Me Made May 2016

This will be my 5th Me Made May!  (I actually typed 4th, but then went back and checked.  Time is accelerating or something.)  Last year's pledge to take my photo every day with someone and explain the concept of MMM went over quite well; it got people talking about clothes and creativity and fast fashion, and I've already had a few people ask if I'm doing it again this year.

I don't think I will "up the ante" by wearing only 100% me made, because frankly, since I've started teaching, I don't have the free time that I used to, so I haven't made much in the past year.  More than making new things, what really needs to happen soon is facing the not-quite-right things.  I have several makes from 2010-2012 that don't fit (I didn't know how to deal with all that extra ease in the Big Four patterns).  There are also some damaged favourites that need more than a quick patch-up so I can put them in rotation again.  So, here goes:

 'I, Vicki of Another Sewing Scientist, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '16. I endeavour to wear a me-made item of clothes each day for the duration of May 2016, and to alter / repair / rework one old item per week'

Why do you sew? My odd reason...

Better fit?

Creative outlet?

Ethical concerns?

Originality?

How about comfort?  

I don't mean the comfort of well tailored clothes; I mean real comfort against the skin.  I haven't read any blog posts about this, but it's a major factor as to why I sew.  I hesitated to write about this because few people understand exactly what I mean, and when I try to explain it, I often get called out for being a little bit odd.  Well, bear with me and my little bit of oddness:

Really, Gap Body?  Were 6 tags really necessary?

Most RTW clothing can be uncomfortable to me, and some can be downright torturous.  I'm not talking about the usual scratchiness of a label on the back of the neck, although all trace of those are  painstakingly removed by me.  I'm talking about fiber content and thread itself.  I've had people laugh incredulously when I say that a linen or acrylic garment is too itchy.  I've had to turn garments inside out because the seam thread is irritating my skin so much that I'm scratching myself raw.  And wool is just straight out of the question, even cashmere, and even if the garment is fully lined.

Sometimes I do a better job of removing the tags than others

I can sometimes bear a garment for a few hours if it isn't too irritating, but I often can't wait to get home and rip it off.  It's not an allergy (I don't get hives), I don't have dry skin, and I'm not on the autism spectrum (although I do have family members that may be); I think I'm just one of those people with a really sensitive sense of touch.  

This acrylic hip-length sweater was exactly what I was looking for, but I almost tore my skin off both times I tried to wear it to work.

When I make my own clothes, I can pick the fabric and finishes that won't irritate me.  I can tweak something if I know it won't work, such as encasing elastic shirring rather than leaving it raw against the skin.  And I don't have to wear anything inside out anymore. 

Any other "Princess and the Pea" sewists out there?  Chime in so that I don't feel like the only one squirming away in anything other than cotton, rayon, silk, or high quality linen!