Making face masks: things have changed

Things have changed, huh? Since I wrote a post on making face masks, the official advice has changed.

From ‘don’t wear masks (because you’ll walk around outside touching your face)’.

To ‘everyone should wear a mask.’

If you haven’t watched that video yet, please do so. That’s when I decided making face masks was a good idea.

Here’s an article from the New York times: It’s Time To Make Your Own Face Mask.

The pattern is easy to follow, simpler to make than my previous version, and easier to wear. I made size large for me and my enormous noggin. Size medium for J and his normal-size head.

I’m a fairly indifferent sew-er, but these went a lot faster once I realised I could chain-sew the main mask pieces with backing up and forth to secure the ends (that’s taken care of later, don’t worry). That’s the only tip for making face masks I have, sorry.

And don’t bother clipping the threads, I guess? There’s a thread hanging out in that picture, but it made making masks a lot faster.

We wash ’em like clothes, bunging them straight into the washer when we get inside. I figure the detergent will kill any virus particles, and we have enough masks now, and we go out so seldom, that it will be a week or more between wears of any one mask. I guess that’s enough – who knows.

There’s a meme that goes around fairly regularly. Always slightly different, but the gist of it is: ‘You better stock your survival bunker with spinners, weavers, knitters and sewers if you want to make it through the apocalypse.’

I sent some homemade face masks to friends: two in a letterbox around the corner, two more to Germany, four to a city some 50km away, four more to friends some 7km away – but in France, which may as well be on the moon right now. Always in multiples, so they can be worn then washed.

I added a note with our Prime Minister’s words: ‘Stay safe and be kind.’