MEREDITH – Fred Rogers, TV’s Mr. Rogers, frequently shared his mother’s advice when telling children how to cope with frightening times.
“Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
In Delaware County, women who ordinarily craft with fabric are now turning their hands to making masks to help keep healthcare workers safe during this public health emergency. They’re helping.
“I got a call from Jeanie Shaw in Treadwell,” said Becky Wasserstrom, head of the Delaware County Town and Country Quilters group. “They have a group at the Methodist church there that makes baby quilts. She said one of them had a son who works as a respiratory therapist and he told her they’d been using the same masks for two weeks. So her group started making masks and they were running out of fabric. She asked if I had any.”
A quilter, almost by definition, always has a lot of fabric. She first pulled some together.
“I filled up two bags,” she said. “And then I filled up a bag with cute fabric that the nurses could use. We didn’t want to forget them.”
Then she emailed the rest of her group and got all hands on deck.
“It’s kind of a natural thing for us,” Wasserstrom said. “We already make clothing protectors and walker carrying bags for the local nursing home. So I suggested we start making masks, too.”
There are two basic patterns on the Internet – one is a simple, rectangular mask with pleats that has elastic that slips over the ears. There’s also a more complex version that has a metal pinch for the nose and a pocket for a filter. The simpler ones are not difficult to make, even for beginners. Once you’ve got the hang of it, she thinks a stitcher can make two or three of those in an hour. She said she’s been told both are useful.
“The simpler one, I’m told some workers are using it over the professional N-95 mask to make it last longer,” Wasserstrom said. “They can wash the homemade one over and over while protecting the other one. I’m not saying they’re a be-all and end-all, but they’re useful. The simple one is also good for everyone to wear when they go out, because it not only keeps you from spreading germs, but it also reminds people not to touch their face.”
The effort is so new that there’s not a full system in place yet to distribute them. Wasserstrom said some Stamford area quilters are donating the masks they make directly to the nursing home there. Others are giving them to family members. She’s trying to figure out a way to set up a drop-off point so that local quilters can get the masks they’ve made to her and she will make sure they get to where they’re needed.
She said the quilters are also starting to use scrap fabric to make ties for the masks because they’re running out of elastic. Stitchers are creative.
“Very seldom when I ask this group to do something do they say no.”
If you’d like to help, too, you can contact Wasserstrom at becky@delhitel.net.
