Chris 🏳️‍🌈🧵🧝🏼

Artist. Fashion designer. Tailor, couturier, and seamstress. Magical homosexual.

The elf in elfkin.

Married for the past 15 years to the extraordinary Lord Honeybean (npub1cgh…t5nm).

Believer in non-violent resistance.

Made with parts from 🇬🇷🇬🇧🇩🇪.

Alt text. Profile pic: line art illustrated head of a man with a shaved head and beard. Header: stylized flower outline being stitched on denim.

Official Website: https://elfk.in
Pronouns: He/Him

Public Key

npub1szqqvuuf83p9wxx2e8jyrxpvffgv2p540ne72pu94gdzh0wr2f7qa3tyhz

NIP-05 Address

[email protected]

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsgpqqxwwyncsjhrr9vnezpnqky55x9q62heul9q7z65x3thhp4ylqpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsevkete

Publishing to

nostr-pub.wellorder.net

nos.lol

relay.damus.io

Author Public Key

npub1szqqvuuf83p9wxx2e8jyrxpvffgv2p540ne72pu94gdzh0wr2f7qa3tyhz

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Last Notes

2026-09-21 17:00:48 GMT

No, the local squirrels haven’t grown accustomed to @npub1cgh…t5nm and me handing out dried apple slices when they come to the terrace door. Why do you ask?
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2026-09-13 22:00:14 GMT

In calling folks to action, I observe that many progressive causes rely on language implying that the individual is personally responsible for fighting all of the fights. Which is great for juicing emotions but an untenable way to live.
All we can truly control in this life are our own actions and reactions. It's a Sisyphean illusion that we can or should induce others to change by any means *other* than setting the best example of what we consider to be a good and just life.

2026-09-11 17:53:27 GMT

RE: https://woof.group/@elfkin/117250436997074574
So I just put this question to the (bag specialist) seamstress who’s taking over production of the #NaNClutch, and I think some #sewing folks might not like her response. But please bear in mind that this is at least 50m of straight from the manufacturer’s warehouse, OEKO-TEX certified fabric being used to make a bag that, like most fancy purses, *cannot* be washed!
Her response: “lol! Absolutely not, that’s a waste of time.”
#note13dt…gmu9

2026-09-11 04:08:05 GMT

My fellow #sewing folk, I have a lunchtime quiz for y'all. You're making 50-ish intricately shaped bags with cotton broadcloth. They cannot be washed because it would destroy the shaping. Do you bother with the usual pre-washing if you know from experience that the fabric behaves the same, pre-washed or no, and doesn't trigger your allergies?
(Note: I do this for a living. Textbook answers not required.)
(Edited question to more closely reflect actual scenario.)

2026-08-17 00:02:25 GMT

Major #sewing operations are complete on Will’s new #DandyShirt. It’ll get all of the button things in a few days when I do a batch of shirts.
Y’all, I had to do that collar 5 times to get the interplay of interfacing and lining to work so that neither the interfacing nor the print from the facings showed through this suuuuper fine Swiss cotton.
#fashion #ElfkinCouture
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2026-08-03 16:25:11 GMT

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As my art school professors were fond of saying, “your line quality is exquisite!”

2026-06-26 18:44:04 GMT

I spotted the first bloom spike on the Kahili ginger this morning and cannot overstate my excitement at its appearance.
Unlike most ginger flowers, this one is super fragrant. Like if you combined tuberose with the essence of fresh young ginger root. A single bloom spike will perfume the whole house for a week.
And each of these stalks will produce a bloom spike!
#gardening
https://files.woof.group/media_attachments/files/116/817/883/342/140/000/original/0bf56582698b306c.jpeg

2026-06-23 20:33:47 GMT

In off moments the past few days, I’ve been repotting the grocery store orchids that somehow follow me home like lost puppies. These mini phals are part of an exciting log-based experiment.
Related: nothing brings out the essentially parasitic nature of phals quite like seeing one exposed as the face hugger that it is. #gardening
https://files.woof.group/media_attachments/files/116/801/327/121/820/054/original/17c5c38d2e1aa4af.jpeg
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2026-05-16 20:53:47 GMT

Because 🤷🏻‍♂️ I’ve long believed that only super fine 00 semolina flour was suitable for bread #baking. Turns out this is very much not true. I decided to FAFO and used coarse semolina in my favorite Italian loaf recipe. It’s clearly none the worse for it!
https://files.woof.group/media_attachments/files/116/586/238/673/671/915/original/0146acb0913841b3.jpeg

2026-04-25 00:57:10 GMT

Most of today was taken up with updating the Elfkin ledgers and logging receipts. This was my reward to myself. #fountainpen
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2026-04-23 18:09:09 GMT

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My Grandma Mabel taught me that trick when I was a wee ‘un, and I use it all of the time to enjoy raw onions in all of the things without the bilious backlash.

