So----6 hours later I made 4 masks

[cally]

I’m ridiculously proud of them as my recently deceased Mom sewed her whole life and I got her machine. I do not sew but she tried to teach me I used her sewing machine and supplies and I did it. Broke 5 needles but I used an old cloth napkin and made masks for my family.

BUT...How are most people going to do this? We are now told to where a mask or scarf. I live in California and many of us do not wear scarves. Many don’t sew, do any crafts, own scissors, thread, glue etc. How are others coping with this?

[dewsgirl]

1. Good for you. I'm sorry about your mom.

I bought a bunch of painters dust masks back in January, when I saw what was happening. Not the best, but still better than nothing.

[drray23]

2. my wife spend a day yesterday making one.

She worked out all the issues and today she cranked 10 in 3 hours. She had the same issue you did at first which is, the needles would not penetrate the layers. Apparently, she told me she adjusted some tension lock on her singer featherweight and then it started working. That's the one she made for me. I am a scientist..

[url=https://postimg.cc/7G41q58m][img][/img][/url]

[LisaL]

7. Looks very nice.

[customerserviceguy]

22. Periodically. n/t

[cally]

11. That's nice

I wish I knew enough about sewing to change the tensions

[Lars39]

42. There's pins on Pinterest about it

lots of sewing how-to’s with good diagrams

[Niagara]

21. Your wife is an excellent mask maker.

[Laffy Kat]

27. LOVE that one! nt

[The_jackalope]

30. The Elements - Tom Lehrer

There's antimony, arsenic, aluminum, selenium,
And hydrogen and oxygen and nitrogen and rhenium,
And nickel, neodymium, neptunium, germanium,
And iron, americium, ruthenium, uranium,
Europium, zirconium, lutetium, vanadium,
And lanthanum and osmium and astatine and radium,
And gold, protactinium and indium and gallium,
And iodine and thorium and thulium and thallium.

There's yttrium, ytterbium, actinium, rubidium,
And boron, gadolinium, niobium, iridium,
There's strontium and silicon and silver and samarium,
And bismuth, bromine, lithium, beryllium, and barium.

There's holmium and helium and hafnium and erbium,
And phosphorus and francium and fluorine and terbium,
And manganese and mercury, molybdenum, magnesium,
Dysprosium and scandium and cerium and cesium.

And lead, praseodymium and platinum, plutonium,
Palladium, promethium, potassium, polonium,
And tantalum, technetium, titanium, tellurium,
And cadmium and calcium and chromium and curium.

There's sulfur, californium and fermium, berkelium,
And also mendelevium, einsteinium, nobelium,
And argon, krypton, neon, radon, xenon, zinc and rhodium,
And chlorine, carbon, cobalt, copper, tungsten, tin and sodium.

These are the only ones of which the news has come to Harvard,
And there may be many others but they haven't been discovered.

[MLAA]

31. Well done Mrs Drray23!

[Sherman A1]

3. I made some today out of

paper towels with a coffee filter inserted inside add in some masking tape and rubber bands. It's not the greatest set up in the word, but for the limited amount of time we will be out, it will have to do.

[Blue_true]

26. You can make them with a clean teeshirt and duct (or masking if only that is available). nt

[Siwsan]

4. I made my first mask, today

I might make one more, to have as a spare. I figure that by the end of this week, or early into next, I'm going to have to make a run to the store for some essentials. I have to go to the bank, too, but they are only doing business via drive thru, so I'll just need gloves for that little bit of business.

[LisaL]

5. You can make them out of old t-shirts without any sewing.

All you need is old t-shirts (or you can use new t-shirts) and scissors.

[Shrike47]

6. I took a stab at making one today out of an old pillowcase & hair ties. It sheds threads but covers.

I will look like an idiot tomorrow but what the hell.

