Stay Home and Sew [Lots and Lots of Masks]

I’m not sure what sheltering in place looks like for everyone else, but for me it’s a lot of reading, putting together puzzles, FaceTiming with my mom and sending friends too many Tiger King memes.

All these things are good since they’re keeping me inside and keeping me grounded. They aren’t, however, particularly helpful to anyone. Surely with all this extra time, I could be doing something more useful.

And that’s when it clicked: I should make masks.

I’m a pretty good seamstress, I’ve got a decent fabric supply and my friends are all looking for reusable fabric masks right now—including some in the medical field.

So I started making as many masks as I could (I made 16 yesterday alone) and offering them to people who need them. This is the best way I can help right now, and I’m happy to keep making them as long as people are asking for them.

Seamstresses and sewists out there, I encourage you to dive into your fabric hoards and start stitching. These masks are easy to make and people are very relieved and grateful to have them right now.

If you need a pattern, I recommend this one that’s approved by Milwaukee’s Froedtert Hospital. (You can make it easy on yourself and use bias tape instead of making your own ties.)