Doing our part

Well we are trying to do our part in this time of the pandemic. 

Sonny is busy trying to get our garden planted. Rain seems to be stopping him at every turn. He did get corn and green peas planted as well as lettuce, spinach and onions. And they are all up and growing. I just hope we don't have an Easter snap.

I've been busy sewing....mainly facemasks to give away. I have now sewn 118 but 36 have no elastic. Sadly all the outlets have sold out....even online. I have some ordered but told it will be sometime in May before receiving them. I've had several people asking how I make them. It does take time and I've spent hours cutting, sewing and ironing. So unless you have the time to invest.....well you get the idea. Ok here is how I do them.

First I cut out 2 exact same size pieces of fabric. I cut mine 8x9inches. 

This photo shows before I cut the 8 inch side. (You can use the same fabric squares or different ones, just as long as they are the same size.). 

Then lay right sides together and sew down one long side (9inch side). 

On other long ends of the fabric, roll under 1/4 inch twice to make a rolled hem. Stitch each side separate. Do not stitch together. 

Fold with wrong sides together and iron. 

Fold over with stitched sides up. Iron 

Open up and fold down top to center fold line and bottom to center fold line. Press. 

Fold this in half again and press.

Now open up and flip over and fold top 1/4th to center line and pin sides and fold bottom to center line and pin sides. 

Sew 1/2inch along each side. Remove pins. Cut a 3x5 1/2inch piece of fabric. It can be matching or contrast. Line up to end side of mask right sides together. 

Fold the 2 tags on the sides to the front and pin. Sew down side of mask catching in folded ends. 

Repeat on other end. This is what it looks like at this point when they are both sewn.

Roll the ends to the other side and do a rolled hem on raw edge and pin. 

Sew this down the sides on a tiny edge.

These sides are the casing for the elastic.

I have a neat gadget that basically is along wire with a hook on the end. I hook the end of my elastic to the hook and pull it through. But a safety pin will work as well. Use 1/4 or 1/2 inch elastic or ribbon. I cut these about 7inches long but can be adjusted. You don't want it too tight or too loose.

Once I run the elastic through the casing, I overlap a little bit and then hand stitch the elastic together by stitching down each side of the overlap of elastic. 

Now that they are finished, you may realize that these have a pocket. I wear the open end up and slide in a coffee filter or if you can find them, they do make charcoal filters for facemask you can purchase. But I just made some using finer chunk activated charcoal for water pumps. I cut a piece of fabric about 6x6 inch piece of scrap fabric. I folded over and sewed channels about 1inch wide along the piece to make channeled pouch. Leave the one end open. I used a funnel to fill each pouch with the charcoal and then sewed the long end shut. It will slide down into the pocket on the masks. Sorry I don't have a photo. If I make more, I'll post photos of them. In the mean time if you are worried, just use a coffee filter. I fold one in half and slide down inside pocket.