[sinkingfeeling]

8. I made my first fitted mask today. 3 weeks ago I boxed up all

my sewing supplies and my machine, preparing for move, that may or may not happen. I spent last evening digging out batik fabric, elastic, and pipe cleaners. Today drug the machine down stairs to the dining room table. Was able to locate about 6 straight pins. No cutting board, sewing scissors, extra bobbin, and the ironing board is upstairs. However, got one made.

[cally]

14. Similar issues for me

I had not unpacked any of the supplies I took after my Mom died and was not even sure what I had taken. I found one small supply of elastic buried under lots of other things. A good portion of my time was figuring out what I had that I could use for this.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

9. Have made over 350 since 2 weeks ago....

Using this method with a 9×7 inch rectangle double cut fabric with elastic at the ends.

[link:http://www.deaconess.com|

It takes me less than 12 minutes per mask once I get the number of them cut out. I made a pattern using the Christmas wrapping paper with grids on the back. I cut out several 9×7 pieces .

[TlalocW]

33. That's amazing

I've made 25 using a pattern with elastic for the ears then couldn't find elastic anymore then found another pattern that uses bias tape for straps around the head and has a pocket for a filter, and I'm currently working through 100 of those. I have some bias tape on order because making my own slows me down so much. I hope Amazon will come through.

TlalocW

[crickets]

34. Genius.

Christmas wrapping paper with grids on the back

I have no tracing paper handy and was wondering what to use - great idea, thanks!

[cally]

40. Very Impressive!!

[meadowlander]

10. There's guidance on the CDC website of how to make masks without sewing

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html

[Tanuki]

12. People are making them and selling on Etsy.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

44. I refuse to do that....

Making money during a crisis like this, I think, is IMMORAL.

Yes, I have been donating 7 to 8 hours a day, fabric, labor to make masks for family and friends , civic groips, organizations, costs me money, but their lives and health are payment enough.

If someone offers to pay, I say in lieu of payment, donate blood, time or money to a Food Bank.

And besides, I do not need the money. If one needs the money, that should be clarified.

[phylny]

46. I see it differently.

I can’t sew (my mother tried to encourage me, but nope) and I went on Etsy and bought two masks. Someone with a skill I don’t possess took the time and spent the money to create something valuable that I’ll be able to use for a long time. I happily paid, as I don’t expect someone to work free of charge.

After I bought two, one for each of us, a friend told me she made two for us as well. Now we’ll have four, one to wear and one to wash each.

[eyeofnewt]

52. Ended up buying one

on Etsy. I have no sewing machine, needle, thread, not evens bandana or hair ties. I could probably dig up an old t-shirt. There’s not a crafty bone in my body. My mom was a seamstress, made our clothes and even our coats! I was totally inept at sewing. She gave up on me after several yrs of real effort on both our parts.

I hope that some selling on Etsy are making income lost due to lost wages 👍. It was a tad expensive though.

[Jamastiene]

60. If only the corporations making TV commercials

would follow your lead, the world would be a better place.

I rarely watch TV. I did watch The Walking Dead and Talking Dead last night. Every single commercial was corporation after corporation talking, melodramatically, about how they are doing all they can to protect us and how much they care. They are such opportunistic, heartless, lying jerks.

Thank you for doing what you do. If only there were more like you, the world would be a better place.

[missingthebigdog]

13. Easy No Sew Mask

All you need is a bandana and two rubber bands.

I am sewing some as well, but this video is helpful if you don’t sew. You could add a coffee filter in the fold for extra protection.

[Ohiogal]

17. These are the same ones

I made and they were too small for us. I had to sew the third seam twice, leaving about a 2 or 3 inch space in between the ends of the bandanna. After that, they are very serviceable. I wore one to the grocery store last night and was one of the very few customers in there wearing one. Did they fit you?

[missingthebigdog]

18. Yes.

I wonder if bandanas are different sizes.

[Ohiogal]

19. Could be.

I used the ones I had kept for the last 10 years since I had chemo and used them to wrap around my bald head. 😄. Maybe the newer ones are bigger.

[True Blue American]

51. Great for you

That you to make good out of bad.

