10 July 2020

Masks





The rules keep changing but the requirement to wear a mask or face covering seems to be increasing.  I believe it is now mandatory in the UK to wear a mask if you are travelling on public transport and anywhere in public where social distancing is not possible. 

My daughter, Kat, made herself a stylish face mask a few weeks ago so I asked her to send me the pattern.  Yesterday, as it was a rainy day, I decided to make some.  In the past I would have had plenty of old linen or fabric to play with but I have no such resource here in our new home.  But in Kat’s room I found a bag of clothes earmarked for the charity shop and decided to use a red t-shirt and blue striped skirt to make my masks.  For any fans of the Sewing Bee it was a cross between the pattern challenge and the transformation challenge.


Paul and I now have four stylish masks at our disposal in case we decide to venture out into the big, bad world.


22 comments:

  1. What about a mask for Rick? We don't want him contracting COVID19 do we?

    Trouble with masks is that I don't like breathing in my own CO2. I prefer oxygen.

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    1. Masks are never pleasant to wear but it's no hardship for short periods, unlike medics and key workers who have to wear PPE all day.

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  2. Very nice. I'm a bit like you in that I used to have all kinds of fabric scraps, but I haven't sewn anything in so long and got rid of all my extras. I ended up buying a box of 15 "paper" masks which I'll just keep in my vehicle just in case. -Jenn

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    1. Good idea to keep a box handy in the car.

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  3. It is only compulsory to wear a mask on public transport in England. Your masks are nice and colourful.

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  4. I love grey Ted's mask Believe me hearing aids and specs make wearing a mask very difficult. I had to wear one all the time in the hairdressers yesterday - luckily I have to remove my aids and specs to have my hair done.

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    1. I've deliberately made mine with loops that go behind the head rather than the ears.

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  5. Same rules here and the majority of people are following them. A friend made me a mask which is a nice snug fit but, in our heatwave, it is quite suffocating. I don't know how front line workers wear them all day!

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    1. The fabric has to be dense to be effective but they can feel very stuffy. The paper ones might be easier to wear for long periods.

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  6. Yup. That's the pattern I've been using. I've been shipping them off to family left and right. Clever to have used charity shop offerings.

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    1. It's a good pattern, the size and shape seems to suit my face.

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  7. Mine are very plain white, and were made by the good women of Lumberjack! I now stand out in a crowd for being so plain.

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    1. Get your crayons out and draw a big smile on them!

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  8. For a moment I thought the first photo was Rick, wearing a fancy dress you'd made him to go to a party!
    Masks more in evidence here since the influx of tourists, and are compulsory in public places where social distancing is not possible, and on public transport. That's this week, anyway - it could all change!
    Over 65's were given a free pack of three, when the pandemic first took hold. Now we can buy them in packs of ten for 5 euros at all the supermarkets, chemists and shops. Normally I keep one in the car, but brought it in to wash today, so must remember to put it back.

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    1. I think it's going to become standard practice for the foreseeable future.

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  9. Try wearing them in 35 degree (C) heat! Anything not cotton is torture. And even cotton is a sweaty mess. Waiters and bar workers here are wearing little upside-down visor things propped on their chins - which beggars the belief that they could actually do anything at all other than look completely ridiculous.

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    1. Thankfully we don't get even close to those sort of temperatures here! I imagine it would be unbearable to wear a mask in that sort of heat.

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  10. I also used old colourful shirts and pillowcases to get my materials. I went for head straps rather than ear loops for comfort. Yours look very stylish.

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    1. Thank you. I find the head straps seem to work very well with the type of mask I made.

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