Do you have too many (or too few) clothes? + Me Made May VICTORY and wrapup

So somehow I did it—wore at least one me-made every day of May 2014, and got some kind of documentary photo to prove it, even if was just a low-quality bathroom mirror Instagram selfie.

Not only that, but it was really a "Me-Making May" (to use Susan's term). I completed EIGHT garments for myself during the month, and FOUR for children (which is a definite record for me—I didn't even have time to blog them all!): two dresses, five tops, three skirts, a sweater and a jacket. Um, that's my average sewing output for an entire year.

So I'm a little TIRED and taking a little break from sewing for a week or so to recover, but I'm making great knitting progress on my Hetty cardigan. It looks tiny BUT it's lace and all scrunched up, AND my gauge swatch grew quite a bit when I blocked it, so I'm not going to worry (yet):

Anyway, I was trying to think what I learned from Me Made May this year, and here are my random thoughts:

• I have too many clothes. That is, too many clothes I never wear, and don't necessarily like. When putting together outfits for Me-Made-May I found myself wearing (or trying to wear) some me-mades and old ready-to-wear or thrifted pieces that I hadn't worn since LAST Me Made May... and that I think I just need to ditch. I brought quite a few bags to the clothes recycling at the farmer's market this month, though I hate to just get rid of me mades that way (maybe I'll give them away here?)
• I have too few clothes. That is, too few clothes in certain basic categories that I rely on a lot: basic denim and solid-colored skirts, solid-color tops, jeans, knit camisoles. This is partly because I stopped buying most fast fashion two years ago after reading Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion... and I haven't really been focused enough in my sewing or thrift shopping to fill those basic areas.
• I dress very differently when I'm going to be showing photos of myself on the internet. I wear heels and makeup slightly more often, and more dresses and skirts than usual. I swear I wore jeans for more than 50% of days in April, but since I don't have any me-made trousers I actually like, I only wore jeans or trousers four times the entire month of May.
• I have/make too many polka-dot things. I know, this blog is called Polka Dot Overload. But I also love all kinds of other prints—bold florals and geometrics, stripes, chevrons. I need more of a mix here, I'm starting to bore myself.

How about you? What do you have too much or too little of?

Anyway, here is the last week of Me-Made-May... on to June!

Me Made May 25: Polka Dot Twins

The little girl and I wore polka dots (yeah, I know) for my grandmother's 92nd birthday party. Mine is the third wear of my McCall's 6070 for the month. I think I need to make more of this pattern, as I'm obviously very into it.

Me Made May 26: Me Made Everything

I'm relaxing on my mom's porch in one of my Cake Hummingbird tops and a self-drafted knit half circle skirt. Z is wearing her new wax print Made By Rae Baby Sunsuit as top and Oliver + S Lazy Days skirt. Yes I have pale legs.

Me Made May 27: Stripes and bows

My Tilly and the Buttons Miette skirt (blogged here) and Burdastyle Magazine Feb. 2010 top (never blogged). Plus old RTW cardigan for the summer-like heat.

Me Made May 28: Finally hemmed!

Finally got my act together nd started hemming the five unhemmed me-made dresses and skirts that had been piling up (I was wearing them, but unhemmed). The dress is vintage Simplicity 7575 (blogged here before hemming) and the jacket is out-of-print McCall's 5529, just finished last week (blogged here).

Me Made May 29: Dots and Denim

Jalie 2005 T-shirt and Cake Hummingbird denim skirt.

Me Made May 30: My Stash of Fabrics for Theme Friday

My six main drawers of fabric, patterns and yarn are behind me (though I will admit I have fabric squirreled away in a few other places in the apartment). Wearing my (finally hemmed) Cake Patterns Red Velvet knit dress. I think this is my favorite photo for the whole month.

Me Made May 31: I Need a Nap

The me-mades here are the simple knit half-circle skirt and some hidden underthings. PHEW.

So what are your wardrobe challenges?

How do you remove barriers to sewing? + Me Made May Week 2

I'm no longer going to blame my daughter's night owl tendencies for keeping me from sewing

Sometimes barriers to sewing are real—and sometimes, they are just mental blocks and lack of inspiration. I actually recovered from carpal tunnel more than three months ago—yet I didn't start sewing again til my recent vacation in Texas when Susan pretty much ordered me to do so.

When I got back to New York and opened up my sewing table, the mojo was back and all my barriers to sewing suddenly seemed flimsy and easy to demolish:

1. BARRIER:"My daughter stays up talking to herself and her dolls til midnight almost every night—and I can't disturb her with the sound of the sewing machine in our small apartment." FIX: Move the sewing machine into my bedroom where she can't hear it.
2. BARRIER: "I don't get to spend enough time with my husband in the evenings, and he likes to watch shows together sometimes." FIX: Pay vague attention to shows while sewing in bedroom, and stop worrying if I've lost track of characters, plots, or anything else.
3. BARRIER: "I need to make elaborate allergy-free meals totally from scratch and stay up every evening making pickles or sourdough bread or homemade pasta." FIX: My husband likes to cook too. And we can eat more quick, simple (and still allergy-free meals) and cook more in batches.
4. BARRIER: "Oh UGH, the worst part of sewing is all that FITTING and MUSLINING and SEAM FINISHING and HEMMING and how the heck do I have TIME for all that when I just want to WEAR something AWESOME?" FIX: forget muslins or elaborate fitted woven garments for now and just make TNT patterns, knit pieces and easy-fit skirts.

So what are your barriers to sewing (or blogging) and how might YOU remove them?

Cation Designs recently posted that she decided to remove one of her barriers: feeling like she needed to do an elaborate fancy dress-up photo shoot before she could blog something she had made.

Mary at Young, Broke and Fabulous recently ran into a nasty money barrier when her sewing machine died—and she did a cool little fundraiser where she offered to sew items (from bags to dresses) for supporters in exchange for helping her raise the cash to buy a used floor model sewing machine.

Susan at Moon Thirty has resolved to make her Me Made May a "Me Making May" where she sews something for her everyday wardrobe for at least 5 minutes a day, and she's already got a beautiful (and not-yet-hemmed-or-blogged Colette Moneta knit dress to show for it.

If you don't want to sew and have other things going on—that's cool. But if you really LOVE to sew and WANT to sew but have some arbitrary rules in your head that you can't sew unless your house is spotless (#sewdontclean, people) or until you buy that new pattern or fabric you can't afford right now (time for a stash dive!), or until you have some certain notion or supply or type of interfacing, or until you have a full day set aside, or until your toddler deigns to take a nap she probably won't EVER actually take, or until you have better lighting for your blog photos... maybe it's time to start taking it easier on yourself and just sew up a three-seam knit skirt, snap a cellphone selfie in your bathroom mirror and let all that mental baggage go.

And with that—on to Me Made May!

Before I start with May 4, I realize I forgot to show what I actually wore outside on May 3. I realized that I was wearing an orange zip-up sweater and an orange purse... with orange top-stitching on my shoes to boot. Orange is my happy color. (Yes, that's my daughter's hand at right).

OK then:

Me Made May 4: Off to Sewing Club!

Skirt: Tilly and the Buttons Miette wrap skirt, me-made - blogged here
Necklace: Turquoise paper bead necklace made by my amazing mother-in-law Gail
Shoes: Ahnu Karma flats (that won my comfy flat shoe showdown last year and are the BEST and comfiest shoes EVER... I just bought a second pair in green.)

Me Made May 5: Red and White Polka Dots

Three me-mades today in one outfit:
Sweater: Georgina cardigan (blogged here)
Top: Jalie scarf-collar knit top (blogged here)
Socks: Monkey socks (Raveled here).
Plus... Jeans: NYDJ straight legs (bought at 6pm.com for less than 50% retail)
Shoes: Tsubo Aftenia fashion sneakers (ignore the bad reviews, they are AWESOME)

Me Made May 6: A New Knit Dress from a 1970s Vintage Pattern

Dress: Simplicity 7575 from 1976, me-made (blogged here)
Shoes: Miz Mooz Avery (similar vibe)
Necklace: Gift from sister-in-law quite a few years ago

Me Made May 7: Polka Dot Work Casual

Skirt: Self-drafted no-elastic knit half circle skirt (I made a little tutorial here—it's super simple!
Top: thrifted
Bag: vintage
Shoes: Ahnu Karma flats again.

