommend? For fear it would gum up the machine’s bobbin, I’ve never tried it. But one of my favorite sewing reference book authors (David Coffin) writes about it like it’s the best thing since wireless internet.
ChrisJul 18, 2023
Today came with an important discovery: the felling foot I bought for my Singer 201 but never used aligns too far to the right and, for lacking any form of adjustment, is as good as useless on a straight stitch machine. So I had to put the side seams into the military shirt prototype using the old skool method of felling. The results aren’t bad, but I’m gonna need some more practice before they’re as perfect as with the felling foot. #Sewing #ElfkinLaunch