Making Homemade Face Masks - Ideas and Resources - St. Mark's City Heights
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Making Homemade Face Masks - Ideas and Resources
for the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego and Friends
Join this Effort and Make a Difference from Home!
created April 3, 2020 by Deann Rios, Episcopal Community Services (ECS)
contact info: 619-694-9892 or drios@ecscalifornia.org
Background - There’s a huge need for masks right now, as we are now all being asked to wear
masks when we go out. I started looking at options for making masks because our ECS staff and
some of our clients need them, they are often backordered, and they can be made easily from
home. Below are the highlights of what I have learned about options for making reusable,
washable, cloth masks and about one group coordinating the making and distribution of them in
San Diego County for groups who need them. Please contact me to learn more about making
masks for ECS, or if you’d like to connect with others making masks to compare notes.
I hope the ideas here will help you make masks for yourself and your family, and I hope
individuals from your church or group will consider making masks for others, as this is a very
tangible way to bless and show love for our neighbors – our families and friends, seniors and
members of our congregations, neighbors on our blocks and who are homeless, health care
professionals and grocery store workers, ECS staff and clients, and more! Please feel free to edit
this document as needed for your group. A good handful of churches are already excited about
this, and I trust we will make a significant collective contribution to our communities through this
effort during this challenging time!
Benefits and Limitations of Fabric Masks
Fabric masks will not protect us from the virus like N95 masks, but they can do the following:
1) Keep us from touching our faces.
2) Reduce the spread of the virus from people who have it but are asymptotic.
3) To some extent, though this is highly debatable, reduce our exposure to airborne particles.
Important Notes:
*According to multiple experts, the top reason for wearing these masks is to prevent us from
touching our faces
*If masks are not washed regularly, they may actually be harmful, because infrequent washing
and moisture retention can make cloth masks a breeding ground for pathogens.
Notes for All Mask Options
*Elastic vs. cloth ties - Elastic is in short supply. This is okay because medical workers prefer
cloth ties. They are more comfortable for securing masks than elastic straps which cut into the
skin. Elastic also wears down with washing. All options shared here have ties rather than elastic.
*Fabric – Tight knit, pre-washed, 100% cotton fabric is best for the combination of breathability
and protection. This can include T-shirt material, jersey material, cotton flannel, etc.
*Care Instructions – It is important to include instructions about care with the masks to make
sure people know to wash them regularly.
*Sanitizing and Delivering Masks – If you are personally delivering masks to individuals or
groups, please make sure to wash the masks and put on gloves before packing the masks in
ziploc bags to gift!
*Printable Information to Include with Masks - See below for an important printable insert to
include with your mask(s) in a ziploc bag. This includes a disclaimer, cleaning instructions, and a
prayer. Please include your name or the name of your church at the bottom before printing.Videos and Instructions for Simple Face Masks *MadeEveryday YouTube Tutorial using t-shirt ties (video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB68tnsXQ2w *How to make “Fabric Tie Face Mask with Jenny Doan of Missouri Star Quilt Company” (video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_-R8Ox3Spw *Face mask with pocket for filter and shoe laces as ties (video): https://leahday.com/pages/how-to-make-a-face-mask-free-pattern *See the “Uniting with Homemade Masks San Diego County” Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/UnitingWithHomemadeMasks/ - and consider joining forces with this larger group in San Diego that is coordinating the making and distribution of homemade masks for many of our front line and essential workers. This group seems very organized, has specific guidelines for making masks to be distributed to hospitals and medical professionals, and has point people spread out throughout the County. (See below and separate sheet for more info) *Printable pattern (instructions): https://www.instructables.com/id/AB-Mask-for-a-Nurse-by-a-Nurse/ *No-sew face mask with bandana and hair tie elastics or stockings/socks (instructions): http://blog.japanesecreations.com/no-sew-face-mask-with-handkerchief-and-hair-tie Note: I’m not sure how comfortable this option is, etc., but I included it since it’s a no-sew option. *Facebook page for San Diegans with ideas about how to make masks for you and your family: https://www.facebook.com/MaskupSanDiego/ Ideas for Gifting of Homemade Masks There are many people and groups who could potentially use masks, including the following: -You, your family, and friends - to wear to the grocery store, etc. -Neighbors (i.e. leave on doorsteps, etc.) -Nursing or group homes – St. Paul’s Senior Services or others -Mail carriers and first responders (i.e. leave as gift in mail box) -Grocery store workers (hand one to your cashier when you go to the store or talk to the store manager and make enough for his/her whole staff team) -Hospitals - doctors, nurses, healthcare professionals (There’s a big need for masks within these groups. See below for info about making covers for N95 masks which help them last longer.) -Congregations or groups doing feeding programs (i.e. to distribute when handing out meals or include in Blessings in a Bag) -Others in our congregations and communities Sharing this Opportunity Consider sharing this opportunity with others who may be interested in joining the effort! *Share about this at your church - Sample language for your e-blast or Facebook page: “Join others at (name of church) in making much needed masks for (groups you are focusing on). Contact (name) at (contact info) to learn more!” *Invite friends and neighbors to join the effort – in and out of town friends from your social circles *Consider involving children and youth if possible. *Post pictures of the masks you make on social media to spread the word!
