DIY face masks

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There are days when I question why I had to learn needlecraft (knitting, crocheting, black embroidery, quilting, and tatting) and how to use a sewing machine back when I was in high school. But thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic—medical experts recently started recommending that people wear cloth masks when they step outside their homes to take the pressure off the shortage of medical-grade respirators and surgical masks—a lot of people started posting YouTube videos of how to make these cloth masks at home. John Muir Medical Centre and Kaiser Permanente (two of the hospital systems in the Bay Area) also issued patterns and instructions for making these face masks; we could make some for our personal use and we can donate them to hospitals as well.

I'm now glad that I learned how to sew. Thank you, to my teachers in Home Economics in UPRHS for pushing me to learn these life skills. I'm nowhere near as good as my friends who now sew costumes for their kids or those who actually took up fashion design as their professions, but at least I can go by making face masks in times of crises.

I decided that while the surgical masks I'd ordered a few weeks before were en route, I'd make a few masks for my parents and siblings. I knew that I won't be able to make a lot because I didn't have access to a sewing machine when I started (it's too expensive to buy one just to make masks... I'd consider getting myself one if I really think I'd sew more stuff) and I was expecting to sew these face masks by hand. So straight after one of my medical appointments, I drove to Walmart to buy some quilter's cotton (recommended by my designer friend, Maris) and some sewing supplies. I knew that there'd be a queue at Walmart but I didn't expect it to be as long as what I've seen. 

Each group of customers were staying about six feet away from the next group, 
which was why there were big gaps in the queue.

Once inside, I was surprised that the fabric being sold in the crafts section were mostly gone. I was able to pick up the last three pieces of 100% cotton fat quarters (each piece measures 18" x 22") and the last pack of 24 pre-cut 140 gsm cotton strips (with each piece measuring 2.5" x 43"). I also got a mini sewing kit and an acrylic ruler. At that point, I was starting to think that I should have brought my papier tôle kit with me when I moved to California because I already have a self-healing mat and a cutter that I could use on fabric.

Anyway, once I got home, I studied the pattern provided by John Muir Medical Centre and started prepping my fabrics.


I quickly realised that I had to sew the cotton strips together to make the outer layer because these were thicker than the fat quarters (which I decided were better as the inner layer of the masks) but were way too narrow for the pattern's requirements.

So, after working on the masks for a day using backstitches, I was able to assemble a mask that had an insert for a filter. In this photo, it wasn't finished yet because I realised that the fabric ties had to be fixed into place as a result of an error I made.


Confident that I could make a few more from the rest of the fabric pieces, I decided to cut more as per the pattern (adding a few modifications for adjustable fabric ties) and I'd use double running stitches to save on thread.

And then Daddy remembered: Biboy does have a sewing machine! So when he and Mommy went over to visit, he borrowed it for me. But because the electric cord and the foot pedal were not included in the machine's box, I resorted to battery power... and ended up only finishing the assembly of the outer layer before the batteries died. So until I get my hands on the missing parts, I decided to sew by hand.

Eventually, I finished making three more masks (and revised the design to incorporate adjustable ties), which is not yet enough because I want to make at least two face masks per person (except for Gabriel). I still need to buy more fabric to create additional masks. But this time, I decided that if I can buy 140 gsm 100% cotton fat quarters, I'll use those for the outer layer instead of sewing the cotton strips together to save on time. 

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