A Call to Sewers and Crafters
What Can We Do To Help During this Pandemic?
Make Medical Face Masks for Our Local Hospitals and First Responders
For a few weeks as I prepared for the possibility of self-quarantine, now a reality, I wandered what I could do to help. Two days ago my mother call me to ask what she could use in place of a medical face mask. I sent her instructions with materials that included cotton handkerchiefs, cotton t-shirt and bandanas. At the same time I'm watching videos of medical personnel and their support staffs asking for help with personal safety gear. It took me longer than I'd like to admit but I figured it out ... make medical face masks to donate. I'm set for myself, so this weekend I'm going to my stash to find tightly woven cotton and some nice cotton prints. Then, I'm getting to work.
The one hiccup? I don't have my sewing machine so the ones I make will truly be hand made. I hope I can still make to small even backstitches my grandmother tried so hard to teach me how to do.
Commercial Medical Isolation Mask
I'm reaching out to the blog community to ask anyone who can to make some masks for your local hospital. Even if you only make two or three and pass the word along, it will be a help. Call your local hospital to find out if they're set up to receive them and how they would like to receive them. Or, if they're not ready yet, give them to a doctor, nurse, health worker, or first responder that you know. They won't go to waste. We Can Help!
Here is the link to Deaconess Hospital with instructions on How to Make a Face Mask. There's a .pdf to download and a video to watch. The instructions were created by the Turban Project. They are a great organization and have other patterns for use by patients as well as these masks. Make a few for you and your family as well. They even have a pattern for children -- scroll down.
The Turban Project Video
There are many other links and tutorials, though I would use the one listed by the hospital for medical donations. (They will sterilize them before use.) Whatever instructions you use, make sure the masks you are making are rated for disease control. I wasn't sure of some of the other links, so I didn't list them. If anyone else knows of some proper links to websites and/or videos, please post in comments and I'll add them to this post.
I wish you all well. Take care of yourselves and your loved ones.
Happy Sewing!
PS - This could also be a great project for families with younger crafters. Helping can be empowering ... and relieve boredom.
PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE ALONG .... THANK YOU!
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