Posts are out-of-date as soon as they’re published these days….Though still healthy at the time of this writing, I haven’t had much capacity to be creative in all this change and madness. I’m too busy bouncing from one news update to the next, and trying to stay distracted when the sun is out with yard work and exercise. I’ve also been baking like the world is ending because it’s a project, quickly gratifying, baked goods are a comfort, and it counts as feeding myself.
Though painting and sewing has been on the back-burner while we hide from COVID-19 for the foreseeable future, I did pick up my sewing sheers to make a few reusable cloth masks for my immediate family and grandparents. These are in no way an acceptable substitute for N95 masks. Every day I become more frustrated and horrified by our government’s failure to have prepared for this disaster appropriately. Our healthcare workers are in peril that could have easily been avoided with a tiny bit of competent leadership. The CDC was going to issue an advisory that all citizens wear masks in public, but didn’t, solely because there are no masks. Since no one can get their hands on proper safety equipment, we all have to rely on the work of volunteer seamstresses to keep everyone about one-third safer than doing nothing. Shameful.
I made these masks because they are better than nothing, but I did not enjoy it. The very need for this project confronts our bleak reality. They will be as effective as a cloth mask can be: 4 layers of 100% cotton, pleated, snugly fit, washed and pressed, but they’re not perfect. Depression and anger argued against the need for matching thread and straight stitches. The one with ribbon-ties was an experiment. Turned out not to work as well as elastic after all.
If you need to make your own masks, the tutorial from Joann Fabrics below is useful.
