Giraffe Car Coat #4 | Tony Stencil by Alabama Chanin

Tripled layered car coat in cream, plus another additional layer for the whip stitched Tony stencil.  I liked Tony better than the Abstract stencil offered to their #tsom, so I made my own.  

Buttons are the reverse order, for conventional women's wear, but who cares.  Decided this at the finish line because with the way the stencil turned out, it simply looks better this way when closed/buttoned up.  Most of the time, it will be buttoned up.

Looks kinda cool inside out.  Was happy with the collar this time.  It was sewn on by hand totally and that improves the accuracy heaps.  I think it's worth the time to baste on the collar (on the second/final side) as opposed to trying to pin it on because you have to fold the seam allowance insides; pins just kind of kill the project at this step.   Also, the collar doesn't need any additional layers; collar doesn't really provide extra warmth, and the fewer the layers, the easier it is to roll the final raw edge inwards to produce that clean finish).

Machine zig zag stitch where possible/convenient/easier than hand stitching.  I find that zig zag machine stitching can re-produce the "puckering" look that is achieved by hand sewing the straight/running stitch.  In this case, the fabric was three or four layers per panel, so when the seams came together it was kind of too fat to notice the puckering.  But after felling the seam (running stitch done by hand slowly through up to 12 layers)

Stencil traced on using a washable marker, as opposed to their technique of painting the stencil on which also usually changes the colour of the fabric.  Got it wrong the first time (pink) so advantage of this is that you can just try again on the same fabric.  I also whipstitch the pieces on directly then cut.  I don't know why ac technique is to (i) spray the base fabric (ii) spray the top layer fabric on the wrong side in the mirrored version of the stencil (iii) cut out each piece, match to the base fabric and then whip stitch on.  Too complicated and I really need to do some more important things.

Material cost breakdown

• 2m of natural/unbleached cotton jersey from Joelle's Outlet @ $4 per one layer of Cropped Car Coat = $16
  
• 2.5x men's natural/unbleached shirts @ $5 each on clearance = $12.50
• 2x men's khaki/ochre shirts @5 each on clearance = $10
• Polycotton corespun thread estimate = $5

Total = $43.50 today, or multiply by 0.71 today to convert to USD.  So not exactly cheap but to me still super fun even if I got so bored halfway I left it on the shelf for eight months.  But that gave me time to experiment and improve all sorts of construction techniques, solidify working with at least three layers, etc.  And also, as I tried doing some shopping I find way too many problems that it's still worth making clothes at home (a) because of the price they charge for something I consider quality (ii) that women's clothing is highly competitive in my size and I just wouldn't pay those prices while it's within reach for me diy.  The ability to customise, change your mind, re-customise is wonderful.  I can put as much quality in to it as you want and it's not hard to surpass major mainstream brands.  And I enjoy wearing what I make because I'm learning what does the job.  Anyway, it's just my thing; my natural fav skill to play around with.

Original Alabama Chanin design.  Close enough is good enough?  At the Alabama Chanin website today, a cropped car jacket kit for diy making is being listed for USD$358.  I highly appreciate Natalie Chanin for being so brave as to open source her techniques and many of their best stencils.  She has taught me to make her designs at home, and AC designs mean I can make some of the best clothing in the world for a fraction of the price and am no longer stuck to the mainstream.  I really enjoy replicating AC designs.