2026-04-15 04:38:13 GMT

Have I mentioned the gobsmacking collection of orchids that were on display at the Sakuya Konohana Kan botanical gardens in Osaka? Let's start with this dainty Cynorkis angustipetala whose flowers are about the size of a thumb tip. #BloomScrolling
https://files.woof.group/media_attachments/files/116/406/870/961/235/510/original/6974e5305737a2ec.jpeg

2026-01-31 22:30:23 GMT

To match my eclectic collection of fountain pens, I've amassed a rainbow of inks. Like the pens, the inks run from the budget Pelikan 4001 to fancy Pilot Iroshizuku with plenty (Kaweco, Noodler’s, Tom’s Studio, Waterman, etc.) in between.
Y'all, I have news. Ink is ink. Use what you like. Expensive isn’t better. Same goes for pens. The important thing is to keep your #fountainpen clean and use it on the regular.

2026-01-24 03:27:04 GMT

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I can practically feel the petals. So lovely!

2025-12-04 22:20:19 GMT

I’m making marmalade of this year’s crop of bébé yuzu from our wee tree. So many seeds! #cooking
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2025-10-18 16:56:59 GMT

In normal times, the #NoKings protests are a great opportunity for street #photography.
These are not normal times.
These are times when the fascists in power will gleefully find the faces in those photos and single them out for persecution.
Think twice before posting crowd photos today.

2025-10-05 17:41:30 GMT

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It’s wild that this is how I’ve always cut bell peppers, but I’ve never thought to apply the technique to hot peppers. TMYK!!!

2025-09-20 21:28:07 GMT

May I suggest that “opportunist,” not “coward,” is the correct word to describe leaders of U.S. media companies? “Coward” implies that they value free speech but are just scared to fight. The truth is that their priority has always been to enlarge their monopolies at every opportunity.

2025-09-04 16:06:08 GMT

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Docs’ offices have always been cootie concentrators. Only a fool enters such a space without a mask.

2025-08-20 00:02:51 GMT

Nick's #5PanelDressShirt is marked and cut. Per fine couture tradition, pieces are marked at the finished seam line by tracing allowance-free pattern pieces. Then I cut on the required allowance as I go. In this case 1/2 in. to accommodate French seams throughout.
And to my hawk-eyed #sewing folk, indeed, this shirt is yoke-less! #ElfkinCouture
https://files.woof.group/media_attachments/files/115/058/158/296/737/966/original/7f90c33a8f61531a.jpeg

2025-08-07 16:08:58 GMT

An increasing number of “it’s surprising how quickly the U.S. media have capitulated to a dictator” headlines seem to have appeared in my news feed.
As someone who worked in and around the U.S. media megaplex for 25 years, I assure you that no one here in the belly of the beast is actually surprised.
Long have media companies been run by craven money pigs. And money pigs will do anything to keep on wallowing. #uspol

2025-07-02 18:39:05 GMT

For unknown reasons, my father has cc:d me on some trouble ticket that he filed with Anova (of the fancy steam ovens). It’s curious to observe how he seems to have the ability to act like a normal adult with just about anyone but me.

2025-06-19 21:15:57 GMT

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From what I can tell, boy squirrels are the living definition of sexual predators this time of year. I’d fight back, too!

2025-06-19 21:06:52 GMT

Squirrel mating season is, per usual, playing out right outside my sewing room windows in the yucca trees. And friends, let me tell you, the girl squirrels would greatly prefer to take their chances with parthenogenesis.

2025-05-28 02:14:01 GMT

First cutting of another vintage airline poster as a shadowbox. Definitely not the colors that I plan to use in the end. I think I’m going to need to let the pen plotter do the lettering. Cutting it makes too much of a mess.
https://files.woof.group/media_attachments/files/114/583/040/218/863/612/original/aeb8fc787b4ce480.jpg

2025-04-07 02:14:32 GMT

Words cannot adequately express my feelings as I watch the country descend into a (totally avoidable) recession barely two weeks before launching a business into which I’ve invested the last two years of my life.

2025-02-25 18:12:00 GMT

Apropos of previous post, I always ask customers if they even want back pockets on their trousers. At least 50% say, “no, I never use them.”

2025-01-27 16:49:17 GMT

Pugsley is helping me revise tech packs this morning. #cats
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2025-01-26 16:31:50 GMT

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I guess it’s time for us to all start grocery shopping in plague doctor masks. Kidding. Not kidding.