Found out my Son and wife have masks they bought when doing woodworking and other house projects. They are triple. Bringing them to me but we are traveling as little as possible. Small town, their grocery is depleted.

I am not going out so told them to wait until they need groceries.

[Tanuki]

53. Congratulations on celebrating 10 years out from your last chemo

and all that implies!

[Vinca]

15. I found a pattern for one today on the Joann fabric web site and it looks easier

Last edited Mon Apr 6, 2020, 07:53 AM - Edit history (1)

than the pleated one. It's billed as the "denim" mask. I'm going to try to make it tomorrow.

[Goodheart]

49. I made dozens of the pleated ones. They're a bit of a pain to sew.

Switched to the denim mask model. Sort of irritating to the bridge of the nose. Still looking for the perfect pattern.

[Ohiogal]

16. I made a couple for myself, husband, and sons

They turned out to be too small, so I had to re-make them.

I don’t have a sewing machine and I’m a terrible seamstress. But they are serviceable.

https://www.wkyc.com/mobile/article/news/health/coronavirus/how-to-make-your-own-face-mask-to-combat-coronavirus-spread/95-c7d82c22-206f-4c70-8e0b-a74a69c03f94

[Niagara]

20. I'm sorry to hear about your Mom, Cally

I followed Jess Dang's tutorial and used a plain but thick Croft & Barrow shirt that I had stuffed in a dresser. I have absolutely zero sewing skills or a sewing machine. I followed the instructions on her 2nd mask tutorial but I had to use the hem at the bottom of the shirt for ties since I don't have elastic ties. I tie them behind my head.

This was my result, it's not perfect but for now it'll suffice. I'm not happy with it and I'm still looking at other tutorials that doesn't require expert sewing skills.

[cally]

25. That's nice!

I may try the no sew one above from an old T-shirt to have as a back up. I think I’m done sewing for now!

Thanks about my Mom. She died in June so it has been awhile but using her sewing machine and supplies was bittersweet. I do wish I had brought home some of her stash of fabric for these times

[Niagara]

35. Thank you and you're welcome.

I understand about the stash of fabric. I threw out a bunch of old worn t-shirts awhile ago and I could really use the fabric right now.

[MLAA]

32. Looks good! And my you have pretty eyes 😉😷

[Niagara]

36. Thank you for the wonderful compliments!

[Goodheart]

50. They bring out your eyes!

[Hekate]

23. Kick and Rec all you seamstresses!

[Blue_true]

24. If you have teeshirts or blouses.

Flip them lengthwise, each flip about five inches wide. The standard teeshirt can be flipped or folded twice. You can put ducttape around the ends, then puncture a hole through the tape and shirt end material. Run string or elastic through the holes, to ask as tie strings. The result, a primitive, but effective mask for the mouth and nose.

[csziggy]

28. Today I made a dozen using the serger which I had to learn to use

Here is my message from another thread:

It works best if you make your ties from one tee shirt, then cut others into pieces to make the masks. The cheap undershirts of my husband's I am using for the ties are not cut straight so all I do is cut off the bottom hem, clip about 1" in to start and it spirals up to make a long continuous tube for ties. I just ripped until I got to the armpit, then cut it off. The first part for the bottom is less even, but who cares?

Then I had some "wife beater" tees I'd gotten to wear under my back brace after my back operation - I will never wear them again and they are nice colors and in good shape. One of those cut off at the arm pits can make 3 or four pieces to sew into masks.

I can't follow her pattern exactly - the only working sewing machine I have at hand is a serger that does not sew straight seams and cuts along the seam as it goes. So I just sew the short end closed, leave the half inch at each end of the long ends and don't turn the fabric. And I don't have the "casings" at each end for the ties, but the masks work.

My husband found it easier to put the loop part at the nape of the neck and tie the ends that go above the ears. So did I when I tested mine.