Tracking our Mask Making! We would love to track the number of masks and generally how they are being used and shared so we can celebrate this effort along the way and at the end of this strange time. We are asking one person from each church or group to act as a point person who tracks 1) who is making masks, 2) how many they are making, and 3) how they are being used and shared. Please see the Mask Making Tracking Sheet, and use this to track your activity. There’s a page for each individual maker to use and one for the overall coordinator for each church or group. More about ECS Programs and Masks Following are the ECS programs needing and/or using masks: *Uptown Safe Haven – masks for residents and staff of transitional housing program for homeless adults with mental health disorders *Central East Regional Recovery Center (CERRC) – masks for staff and potentially for clients *ACCORD DUI Program – masks for staff of DUI education and counseling program *Para Las Familias – masks for staff of children’s counseling program *Nutrition Services – masks for staff making meals for Head Start families To learn more about ECS and our current work during the Covid-19 virus, please visit ecscalifornia.org. Collaboration with City Wide Groups As mentioned above, there is a Facebook group called “Uniting with Homemade Masks San Diego County” - https://www.facebook.com/groups/UnitingWithHomemadeMasks/ - that is coordinating and connecting people making masks around San Diego County; taking requests for masks; and coordinating volunteers to distribute to hospitals, group homes, nursing homes, etc. They are in touch with hospitals to make sure the masks they are making fit the requirements and needs of the hospital personnel. They are asking volunteers to make standard masks for everyday people and N95 mask covers for medical professionals. They provide instructions for the masks volunteers are making in partnership with them. If any individuals, churches, or groups would like to be part of this collective effort, below are a few steps to get you started: 1) Join the “Uniting with Homemade Masks San Diego County” Facebook group by answering a short questionnaire and waiting to be approved as a member of the group (Note: you can look at the info on this group page and interact with the group by writing a message or asking a question before you are a member.) 2) Look at the Announcements on this Facebook group page for all of the essential information about how the group works. Note that new information is posted regularly. 3) You must follow this group’s mask directions if you would like to offer the masks you make to hospitals and other groups through this collaborative effort. 4) Note: You could follow their guidelines and share some of your masks with groups within our Diocese or other groups you know personally and also have the option to share masks with this network. They currently have more needs than they can fill. 5) It’s also an option for people to volunteer to deliver masks with this group. "I hope you’re proud of yourself for the times you’ve said 'yes,' when all it meant was extra work for you and was seemingly helpful only to someone else." -Fred Rogers
Mask Maker Tracking Sheet
For Mask Maskers:
Please help us track the number of masks we are making within the Diocese by tracking the
number you are making each day/week. One easy way to track your activity is as follows:
1) Plan to track your progress for each week.
2) Add a hash mark in the “Total # of Masks Completed” box at the end of each day you sew to
record the number of masks completed
3) When you gift them to individuals or groups, put the number of masks for each category in the
appropriate boxes.
Name of Mask Maker:
Week Total # of Masks # for # for # for # for # for # for San Other
Completed Family/ Church Church Medical Other Diego (fill in
(track each day that Friends/ Members Ministries Workers Essential County category)
you sew so total at Neighbors Workers/ Group to
end of week is easy) Donations Distribute
March
30-
April 5
April
6-12
April
13-19
April
20-26
April
27-May
3
May 4-
10
Please feel free to change the categories if the ones above are not relevant and different ones
make more sense for you, and feel free to recreate this in Excel or make your own tracking
sheet…whatever works for you! I didn’t know how many weeks to include, so I guessed early
May.
*Please share your progress each week with your church/group point person so he/she
can share this information and we can track our collective effort! Your point person is:
Name: Email: Phone:
If you have any thank you notes, quotes, or pictures of people modeling masks you have made, it
would be great to save some of these and share them!
Mark 12:30-31
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and
with all your strength.’The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no
commandment greater than these.”
