Masks Again

 I thought I was done making masks. But with COVID cases rising and my state woefully under-vaccinated, my husband and I  have started masking up in public again. And avoiding the public as much as possible.

Those in the front are made with my favorite pattern. It is "3-D"--meaning it stands away from the mouth. I wrote about it some months ago, find that post 3-D Mask..

International Quilt Market and Festival announced this week that all attendees, exhibitors, faculty, and staff will be required to wear a mask at all times to attend. Depending on what happens in the next few months, proof of full vaccination and/or a proof of a negative COVID test MAY also be required.

This is so sad. We were so hopeful people would be eager to get the vaccine to protect themselves, those they love and their fellow countrymen (and women). To see grown adults screaming at school boards that their children should not be required to wear a mask is beyond my comprehension. Those kids are not protected. 

I wish my grandchildren could be protected by not coming into contact with any unvaccinated person but I cannot be sure of that. 

We will protect ourselves as best we can, and hope those dying in ICUs, who chose not to get vaccinated and are now begging everyone else to not make the same mistake, will have a beneficial effect on those who have not yet done all they can to get us past this pandemic.

While this is only slightly about quilting, in that I used my precious quilt fabric to make something I wish I didn't need, if you disagree, I encourage you to just move on by. We won't change each other's minds. Arguments are not welcome. 

This is my blog, about my life and my thoughts and my journal of what is happening in my world. 

And now, let's quilt.

Barbara

FACE MASK--Not Too Hard

 I have not been a fan of making face masks for the last year. But it is necessary and I will keep wearing mine in public until the virus is mostly contained. Even though I am fully vaccinated. Since we don't know what that means, or how long these first two shots will last, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

But I had not found a mask pattern I liked--and I tried at least a half dozen of them. It had to be easy to make, fast, but mostly it had to FIT. I recently saw a link to this one on the Kelly Cline Quilting Facebook page. Kelly made hers from old embroidered hankies and feedsack fabrics and it was really pretty. This one fits me, not Teddie, but you get the idea:

The 3D Fitted Face Mask pattern is on YouTube, originated by Maria, the Midnight Baker. She has several videos because she has tweaked the design over the last year. I suggest you start with the one labeled UPDATED, then review the earlier ones.  They provide more info on the adjustable ear ties using beads, or you can use elastic.

 UPDATED 3D Fitted Face Mask Pattern

The only problem I had with the videos was having to pause it or go back to get the measurements--the 8 minute video goes by quickly. So, to help you out, here are the measurements she provides: 

ADULT SIZE:                           CHILD SIZE:                 X-LARGE/BEARDS

2 rectangles 7.5" x 10.5"      2 rectangles 6.5" x 9"           2 rectangles 9" x 11" 

Trim corners 2"                         Trim corners 1.75"          Trim corners 2.25" 

Elastic 7-7.5" (2)                       Elastic 6.5" (2)                  8-8.5" (2) 

OR T shirt loops 9-9.5" (2)         7" (2)                             10.5" t-shirt loops  (2)

And 4 pony beads for the ear loops--the hole has to be large enough to fit two loops or elastic through.

Here are the adult rectangles with the corners trimmed--simply draw a mark 2" in from the corners and cut that triangle off. Have the fabrics right sides together. She recommends making two at a time for speed sewing and I agree. With the corners removed, sew all around the two fabrics with a 1/4" seam allowance, leaving an opening to turn right side out.

Turn right side out and press firmly, poking out all the corner points. Then just topstitch the two long edges, close to the edge. This is where making two at once speeds up the process:

Now it is simply a matter of folding the two long sides in, at the diagonal corners, and again press firmly:

The video shows this next part very well and I really recommend you watch it. It's only a little tricky to get the edges folded back as they need to be, secured with a clip and ready to sew in place. You will insert the elastic or ear loop made from strips cut from an old T-shirt into the opening on the edge as you stitch the entire folded edge in place. It sounds more difficult than it is:

Once both ear loops are sewn into the closed seams your 3D Fitted Face Mask is done. Honestly, it took me longer to write this post than it did to make my first two masks. You can see why this is called 3 D--it is sitting on the cutting mat:

Because of the extra room created by the 3D design, the mask is not resting on your mouth. Maria has additional instructions in her earlier videos on how to insert a pipe cleaner or twist tie across the bridge of the nose, which might help with foggy glasses but that was more work than I wanted to do. When my husband saw this one he said "That's pretty". It does help to use a fabric you like if you have to wear a mask. 

