Making Cotton Masks
BY NINA SALVATORE
About a month ago, I had to journey from New Jersey to western Michigan to attend a funeral – and although I would be driving the whole 11-hour journey each way, not flying, and had purchased lots of soap and gloves for any stops that were necessary – I was concerned about traveling at the onset of what would end up becoming widespread shutdowns across the country. Attending this funeral was crucial to me, but I wanted to do as much as I could to protect myself and others around me. So, I hit the internet, searched for a mask pattern, and used some butterfly-patterned cotton fabric, felt, and elastic I had to make a mask for myself. On a frivolous note, as someone with an appreciation for aesthetics, once I realized I could make a powder-blue, butterfly-clad, face mask, it was entirely impossible for me to resist.
Making the mask took about five minutes. I love to sew, but have always struggled to get ideas for what to make and to actually go to the store to retrieve materials. There has been no greater motivation for me than, well, a global pandemic to start using my sewing machine again.
At this point, the dominant discourse was that wearing a mask would not help halt the spread, and in fact, could contribute to the spread if people were to use the masks incorrectly. Many people were and have been saying that masks are only useful if the person who is sick wears them. This was all the more reason for me to wear one because I was working with the assumption that I was already carrying COVID-19. I was coming home from my college, and had just been to a disgusting frat house party at another college, so there was a possibility that I had come into contact with someone with the virus.
Per consultation with my Manhattan-residing brother, I had a suspicion that this pandemic would get much more serious in not much time, so it struck me that maybe if someone saw me wearing a mask, they could be inspired to stay vigilant and take limiting the spread of this virus seriously. Even this would be enough of a benefit for me to do it. Use of a mask certainly does not make you invincible, but I knew if I were to use this mask correctly, I would, at the very least, be touching my face less – which is a major struggle for me as a chronic-cuticle biter.
Since the government recently recommended that people wear basic fabric masks when in public to reduce transmission, I find myself with an onslaught of requests to make more masks and I am so glad to be able to fulfill this need for as many people as I can. I value supporting and being a comforting presence to as many people as I can and I feel fortunate to have access to the resources necessary to provide such a straight-forward, material contribution to the emotional and physical well-being of others.
I think that these cloth masks are the best option for people who are not on the frontline. Using cloth masks does not put a strain on the essential N-95 masks for healthcare and grocery store workers, but still, they are better than the flimsy, one-use, costume-like masks I’ve seen around. Going partially faceless is definitely worth it when it’s absolutely necessary to go in public, so I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon.
Click here for a link to the pattern I followed.
The materials needed:
Þ Cotton fabric (any)
Þ Felt
Þ Elastic
There are plenty of potential variations on these masks, they could be made with old tee-shirts, hair ties for elastic, and with or without a sewing machine. Felt is supposedly useful because it is a non-woven fabric, which means that particles are less likely to get through the cloth barrier.