Me Made May 8: Delancey Cardigan Joy

Sweater: Delancey Cardigan by Alexis Winslow, me-made (pattern is here and my Ravelry page with prettier photo shoot is here... blog post coming soon). My second unfinished object completed for Me-Made May!
Socks: Waving Lace ombre socks, me-made and me-hand-dyed (blogged here)
Top: old RTW back when I still bought fast fashion
Necklace: borrowed permanently from my mom
Jeans: NYDJ straight legs (bought at 6pm.com for less than 50% retail)
Shoes: Ahnu Karma flats again.

Me Made May 9: Two Blue Refashions for Theme Friday

Sweater: Me-Made Blue Flutter Sleeve cardigan (originally blogged here and more recently refashioned here)
Socks: Me-made bright blue TARDIS socks (they are REALLY bright blue and I added elastic thread to keep them up).
I barely wear this sweater because the sleeves look kinda weird even after the refashion. Hence the belt! I'm kind of tempted just to give it away so I can't feel bad about it anymore.
You've already seen the shoes and necklace.
Tights: Spanx reversible black/brown tights... still going strong after four years without a single run!

Me Made May 10: Hummingbird weekend wear

Top: Cake Patterns Hummingbird peplum knit top (blogged here)
Skirt: Hummingbird straight skirt (blogged here).
(With my polka dot loving daughter in a hand-me-down dress).

So tell me—what are your sewing/blogging barriers and how do you knock them down?

*Disclosure: Actions you take from the hyperlinks on this site may yield commissions for polkadotoverload.com (quite likely to be spent on yarn or fabric).

Why are we supposed to hate our bellies? + Me Made May Week 1 roundup

Not pulling a shirt down to hide my belly for Me-Made May!

About six months after I had my daughter in 2010, I was shopping with a friend for some new clothes to fit my post-baby shape. I was feeling pretty awesome about having my waist back and rocking some more hourglass-style looks... until a salesman congratulated me on my pregnancy.

"I'm not pregnant," I told him. "I had my baby six months ago!" I was hurt and offended and he was apologetic—but why? Why was having a belly instantly lovely and wonderful the second I was publicly, officially, happily pregnant... but totally unacceptable the second I was not? (Also why do "old weird secrets for a flat belly trick" ads chase us around the internet?)

One of the reasons I love Me Made May is that it's an excuse to feel fancy and to think a little more about what I put on. And to dress every day the way I WISHED I actually dressed every day of the year. And to practice a little self-appreciation and feel good about my style and my body.

But as I go through and edit the photos I've snapped to find my favorites, I find myself wondering: why are women supposed to hate our bellies? Why do I find myself choosing what is "most flattering" by whether or not my belly might look as squishy as it actually is?

When I was pregnant, I remember feeling this huge sense of relief — a break from any body image anxieties that might have plagued me for the past 30 years. No sucking it in, no control garments under clingier dresses, no avoiding lots of front gathers or staying away from knit pencil skirts.

I've worked very hard to love my shape and not talk myself down (especially in front of my little girl—who is thankfully incredibly self-confident and pleased with her beautiful young self!) but why SHOULD that have to be such hard work? Why should I have to go look at photos of Christina Hendricks in her Joan outfits from Mad Men to calm down my nasty inner critic?

Your thoughts appreciated.

So my sub-resolution for Me-Made-May is to smile for my selfies, stop picking apart my appearance and stop taking SO many photos for each day, even if I don't LOVE how I look in each picture. And here we go:

Me Made May 1: Candy-Striped Tiramisu

Dress: Cake Patterns Tiramisu, me-made - blogged last summer
Necklace: red coral from a booth at Renegade Craft fair ages ago
Shoes: Tsubo Aftenia fashion sneakers (ignore the bad reviews, they are AWESOME)

Me Made May 2: The "Sewing Through the UFO Pile" Dress

Dress: Cake Patterns Red Velvet Knit Dress, me-made - blogged last summer
Necklace: 1928 Jewelry vintage inspired pen necklace
Bag: Vintage
Shoes: Camper Kim black Mary Janes (similar)

Me Made May 3: Stripes and Denim (with Photobomber)

Top: old ready-to-wear from fast fashion place I now avoid. Want to draft a copy though!
Skirt: Cake Patterns Hummingbird, me-made - blogged here
Necklace: made by a friend
Shoes (see top of blog post): Ahnu Karma flats (that won my comfy flat shoe showdown last year and are the BEST and comfiest shoes EVER)

Happy Me-Made May, everyone. LOVING looking through the Flickr group to see what you all are coming up with—so inspiring!