2025-01-25 19:34:35 GMT

Time for a re-#introduction for new followers.
Hi! I'm Chris, and I own Elfkin, a custom #couture #fashion biz in LA that specializes in fabulous clothing for hard-to-fit bodies. Every garment is unique and cut from custom drafted, perfectly fitted patterns.
In addition to design and pattern making, I do a lot of my own #sewing. #artist #lgbtq

2025-01-08 15:30:56 GMT

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Yeah, it’s uhhhh… something to behold.

2025-01-08 15:26:45 GMT

This is the view looking east toward downtown LA this morning. Those aren’t clouds. That’s a huge blanket of smoke from the fires. Feels ever so slightly like the apocalypse.
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2024-12-06 13:48:00 GMT

Presently visiting the Rothschild Villa in Beaulieu-sur-Mer and fairly convinced that its grounds are the inspiration for the scenery in both the Myst and King’s Quest games.

2024-11-09 21:31:48 GMT

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I came out in 1993 and have never passed as hetero. My personal rules for staying alive in the bad old days included, but were not limited to:
- keep your head up in public
- don't trust cops
- never travel alone
- unless proven otherwise, assume any hetero you encounter, including family, will always choose their comfort over your rights
- beware groups of white boys
- don't let the bastards get you down

2024-11-09 18:15:07 GMT

To all U.S.-based GenX and older #lgbtq folks, prepare to revert to 1995 settings.
Once you've got your wisdom from the bad old days locked in, start sharing it with the young 'uns. This is all new and terrifying to them, and they need our strength.

2024-09-26 19:29:20 GMT

Pieces 102 through 116 of the appliqué for Jorge’s #GlamCowboy jacket are attached and topstitched, marking the official end of appliqué operations.
I’m so excited, I could just spit!
Also, cuz I think it looks kinda cool, a shot of the inside where all the diamonds are stitched.
#sewing #leather #art
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2024-09-19 03:46:03 GMT

And that’s all of the appliqué glued onto the #GlamCowboy jacket fronts. Tomorrow I topstitch all 116 pieces. I’m sure that won’t be tedious at all. #sewing #leather #art
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2024-09-19 01:19:28 GMT

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If only! I use that translucent print out to determine the guidelines (white strings). The appliqué is white leather that I align to the guidelines, glue, and topstitch.
https://files.woof.group/media_attachments/files/113/161/585/583/737/485/original/a6d4d5d22a179a0b.jpeg

2024-09-18 23:37:37 GMT

I’m prepping the front pieces of the #GlamCowboy jacket with guidelines for appliqué. This came with the extra bonus of needing to get both pieces perfectly squared and aligned so that the design meets nicely at center front. #sewing #leather #art #ElfkinCouture
https://files.woof.group/media_attachments/files/113/161/185/090/010/511/original/bd71993170ab283a.jpeg

2024-09-06 15:53:08 GMT

Dear #sewing hive mind,
I am looking for an experienced pattern drafter to assist me with adapting Elfkin customers' blocks into production patterns. Your skills should be at a level where you're able to create patterns based on technical sketches. So that the work may be done from anywhere, I’m specifically looking for someone(s) who uses computer-based methods.
If you have these skills, live on planet earth, and would like to earn some extra money, I very much want to hear from you!

2024-08-25 00:19:40 GMT

Next out of the oven are the Swedish cinnamon buns. Made with my best Saigon cinnamon. It is impossible to overstate how good it smells in here right now. #baking
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2024-08-22 16:38:24 GMT

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At least on iOS, I find that the only way to get the app to work again once it descends into that constant crash-at-launch loop is to delete and reinstall. It’ll then work* for about a week before going feral again.
* of course I don’t mean that it’s fully functional or that AirPlay will work again, just that it stops incessantly crashing

2024-08-22 16:32:42 GMT

My favorite part about the (comically awful) new Sonos app is how I have to delete and reinstall it weekly to get it to load without crashing.

2024-08-09 17:20:42 GMT

Fergal is already hard at work holding up my pressing clapper this morning in the sewing room. #cats
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2024-08-07 23:53:35 GMT

My #PsychadelicFloral shirt approaches doneness. The last big thing is to attach the sleeves.
And yes, Virginia, I have matched the print across the front.
#sewing #ElfkinCouture
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2024-07-08 18:49:10 GMT

TIL that even in flat feed mode, tear-away stabilizer is bound to emerge from the laser printer looking like a lightly singed accordion.
(Yes, I am aware that printable stabilizer exists, but those substrates are not appropriate for this particular commission where I need to transfer an embroidery design to leather.)
#sewing
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