About

Mikhaela B. Reid here. I'm a cartoonist, illustrator, graphic designer and non-profit marketer. I'm obsessed with sewing, knitting, vintage (especially the 40s and 50s), polka dots, stripes, bold prints and bright colors.

I work full time and am mother to a sleep-averse toddler, so I tend to focus on easy-make knits with an occasional woven project thrown in. I'm passionate about sustainability, ethical fashion, positive body image and independent humanitarian medical action.

I'm the illustrator and co-graphic-designer (along with my husband) for the fantastic independent sewing pattern company, Cake Patterns, and I've also done illustration work for We Sew Retro and Pattern Review.

I love science fiction (from Octavia Butler and China Mieville to Doctor Who and Battlestar Galactica), punk rock (from Billy Bragg to Bikini Kill) and food-allergy free cooking (my little one has life-threatening allergies to milk, eggs, sesame, tree nuts and mustard).

I was born in 1980 and grew up the textile-obsessed mill city of Lowell, Massachusetts. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York with my cartoonist husband Masheka Wood and our daughter Z (the sleep-averse little girl mentioned above).

Sewing stats:

• Sewing since: 1985 (and I was born in 1980, so do the math!), but with lots of long breaks and hiatuses in-between. I didn't really get seriously into it and start making dresses and skirts until 1998 (See "My Sewing Origins," including a photo of the first skirt I sewed when I was five.)
• Learned from: my grandmother, mother and lots and lots of books.
• Level: Intermediate-ish? Advanced in some areas, terrified in others.
• Sewing machine: A used Viking Platinum 730, purchased from Sew Right in Queens.
• Serger: An old Kenmore 385.16644 4-thread left to me by my grandmother.
• Favorite things to sew: Snug-fitting knit tops and dresses in bright patterns and colors.

Knitting stats:

• Knitting since: Late highschool? (1997, maybe?)
• Learned from: My mom and lots of books.
• Level: Intermediate. But very confident and I've generally lost my fear of any pattern no matter how complex.
• Favorite things to knit: Snug cardigans for myself, colorful cardigans for my daughter, fancy socks.

Drop me a line any time at polkadotoverload [at] me [dot] com, or follow me on Facebook, Bloglovin', Twitter, Ravelry, Patternreview or Flickr!