Mask Array

For Mask-making advice, links to patterns

 & instructions, please select from Archives

post of 3/26/20.

 
Below, my continued excuse for not writing a proper blog. And hopefully, some ideas for others who have dropped their regular activities to make masks.

 (I am something like 29 masks behind at the moment!)

Over the last few weeks the concept of masks has gone from once-a-year on Halloween to (in Florida's Osceola County), "Wear a mask or get fined $500 or spend 60 days in jail." A bit harsh and, thank goodness, not my county, but there's little doubt that masks will likely play a part in our lives for some time to come. Not only now, when we're only allowed out for "essentials" but, more importantly later, when we begin venturing out on a wider scale. 

So this week's blog is a photo array of some of the masks I've been making over the past month. Although there are just two basic styles (Jo-Ann's & Fu, as introduced in my blog of 3/26/20), the wide variety of fasteners makes for a surprisingly diverse presentation. 

Why homemade masks? Because a cloth mask will keep you from spreading a virus (or more ordinary germs) to the people you encounter. In short, it is a courtesy which solves at least half the problem of contagion and therefore very much better than nothing at all. 

Why ties instead of elastic? Because no elastic has been available to home sewers for several weeks now. And the elastic we had in our sewing cabinets is not the highly flexible "one size fits all" we see on the medical masks on TV. Home seamstresses are having to make do with what's available. Also, since the elastic is not very flexible, the  length needs to be fitted to each person's face; otherwise, for smaller people like myself, the top of the mask will end up down around the mouth! But ties can be adjusted to fit any adult, with no need to take a tuck here, a tuck there.

Also, within a week of elastic disappearing from stores, ribbon joined the vanishing act. Again, seamstresses turned to what was stored in sewing cabinet drawers, but when that ran out . . .

We had to improvise:  self-fabric ties, chain crochet ties. Yes, they take time to make, but they work. Shoelaces, Bias binding - folded & stitched down. Creativity is rampart. I personally am grateful to all those dishclothes I made for the church Welcome bags, as it means I have a huge bag of 4-ply cotton yarn just waiting to be turned into mask ties.

Word as of today:  even white thread is no longer available. Sigh.

The masks below are primarily all cotton, with an occasional cotton-poly blend and linen-poly blend. These are fabrics that "breathe" well.

 

IDEAS FOR MASKS

Jo-Ann Style - with pleats

Navy/blue

Patriot

Coral & white (w/crochet ties)

Yellow w/White (w/ribbon ties)

Red polka dot

Black (it only looks brown!)

Mask - Red & Blue Stars

Mask - Tan w/stars

Mask - Patriotic Places

Fu Masks (w/curved center seam)

Stained Glass (w/ribbon ties)

Coral & Black

Tan w/Stars

Yellow w/self-ties

A dozen masks waiting to be turned, trimmed, pleated & topstitched.

~ * ~

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Thanks for stopping by,

Grace