Making Face Masks

sewing face masks

While the US government still has yet to specifically state that we should all wear face masks when we are out in public, that day may be soon coming. It also just makes sense to do so. While any mask short of the N-95 worn by health care workers will not protect you from getting COVID-19, wearing a mask will aid in preventing you from spreading it (and other germs) to others in case you have the virus and just don't realize it. Wearing a mask also prevents you from touching your nose and mouth, two of the three entry points for the virus. (The third being your eyes.)

Jim's mask

On Saturday I began researching homemade face masks. There are a lot of free patterns on the web, and I found a reliable source for a pattern. The only modification I made to it was to add a layer of quilt batting to the middle. Three layers of protection should be better than two, right? Using a fun fabric of 100%, tightly woven cotton, I made Jim's mask first. It took about five hours, which was disheartening even if it did look pretty good. After I finished I then read that you shouldn't make a mask that has a seam up the center as that allows more hole points for the virus to enter. Ugh! I think Jim's will be safe because of the thick layer of batting, but I searched for a different style for future masks.

Once I settled on a new pattern I began to cut fabric for my own mask. In the meantime a friend in the neighborhood whose husband is very ill asked if I could make five masks for family members so that they could wear them to keep her husband safe from any germs they may be carrying. Of course I was willing to help out, and I made her one with the new pattern so she could try it our for size and comfort.

first mask for my friend 

mask with elastic straps

I discovered that the most time consuming part came from making the straps. Elastic is a quicker method, but that is as hard to find as toilet paper right now. However, this same friend happened to have a few packs of elastic, which she gave to me. What a difference from a time standpoint! I made her second mask with the elastic, and then asked her which strap option she preferred. She liked the elastic, so I was able to quickly finish up her five, then make my own. I prefer the straps, so that is what I made for my own.

masks for my friend

my mask

I have since made three additional masks for my next door neighbors and their daughter. They are fortunate enough to have some medical masks which were ordered before the pandemic struck. So I left an opening in their masks where they can place the medical version inside and then replace as needed.

Others out of town have asked about me making masks to send to them. So far I have not committed because how will I mail them? I do not want to be anywhere near a post office or UPS store right now. Perhaps that makes me selfish, and I do feel a little bad about it. I will check into buying postage online because I do have envelopes here I can use. If I just put one in an envelope I believe it will slide into the outgoing mail slots we have here onsite.

Who could have ever imagined that the first time I would use my sewing machine after moving would be to sew masks to help fight a pandemic?

More Stitches in Time

Since we had my old office/new guest bedroom painted a couple of months ago, we have hung nothing on the walls in there. We have four vintage sheets of paper dolls that we framed and hung in Katie's room when she was little. Jim now has his office in that room, and doesn't want the dolls in there. Imagine that! So we will be moving those into the guest room. But I also decided to make a quilt to hang on the wall above the new bed we purchased for the room. I was about two-thirds done with the piecing when my sewing machine began to act up. All I could think was, "Thank God this didn't happen while I was working on the graduation quilt for Tommy!"

I took the machine into Jackman's Fabrics since that is where I purchased it. They will do an initial trouble-shooting on the machine, in case it is something simple. No such luck with this one, so the machine had to be sent in for repair. I have had it for five years and have never had it cleaned, which they recommend that you do on an annual basis. So I guess I am lucky that I have gone this long with no problems. Though I could point out to them that my Sears Kenmore machine, given to me as a college graduation gift by my parents in 1978, has never been in the shop and runs like a charm. As my dad would say, they just don't build things like they used to. At any rate, a week later I received a call that the machine was ready to be picked up. All that needed to be done was a good cleaning and an adjustment of my feed dogs. So basically I just had to pay the cost of the cleaning. Not too bad.

Now I have finished the quilt and just need to sew the hangers onto the back of it. My secret? I attach several of the coated paper clips to the back. You can then bend them as needed to hang the quilt on the wall with Command hooks. No harm, no foul.