After much ado, the outseams are done up and felled. Zack the Pfaff was being *fussy* about the tension with this Mara 30 thread. I’m gonna have to go back and hand pick the area around the bottom of the hip pocket attachment. No amount of shimming the foot was able to keep that stitch as straight as I want when it goes over that inner seam. #sewing #MenWhoSew #ElfkinLaunch #lgbt #artist

I'm trying to get better about making these time lapse videos from the workroom as I get ready for the Elfkin debut trunk show later this autumn.

Here's yesterday's adventure with the four zipper pockets on Ernesto's fancy fatigues. #sewing #ElfkinLaunch #MenWhoSew #lgbt #artist

https://www.elfk.in/videos/v/putting-zipper-pockets-into-the-fancy-fatigues

The pocket bags for the zipper pockets are all closed up and overlocked, and I’ve got the welt and inner bag of the slant pockets ready to stitch in the morning. These fancy fatigues are still a palaver to make, but removing the back pockets and convertible leg from the design has made them faster to sew. #sewing #MenWhoSew #ElfkinLaunch #LGBT #artist

With a good staystitching of all of the curves, the fancy fatigues are officially underway.

For those wondering, that's tear-away embroidery stabilizer you see me wedging under the corners. It lets me stitch right up to the edge on corners without the machine mangling the fabric after the corner is turned because it gives the feed dogs something to grab onto.

#sewing #MenWhoSew #ElfkinLaunch #lgbt #artist

The extra bits are cut and marked for the fancy fatigues. Off to the shop for zippers! #sewing #ElfkinLaunch #MenWhoSew #lgbtartist

After considerable hemming and hawing, I’ve decided to center the toile’s tableaus on the thighs of the front and back pieces of Ernesto’s fatigues. The slant pockets are cut to match (you can just see where they underlay the front pieces in the photo). The cargo pockets will be cut on-the-fly to match across the outseam.

Related: I always feel like a monster when I cut pieces from big print fabrics. So much extra fabric is leftover. #sewing #ElfkinLaunch #MenWhoSew #lgbtartist

Now for my next trick I will match this toile de Jouy print across the outseam and through the slant and cargo pockets of Ernesto’s #ElfkinLaunch trunk show look fatigues. May the #sewing gods have mercy upon me.

The side seams are all done up and topstitched on the (super queer) military shirt for Ernesto. Some cuffs, a hem, and buttons are all that’s left! #sewing #MenWhoSew #ElfkinLaunch #lgbtartist #lgbt

Sleeves and epaulettes are attached and topstitched (to within an inch of my sanity) on the military–inspired shirt for Ernesto‘s trunk show look. #sewing #crafting #MenWhoSew #ElfkinLaunch

Yokes are in and sleeve heads are pressed and ready for attachment on the military shirt for Ernesto. At the top there is the pistachio and magenta toile de Jouy of which the accompanying cargo fatigues will be made, which I think helps makes sense of my topstitch color choices. #sewing #crafting #MenWhoSew #ElfkinLaunch

I could continue to obsess over and redo some of this topstitching on the front pockets of the military shirt, but I need to get on with things. If it’s still bugging me after the shirt is done, I may go back and repick the topstitch by hand. Maybe. #sewing #crafting #MenWhoSew #ElfkinLaunch

All of the replacement threads have arrived, so it's back to work on the final stitch of the military shirt for Ernesto's #ElfkinLaunch trunk show look. Here's a time lapse of all of the initial topstitching on the pocket pleats and flaps, epaulettes, and sleeve straps. #sewing #crafting

Final stitch on Ernesto’s look for the #ElfkinLaunch trunk show is on hold pending the arrival of new threads. So I’ve decided to enjoy some tasty indica and deal with my heaving thread and bobbin collection. #sewing #crafting

Moving right along with the final stitch of the military shirt. Getting the pocket, collar, epaulette, and sleeve strap pieces ready for first stitches with a couple of pins and a bunch of basting stitches. #sewing #crafting #ElfkinLaunch

While tropical storm Hilary howls outside, I'm starting the final stitch for Ernesto's military shirt. First up: staystitches for all of the curves. #sewing #crafts #ElfkinLaunch

I managed to both cut the fashion fabric for Ernesto's military shirt that he'll be wearing in the #ElfkinLaunch trunk show AND make my first time lapse video. #sewing

It was another trip down to the fashion district today to pick up the final fabrics for Ernesto and Armond’s #ElfkinLaunch trunk show looks. The pistachio/crimson toile shall become Ernesto’s convertible leg fatigues and the tan shall be for the motorcycle trooper shirt. And for Armond the purple geometric print silk shall become his shirt with rugby shorts in that lovely amethyst twill. #sewing #crafts

The booty jeans prototype is done! #sewing #ElfkinLaunch

It’s belt loop tacking time on the prototype booty jeans. This is the first time I’m using the industrial Pfaff rather than the heavy duty domestic Singer, and I said, “goddam!” If there’s a single step of construction I dread most, it’s tacking the belt loops, but Zack punched through, at low speed no less, without hesitation. I did still shim the back of the foot, though. No need to tempt fate. #sewing #ElfkinLaunch

The legs and crotch are all done on the prototype booty jeans. It’s been a good “getting to know you” experience with the new (to me) Pfaff 238. Zack goes through the denim like a hot knife through butter, which is fierce, but I’m going to need to get him a compensating foot to get the quality I want for the topstitching on the fells. #sewing #ElfkinLaunch