Making Masks (Experience #8)
05-01-2020
So people have been hoarding medical-grade surgical masks like crazy people. You know, things medical workers need in order to safely care for critically ill patients during a pandemic. I know this isn't new news. Pretty much everyone has experienced the effects of these COVID hoarders when they go to the store and can't get a roll of toilet paper or a bottle of hand sanitizer or even just a single mask for your own protection. Seeing this kind of selfish, borderline insane, behavior in a time when people need to be supportive of each other (from a distance) can really bring someone down--it certainly does for me.
I might not be able to do anything about toilet paper or hand sanitizer, but I can do something about masks--even if it's in a small way. Even though it's pretty simple to take a bandanna or a dish cloth you have lying around and tie it around your nose and mouth, some people want something that feels a bit more substantial, and having a sewing machine and knowing how to use it can help with that. I'm not a master seamstress or anything, but I discovered I liked sewing and was pretty decent at it in my Practical Costuming class (the perks of being a theatre major). I bought a basic, little sewing machine a few years ago because of that discovery and have been using it for little projects every now and then, but over the past month, my sewing machine has gotten more use than it has ever had. I've been working on making protective masks for me and my family out of whatever fabric I've been able to find lying around the house, and on top of keeping me busy, it's made me feel pretty good to be able to help a little in a time when it's easy to feel helpless.
It turns out it's pretty simple, once you figure out how to assemble the pieces you make from your pattern and you remember that YouTube has videos for literally every occasion. I was pretty pleased with my first mask--I made it for my grandfather who insists on going to the grocery store himself--but as I've made more and practiced different methods of securing masks to faces (unsurprisingly, just using elastic from Amazon is the way to go), I've found myself feeling a little proud of my simple masks. I'm helping my family in a small way, but it's what I have to give.
If anyone's feeling crafty and wants to kill some time, you can always make yourself a cute little face mask. I used my sewing machine, but everything I've done can be done by hand-sewing--it'll just take more time. If you're interested, I got all the information I needed from Joann Fabrics. Give it a try! It can be fulfilling, and you'll have a fun little souvenir once it's all over.
So people have been hoarding medical-grade surgical masks like crazy people. You know, things medical workers need in order to safely care for critically ill patients during a pandemic. I know this isn't new news. Pretty much everyone has experienced the effects of these COVID hoarders when they go to the store and can't get a roll of toilet paper or a bottle of hand sanitizer or even just a single mask for your own protection. Seeing this kind of selfish, borderline insane, behavior in a time when people need to be supportive of each other (from a distance) can really bring someone down--it certainly does for me.
I might not be able to do anything about toilet paper or hand sanitizer, but I can do something about masks--even if it's in a small way. Even though it's pretty simple to take a bandanna or a dish cloth you have lying around and tie it around your nose and mouth, some people want something that feels a bit more substantial, and having a sewing machine and knowing how to use it can help with that. I'm not a master seamstress or anything, but I discovered I liked sewing and was pretty decent at it in my Practical Costuming class (the perks of being a theatre major). I bought a basic, little sewing machine a few years ago because of that discovery and have been using it for little projects every now and then, but over the past month, my sewing machine has gotten more use than it has ever had. I've been working on making protective masks for me and my family out of whatever fabric I've been able to find lying around the house, and on top of keeping me busy, it's made me feel pretty good to be able to help a little in a time when it's easy to feel helpless.
It turns out it's pretty simple, once you figure out how to assemble the pieces you make from your pattern and you remember that YouTube has videos for literally every occasion. I was pretty pleased with my first mask--I made it for my grandfather who insists on going to the grocery store himself--but as I've made more and practiced different methods of securing masks to faces (unsurprisingly, just using elastic from Amazon is the way to go), I've found myself feeling a little proud of my simple masks. I'm helping my family in a small way, but it's what I have to give.
If anyone's feeling crafty and wants to kill some time, you can always make yourself a cute little face mask. I used my sewing machine, but everything I've done can be done by hand-sewing--it'll just take more time. If you're interested, I got all the information I needed from Joann Fabrics. Give it a try! It can be fulfilling, and you'll have a fun little souvenir once it's all over.
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