Blessings to you, and THANK YOU for joining this effort to love your neighbor in a
small but very important and tangible way during this challenging time!!!Facebook Group: Uniting with Homemade Masks San Diego County Below is additional information from their Facebook group page as of April 2, 2020 This group connects and guides people to make standard masks and mask covers. In order to standardize the masks that we provide to our community, we would like to recommend that only these 3 designs are made until we have evidence of better mask designs out there. It is HIGHLY recommended to use tight-knit 100% cotton fabric for these. Instructions for Making Masks *N95s are the masks on shortest supply for the medical workers. To address this problem, this mask cover design acts as a cover for the N95s to help preserve them for longer use: http://tiny.cc/maskcover (downloadable file in our "Files" tab). Updated version of the same mask (optional): http://tiny.cc/maskcoverver2 *Standard mask designs are more useful for workers in nursing homes, the elderly, and immunocompromised. Having a filter that can be changed out will also help the masks be more reusable: http://tiny.cc/standardmask (This design calls for a nose wire, but we'd recommend either not having one or leaving a pocket/something to give users the option to put a wire themselves. Additionally, fabric ties are preferred over elastics.) *For masks for the use of people in the general public, we'd like to recommend Kaiser's masks. These are simple to make and require the least materials: http://tiny.cc/KaiserMask (We recommend making the straps a few inches longer than theirs in order to make it easier to tie around the head) *If you have a fancy 3D printer, we'd like to refer you to Aj Nielsen - Osborn in our group! She's been working on creating face shields for hospitals. You can also email her at sandiego@masksforcovid.com. Frequently asked questions *I want to help! Where do I start? First of all, welcome to the group! We really appreciate your help. You can start at our pinned posts which will have the most recent updates on what mask designs we’re currently making, what requests are waiting to be fulfilled, and any other announcements. If you have something to contribute to the group, feel free to make a post as well. What kinds of fabric work best? • New, prewashed, tightly woven 100% cotton fabric • No glitter or other embellishments *Where can I get the materials? We’re mostly relying on our volunteers to get supplies themselves. Fortunately, we have some help! Joann’s, Michael’s, and Walmart are popular options. Some Joann's stores are donating kits. Olga has also graciously volunteered to donate fabric from her store. You can contact her. *I can’t find any elastics. No problem! Fabric ties work even better, and it’s even more popular with people who have latex allergies since some elastics for crafting often have latex. Another option is to find elastic hairbands (available at the dollar store) and cutting them! *What are people using for filters?
We have decided to recommend that our sewists not include filters for multiple reasons. Most filters that the general public can get their hands on are not good enough for filtering the virus. Additionally, having filters in the masks makes washing them more complicated especially for our drop-off points. Therefore, we recommend making the masks with the filter pockets to give medical facilities the option of putting a higher grade filter if they'd like. But, our focus for hospitals is giving mask covers so that they still are able to wear the N95s which guarantee the highest safety. If you're planning on using a filter for yourself, the safest and cheapest options seem to be 2 layers of paper towel (a popular option in Hong Kong which is doing a great job at controlling the virus' spread) and surgical sterile wrappers (if you have connections to anyone that works in the hospitals). *I want to help sew the masks, but I don't have a sewing machine. Can I sew by hand? We appreciate your passion to help! We have seen some people in other groups claim that masks sewn by hand don't do well in washing machines and can break easily. We haven't had anyone test that out in our group yet, though, so we welcome you to try and let us know how it goes! *What are you guys doing for quality control? We have a collection point/drop off system now set up for this to ensure all the masks are made up to standard, cleaned before arriving at their final destinations, and requests fulfilled! You can find the post about this in the "announcements" tab of our group. *I can't sew, but I would like to donate! You can visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/uniting-with-homemade-masks to donate to us! Our donations will go towards reimbursing our suppliers and any extra funds will go towards a relief group at the end. We appreciate your donations! Thank you! Other Posts on the Group Page and Notes: *Happy Sunday, everyone! As the number of amazing people working on making masks grow, we'd like to better gauge how many masks we are to expect. Therefore, please help us out by taking a quick minute to fill out this form: https://forms.gle/e1NpWWamZHUpcWyC7 *It's been wonderful seeing people in this group volunteer their time to make masks for people's requests! We now have a collection point system set up where you can drop off your masks and we'll make sure they reach their destination! Please get in contact with the person in charge of a location closest to you! You can find details in the "Announcements" tab of our group. *Pro tip: Share an image of the beautiful masks you finish with the group before you drop them off so we can all rejoice about the good work being done! How it'll work: You're done with your masks so you choose a collection point location closest to you --> you message the person in charge of that location to give them a heads up --> drop off your masks at the specific address they give you --> we take it from there! *There is a Mask Request Form available on the group page. *There are also opportunities to volunteer to deliver masks to groups who have requested them in various parts of San Diego County.
You can also read
