masktravaganza

it's kinda been all masks, all the time over here.  after that initial batch that i made for the tieks donation, i heard from a couple of friends who were in need of masks for themselves or loved ones working in local hospitals.  and so after taking a day off of mask making, i pulled out my fabric and bias tape and busted out 25 more.

it was really cool to see this picture that one of them sent to show me the masks in action:

a couple of days after that, i realized that while i'd been sewing up a storm, we didn't have any for ourselves (aside from the one i made for the hub using an old shirt from the cigar lounge).  i decided to test out a different style pattern and used another one of his shirts for my trial run:

he tried it on and confirmed that it was, indeed, more comfortable and better fitting.  plus since these weren't to be used in a medical setting i realized that i could use up some of my cotton blend knit fabric, and make stretchy straps for the ties.  here's the first batch:

those went home to two more friends who work in hospitals, but for their personal, off-duty use.  since we're required to wear them anytime we head out to grocery stores and other essential outings, they'd hit me up and i was more than happy to help out.  the bean said hers was pretty comfortable:

of course, that led to a few other requests from a couple of other friends, and i figured that as long as i had material i could use, i'd bust out more.  and this time, i figured out the best way to get them all done assembly line-style.  using my serger instead of the sewing machine made the process go a lot faster, plus i didn't have to stop to cut threads in between pieces.  pretty soon i had a long chain that almost looked like a banner to use as decoration:

and cutting them apart was quick and easy.

i'd found a treasure trove of foldover elastic in the garage.  while it's wider than the 1/4" inch stuff i'd used before, it's really soft and comfortable, and i knew these masks weren't going to be worn for extended periods of time anyway.  and so i sat down to assemble them all and in no time i was done:

one other friend who's a nurse had asked me if she could send me one of her old scrub tops to cut up and make a couple of masks for her.  i said yes, of course, and pretty soon i had it laid out on the table to take apart.

of course, this ended up being my most favorite out of all the masks i've made...so far.

am i done?  i don't know.  i guess we'll see.