I'm making masks for friends who don't get out much and are asymptomatic. They just need basic protection. Some will also go to the guy who mows for us - he can't get dust masks any more and could use something to keep the dust out of his nose. I have not checked out her video with a filter pocket version - here it is:

The masks she shows on the foam heads are not fitting tightly - but my tests show that once you draw the ties up, the mask draws in under the chin and over the nose - and glasses on top crimp it down around the nose nicely.

If you don't have a machine, hand sew with a running stitch:

Or an overcast stitch:

Those simple stitches would work fine for these easy masks and just about everyone has some old tee shirts around the house.

[cally]

39. I like these. I'm thinking of using old shoe laces

For the ties

[csziggy]

43. The tee shirt ties work great and are soft

They wouldn't hold up to heavy usage, but they are easy to make.

Here is the method used to make tee shirt "yarn" - use the method that she does to tear the fabric. I found that most tee shirts, if you cut the bottom hem off, clip one side about 1" in, and start tearing, they will spiral up. I got yards and yards of ties. If you cut them, the way a lot of YouTube videos show, you have to pull the lengths to make the tee shirt material curl into a tube. Tearing does that as you tear, so once you are finished tearing, the material is ready to use.

[tblue37]

29. There are tutorials for easy no-sew masks. nt

[GulfCoast66]

37. My 81 year old very active mother was feeling depressed and isolated.

Yard work kept her busy and she can out work most 55 year olds. She is normally very socially active and gets our every day. Staying at home isolated was getting to her.

But like many women of her generation she is a hell of a seamstress. So she made a few masks after my sister downloaded the pattern for her.

And in her super smart rural upbringing way hit upon the perfect mask. Here is what she told me. And you’ve got to add in a deep southern accent with perfect grammar...

“Gulfcoast66, I’m making mask for a few of my friends and your sister. I’ve got a pattern but don’t know what fabric to use. So I am using my thickest muslin for quilting and doubling it. That should work”.

Of course she did not cal me gulfcoast66! But in her own homespun wisdom figured out what is now the best homemade mask available. After telling her of the need of all my friends, including some in NYC she is sewing like crazy. She told me now she feels like she is helping.

I am using a fishing buff when I go out. Looking forward to Mother’s homemade masks.

[cally]

38. Made me smile

I know my Mom would have been sewing masks by the dozens. Lucky you to get a mask from your Mom!!

[GulfCoast66]

41. I will cherish it.

[FirstLight]

45. Bookmark for trying tomorrow

No sewing machine, but we'll see....

[Tanuki]

55. You can do it! Just remember that people were sewing for thousands of years

by hand before sewing machines were invented! I say this as the daughter of a woman who could make every stitch of a garment with only a needle and thread, and she did do numerous times when my dad's Army career took us to new places and her sewing machine was left back in storage.

[ecstatic]

47. I always said I'd learn to sew. Never got around to it.

I suppose cloth bandanas are the next best thing? Around 99 cents at Walmart.

[Goodheart]

48. I'm proud of myself.

66 year old... learned to sew a couple of years ago to make Mardi Gras costumes for ourselves and our dogs...

So, made 36 masks for the local hospital, and six more for my neighbors. I'd say they took 20 minutes each.

I'd rather be designing and producing things on my 3d printer, honestly. LOL

[Lars39]

54. Did you see this?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213240776

[Goodheart]

57. Oh, wow, thanks. I can do that!

[Lars39]

61. That's great!

[Marrah_Goodman]

56. I suggest people reach out to those they know that do sew

I am making them for friends and family. Sewing them by hand since I am not at my own home where my sewing machine is.

[RhodeIslandOne]

58. I bought a baclava style ski mask

14 bucks. I'll wear it out and wash it every day.

[Jamastiene]

59. You can get cheap, small sewing machines.

I ordered one recently to take up some pants I got that were way too big for me. It was $23. You don't have to leave home to get it. You can get it delivered. This one I got came with a small sewing kit with some thread and extra needles. We don't have to be fashionable. Just safe. It is a great idea to make some at home. I don't sew either. I have hand stitched some patches and other small things before, but I'm no seamstress. Not by a long shot.