The 

The 3 D feature is created with those folded back edges--the sewing in this updated video she said is much easier to do than in her earliest version and I believe it--this was easy to sew:

So, if you are still seeking a better mouse trap, I mean, Face Mask Pattern, give this one a try.

Now, let's quilt! I will be heading out this week to the Second Annual Joyful Journey Retreat with wonderful women friends, and we will wear masks when close together in the dining line--can't wait!

Barbara

Utility Sewing

I have been sewing by machine since I was 10. Garments, accessories, doll clothes, and lots and lots of quilts over these many years. Now I have to sew something I don't like making.

Masks. Ugh. I do not like making masks. But it is necessary, so I do it. There are thousands of patterns on the Internet. I combined a few, along with some suggestions from friends, so mow I have a workable process that doesn't take too long.

Stella, my 5 year old granddaughter, will be going to Kindergarten in a few weeks and masks are required. The couple I made her some weeks ago were too big. She came for a sleepover yesterday so I had her here for "custom fitting".

Here she is in her "Wonder Woman" mask--one I retro-fitted since the original was too wide and too loose. She says she isn't smiling but how can you tell?

The rest of the batch. In the lower right is a Mary Engelbright print that says "Princess of Quite A Lot".  The loops are made from hair ties I cut in half--saw that on some post on Facebook or Instagram so gave it a try. It works. Nine should keep her covered for a while:

When I was a little girl, I LOVED to play with old buttons we had in cigar boxes and cookie tins. I have saved them all these years and yesterday encouraged Stella to play with them. The two small tins once held bouillon cubes and the sticker on top of one says $.19. They were hard to open, so PopPop took care of that--filled with tiny buttons.

She sorted and poured and played and said "BB, look at this one!", lots of times. It kept her occupied while I worked on the masks and made my heart happy:

What happens when Daddy packs the overnight bag and there is nothing that looks like pajamas. BB finds the smallest T-shirt in her drawer for a nightshirt:

What I want to be sewing and will finish assembling today. A new class sample called "It's a Puzzle":

What are you working on? Making masks?  My secret sewing needs to get done--the quilting is about half done so that moves up the priority list. I will be making a trip with it in 4 weeks and was just told masks will be required for everyone, all day, every day. So a few more masks, in my most favorite fabrics, still need to be made.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Masks, Decks, Stella and a Winner!

Still making masks--it looks like we will be wearing them for a while. My sons said the two I made them recently were too tight--I used loops made from t-shirts. So when I was able to find elastic at my local quilt shop, I made a few new ones and retro-fitted their others:

My husband is a hardworking man who would rather do it himself. We are having our old deck replaced so he decided to take out the old deck himself so all the contractor has to do is build the new one. I know he is not 30 years old anymore, so I called in reinforcements--our two sons came to help with the labor. Here they are at the end of a long day, but the work is almost all done. The screws are all out  of those boards, they will just be lifted off when the workers arrive to build the new deck. As usual, it took much more effort than anticipated:

Andy, the youngest, brought Stella for me to play with. She is a delightful child, happy and funny and smart. It is very hard to get her to pose--she delights in making "goofy faces" rather than "good faces" so a bit of prompting finally got this., the new 5 year old:

She and her brother Sam are coming for a sleepover soon--so no sewing for me. It takes at least two full grown adults to keep up with a 5 and almost 2 year old. But we love seeing them and having them visit.

Drumroll Please!  The Giveaway winner, chosen by Random Number Generator from 66 comments is Kim W! An email has been sent, Kim, get me your mailing address and I'll send your package on the way:

I looked back to find out when I made this quilt--it was in 2017. I received the four-patches from someone who posted on a Facebook group that she made them from a charm pack but didn't like them and just wanted to give them away. I saw that post almost as soon as she wrote it and said "I'll take them". I put them into this doll-size quilt and had fun practicing free-motion quilting on it.

All the comments were interesting and  touching. Quilting ties so many of us together, making it a smaller world in some ways. Many find it a link to their past and a foot into the future.

By the way, the first 5 people selected did not have an email connected to their profile so were not able to be selected. Lucky for Kim!

Let's quilt,

Barbara