P.S. Edited later—I almost forgot to include this political cartoon I drew ages ago about this very topic when I read about plastic surgeons offering post-delivery "Mommy job" packages... "Your Yucky Body: Mommy Makeover Edition":

Me Made May 2014: the pledge, the sad inventory, the UFO pile & the plan

Most of my Me Made May outfits from last year

The Pledge

I, Mikhaela Reid, of Polka Dot Overload blog, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '14. I endeavor to wear one me-made, refashioned or friend/mom-made item each day for the duration of May 2014.(Cutting myself a little slack here because my size has changed, I didn't sew for six months due to carpal tunnel and lost sewing mojo, and a few of my favorite me-mades have gone mysteriously missing).

The (Sad) Inventory

I'm calling this sad because I am sad that a number of my me-mades have either gone mysteriously missing (lost during travel or in the laundry room, I guess) or are just too small (or in the case of old maternity makes, too big). What remains, and can be actually worn:

• 2 dresses: the polka-dot ombré frankenpattern and the candy-striped Cake Patterns Tiramisu
• 4 skirts: the self-drafted knit polka dot skirt, the striped and piped denim Cake Patterns Hummingbird skirt, the brown and white $1 polka dot woven skirt, and my new blue twill Tilly & the Buttons Miette wrap skirt.
• 4 tops: Two Jalie scarf tops (in polka dot and blue floral) and two Cake Patterns Hummingbird peplum tops (in polka dot and wild colorful paisley).
• 1 pair trousers: my never-worn wide-legged navy blue corduroys.
• 2 handknit sweaters: my refashioned blue cotton-silk cardigan and beloved chartreuse Georgina cardigan.
• 3 pairs handknit socks: in magenta, gradated blue, and TARDIS blue.
• 3 pairs of panties: in purple, stripes and more stripes.
• 1 kitchen apron. (I cook a LOT. So it counts!)
• For a total of... just 20 wearable items, 6 of them socks or undergarments.

When I look back I have made over 50 garments over the past five years or so, but some of those were maternity, some were for my daughter or other babies, and some just didn't work out. So... this is all I've got out of the starting gate. And you all saw most of them during Me Made May last year. Oh well!

The UFO pile

These are the UFOs that are so close to done I hope to finish them within the first half of Me Made May.

1. My Cake Patterns Red Velvet Knit Dress in blue and purple patterned ITY (upper left). She's all cut and ready to sew, but I abandoned her after sewing one seam due to carpal tunnel last fall.
2. My third Cake Patterns Hummingbird peplum top—the Blue version, with the dickey and three-quarter-length sleeves. I cut her out during the sew-along last summer, but was so busy moderating said sewalong I didn't actually finish her:
   
3. My Delancey cardigan by Alexis Winslow (center bottom row): I am just finishing the bands, then the buttons and collar and I am DONE.

There are a few other items in the UFO photo I probably won't bother finishing with any urgency—it's the wrong season now for my coming-out-far-too-big Knotty Gloves. The chartreuse doubleknit jacket you can just barely see the edge of on the bottom left is too big and requires more fitting (it also dates from 2010). And the blue silk dot bias half-slip in the upper middle is cut rather askew.

The plan

• Wear at least one me-made every day.
• Don't worry about outfit repeats.
• Don't worry too much about boring the blog readership (that's you!) with the same clothes I wore last year.
• Take a photo every day—even if it's just an Instagram mirror selfie.
• Whip out a few TNT patterns in fabrics from the stash.
• Make at least one pattern I haven't made before.
• Refashion at least one wardrobe item.

I cannot even describe how excited I am for Me Made May. Last year it really got me energized and sewing again after a horrible six-month bout with severe chronic sinusitis and surgery for same. This year I'm hoping to get back into sewing after a ... horrible three-month bout with carpal tunnel (no surgery this time, but the mojo was definitely lost).

And it also gives me an excuse to dress up and feel, well, pretty. I've got to admit the winter has been getting me down, and I've been feeling a bit like Frumpy Food Allergy Mom (or that's how I imagine myself in my head) who never does her hair or makeup, always looks frazzled and sleep-deprived, is always covered in flour or pickle juice from one allergy-free culinary experiment or another, and wears the same jeans and old falling-apart T-shirts and worn-out flats every day.

So here's to old makes, new makes, refashions and new ways to wear and combine them!