A little prep work -

While I wait for supplies - ;))

But let me start at the beginning -

Friday - 4/3/20 -

Some neighbors came over and stood on my front porch -
And talked to me through the open window -
While I stood inside - on the other side of the room -
"Social distancing" at its best - ;))
They asked me if I was making masks -
If I was - they wanted to buy some from me -
I said - first off - if I was making masks - I wouldn't charge my friends -
But I'm sorry - I'm not making any -
The patterns I've seen all call for elastic and pleats -
And my hands don't work that well anymore -
I can't do the fiddly stuff -
They were disappointed - but they understood -
And I felt so bad when I had to tell them "no" -

Saturday - 4/4/20 -

My friend, Sue at Pieceful Stitching -
told me that she was making some masks -
and I asked her what pattern she was using -
she emailed me a link to a YouTube video - HERE -

I watched the video and LIKED it!! -

No elastic -
No pleats -
No fiddly parts -
Straight sewing -

But I needed some supplies -

So I followed the links in the video -
And ordered some synthetic clothesline and garden ties from Amazon -
They will be delivered sometime next week -

I emailed her back - several times throughout the day -

I found some clothesline on Amazon - and some wire (her link) - and ordered some - should get it by the 13-14th.

Her video says to wash/dry/press - which I CAN do - between now and then - so I could work up some "parts" while I wait for the cording and wire. I have a bunch of 1/4 yard cuts that I can use - if I pre-wash them - the 9" may shrink a little - but I should still be able to get 8" out of them - and WOF should give me at least 4 @ 10" - so that might work out pretty well.

I had a couple of neighbors ask me if I was making masks - I told them "No" - I couldn't deal with pleats and fiddly elastic. They were disappointed - but THIS I can do!!!!!!!!! Besides - it looks MUCH better in that it covers below the chin all the way up - AND works with someone who wears glasses!!!!!!

==

I REALLY like the looks of this pattern - and I looked at a LOT of them!!!

None of them seemed "right" to me for some reason - I just couldn't put my finger on it -
I guess it WAS the coverage - it didn't seem adequate - even WITH the pleats.

The elastic looked "fiddly" and flimsy. I made a cover for my Kindle - used elastic - and it stretched out so much that it's basically useless to me. Got the feeling it would do the same thing on a mask.

The ones with ties on the top and bottom - some had it going along the top and bottom of the masks - some had it going along the sides - all of them had 4 ties - seemed like a hassle to have to tie them on both the top and bottom.

This one has TERRIFIC coverage - NO elastic - ONE tie with a loop - allows for a filter to be inserted if you want - and is SIMPLE to make!!!

THANKS for the link!! THIS is the pattern I was looking for!!! - ;))

==

I haven't posted anything about this "new normal" - but I know some have posted about making masks. I may post something now that I am going to make some. I told my neighbors that it wasn't something that I could do - and that I should feel guilty - but don't for some reason. NOW that I found a pattern - thanks to YOU - I would feel guilty if I didn't make any - ;))

==

I may post some "prep" stuff - but I won't have the cording or wire until the week after next - so I can't finish them yet. If/when I do - I will be sure to give you credit for finding the pattern and then link to the video - ;))

==

Sunday - 4/5/20 -

I pulled fabric and cut muslin from a bolt in my stash - to pre-wash on Monday -
And scheduled my post "Options" to go "live" on Monday morning -

Monday - 4/6/20 -

I sewed the first set of 4 blocks for the TT-Confetti quilt -
Pre-washed the fabric and muslin -
And scheduled my post "The first set" for Tuesday morning -

And emailed another friend -

One of my friends emailed me a link to a mask that I can make. I've held off making any since I can't do the elastic and pleats - my hands don't work well enough for that "fine motor control" - and I felt bad when my neighbors across the street - the ones who have taken out my trash barrels EVERY week since my husband died 5-1/2 years ago - asked me if I was making masks and I had to say "no". Anyway - here's the link - I ordered some clothesline and garden ties from Amazon and am pre-washing some fabric now. I'll see how much I can get done while I wait for Amazon to deliver - ;))

Tuesday - 4/7/20 -
Today - although this will get posted Wednesday morning -

So - after all of this was pre-washed Monday -

I cut the muslin into 11" strips -

After they were pressed -
I trimmed the strips down to 10" and sub-cut them into 8" segments -

And prepared five sets of "inner" lining/pocket sections -

And have another five marked and ready to sew tomorrow - ;))

By the way -

The pattern that I'm using is from this video -



And once again BOB had to laugh -

I saw on Tuesday that another blogger has posted a link to the same video -

I guess some of us were ahead of the curve -

And some others are just now catching up -

Or it could be that great minds think alike - LOL - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -