So much has happened since my last blog post. My son is now 4 and I have a 4 month old daughter. My sewing room is now shared with my husband’s office to make room for both kids to have their own rooms. I’ve learned to sew clothes, mostly with knit fabric and continued to make gifts and quilts as well.
In March 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic quickly escalated around the world and sewists began to make face masks. Each day, new information comes out about their effectiveness and usefulness. Now, in early April, it’s clear that more people staying home and if you have to go out, wearing a face mask and washing your hands often might help our communities to be more safe. These homemade masks will not prevent a person from contracting Covid-19, but signal to others that you’re being cautious, keep any coughs and sneezes from spraying everywhere, and remind you not to touch your face.
I’ve started to make a few samples to figure out what fits best for different people’s needs (are you a nurse who will wear this over your medical grade PPE or a citizen who plans to wear it to get groceries?)
Here’s a summary of some of the mask styles that I’m learning to make:
- Pattern includes three sizes (L, M, Child)
- Two layers of fabric, no pleats, no filter pocket, form fitting, can have any tie style
- For my husband, this was the most comfortable style. For me, it fits very low around my chin but is comfortable around my nose bridge.
- Pattern has one adult size
- Three layers of fabric, pleated style, includes filter pocket, only made with fabric ties
AB Mask By Nurse for Nurse – (I haven’t made this one yet)
- Pattern has one adult size
- Two layers of fabric, blend of pleated and fitted mask style, no filter pocket, fabric ties
Crafty Quilter Versatile Mask – (I haven’t made this one yet)
- Pattern has one adult size
- Two layers of fabric, fitted mask style
Weneedmasks.com offers two styles
Being a mom of two young kids and since our shared space is where my sewing things are set up, I only have a small amount of time to dedicate to this or other sewing. But being creative and helping others has always been something that makes me feel good, turning anxiety into action and sharing my “talents” (and closet full of fabric) with my family and friends in the form of useful gifts. If you’d like help learning how to make a mask or would like me to make one for you, please be in touch!
