I’ve had a sewing machine sitting in a box in a corner of my house for at least the past five years. It was a gift I had asked for one brilliant evening when on my way home from the dry cleaner after getting yet another skirt hemmed. At 5’10”, I sometimes struggle with pants that aren’t long enough and skirts that are inappropriately short. In theory, if I had my own sewing machine, I would be able to do my own alterations. But that never happened and my beginner’s sewing machine sat there, unopened.
The shelter in place changed that. Although I am working from home, I suddenly found myself with a bit of time to spare (no commute!) and nowhere to go so I pulled out my machine and started to practice. I quickly learned that my new machine didn’t really do much - it was capable of doing one stitch and was oh-so-complicated to use (no instructions, videos in another language, etc). So I researched and found a solid beginner machine in the Brother CS7000I.
The new machine is so easy to use and with all of the videos online, I quickly taught myself to sew. And I love it. There is something therapeutic about the process and starting with nothing and finishing with something (I am one of those people who need to see the results of their work). Hungry for more beginner type projects, I quickly decided to tackle making face masks. When the SIP started, I purchased handkerchiefs in 15 different colors because I knew we’d need masks of some sort and there weren’t any to be found. Using the patterns and tutorials I found online, I went to work creating masks for my family.
Making masks was a bit tougher than I thought it would be and the end result of my early work wasn’t pretty. But I kept at it and finally created a pattern that worked well, was easy to assemble, and the end results were comparable to the cloth mask I had finally purchased. I started to make masks in my spare time, anytime I felt a bit stressed, or was bored and ended up with so many, that we started donating them to a local organization that works with the homeless in our community to get them back on their feet (LiveMoves). There haven’t been many volunteering opportunities since the SIP, so sharing what I was doing has felt good while benefiting the community in which I live.
My teenage daughter saw what I was doing and also decided to learn to make masks. She is now making them for a local senior center.
With the surge of COVID-19 and the need for more masks, we decided to open a store here selling our masks to the public (NOTE: the store is no longer open). For every mask we sell, we will donate two (one to the shelter and another to the senior center). The money we are making pays for the supplies with which to make masks. All masks are dual-layered cotton non-medical grade. If you’d like to support us as we continue making masks for those less fortunate, please visit our store.
Stay healthy!