I didn’t sleep last night so of course I slept late this morning … and by this morning I mean Tuesday… and now I’ll probably be up all night again. I did go up to quilt after Keith and Finn went to bed and got this UFO from 2017 quilted. Pantograph is Blowing Leaves and it’s made from the Boxed Squares pattern found on my website.
I don’t usually do borders on these but I used a kit I’d bought on sale and rather making the pattern in the kit, I made the boxed squares and since there was border fabric, I used it. It will probably be given to a family member or I’ll donate it. I’m not sure right now where it will end up.
And speaking of family members … Mom had emailed me tonight about trying to make some of the facemasks using the pattern from Joann.com but was having some problems. I sent her a link to a video that one of my HeartStrings members had shared for one that looked really easy and quick. And since I thought she might have questions, I decided to make one tonight after I finished quilting the boxed squares so I could help her if needed.
The guy is Czech and the instructions are not in English although if you look through the comments you can find some information. He said the square is 20cm but that’s too small so I looked up another pattern and they used a 9 x 12 rectangle so I started with that. He said to cut the ties about 90cm which is about 35.4 inches and I cut mine 1.5 inches wide. (Someone commented on my HeartStrings group that the 20cm must be the size of the square folded rather than 20cm cut which sounds about right.)
If you are going to make these with ties, I suggest you click on the link above and watch his video because he makes it look pretty easy. I’ve seen other more complicated instructions….and sometimes you just have to make one or two to figure it out!
I have mixed feelings about quilters making these since I think a lot of people are going to misunderstand that these masks are not going to protect you from the corona virus. I’ve read in some circumstances healthcare providers can wear them over an approved mask that they are having to reuse to keep it clean or in some cases when no mask is available but again, it will not protect against the virus. Mom commented that a physician in their area had suggested on TV that susceptible people wear a homemade mask if they went out but the only guidelines I’ve read for wearing a mask is if you are sick and then you should not be going out unless you need medical care and a mask could be worn by the ill person until they are able to be isolated to help decrease the chance that they’d infect someone else. I’m certainly not going to discourage anyone from making masks if they choose to, I just hope it doesn’t give people a false sense of security.
Good morning Mary. I have similar concerns about the use of these masks. There is a flurry of activity here and many kind folks are busy making them. I cannot convince myself at this point to join them because of my concerns about misunderstanding and complacency. I sing my song about hand washing and staying away from others with as much opportunity as I can. Your boxed squares quilt is cosy looking, and I like the border. Hope your sleep pattern gets back in sync for you soon.
I hear you re the masks. I wonder how effective they really are & wonder if they’re not really just intended to give “the worried well” some busy work. I don’t, however, wonder if your “Boxed Squares” quilt is fabulous or not… it is! I love it & am inspired to make one. I’m committed to several charity/pro bono quilt groups this year (what happened to “This year I’m quilting for ME”? LOL!) & this would be perfect. Goodness knows I’ve got jelly rolls comin’ out my ears! Thank you for inspiring me with such a beautiful quilt (love those colors… so homey!)!!!
Beautiful quilt. I completely agree with you about the homemade masks.
I think the masks offer one huge benefit for general citizens to wear. It helps to remind people not to touch their faces. It won’t prevent airborne transmission but it sure can prevent transmission from your hands. It seems that’s the most common Form of transmission in the case of this particular virus.
As always, your posts are perfect. A friend who lives in Valrico, asked me to make her and her granddaughter a few masks. I have been holding on to bias tape a grosgrain ribbon for forever. Now I have a project that I can use them on.
Hi, Mary! We are busy making masks here in New Ulm for Allina at their request. Here is a link to the instructions. They do not protect against viruses but are useful for other circumstances. The only problem here is finding enough elastic. https://www.allinahealth.org/-/media/allina-health/files/mask-sewing-how-to.pdf
Love your quilt, I made one for a friend in black and white and it’s so easy. I’m not making masks, it seems so many quilters have jumped on this band wagon and I’ll just let them do it. I know some nurses who wanted their mother to make them something to wear over their protective masks as they were only getting one mask a day. With the cotton masks, they can remove them and wash them later. Hubby and I are self isolating for ten days now and it looks like it will be much longer here in the St Louis area. I do miss my former life but I’m a quilter so I have plenty to do. I hope your sleep patterns return to normal soon. I woke up last night four times and normally I sleep like a baby. I’m not worried but I think it’s just because of the changes in our lives. We will survive this virus.
I love the leaves quilted on the Boxed Squares. I have my Boxed Squares top done and found a backing for it but am not sure if I want to quilt it myself or drop it off with my regular quilter to do.
I’ve also been worried about the home made masks giving folks a false sense of security. And I haven’t personally made any masks yet. I’ve printed off a couple of patterns but focused on binding the past couple of days.
Thanks for the link to the face mask video. I might make some for my neighbors but I also have mixed feelings. We do have a quilt shop near us though that has her customers making lots of them and they are donating them to a nearby health center and even the hospital has requested them. So they are apparently getting used. Love the colors in that quilt! And you gave me a good idea. I have some kits I bought a few years ago but don’t really like the quilt pattern anymore. I will just use the material and make something I like. Thanks!!
I really like this quilt as well.🙂
My comments are much the same. We cannot depend on the masks made of quilting cotton to stop the virus. But it will keep us from touching our faces. And somehow they seem a little less scary to look at (for the children and elderly who do not comprehend) than a surgical face mask.
We are making ours as a pocket to slip a safe mask into.
I was contacted by a friend that says his hospital can use them but not for corona virus patients. They will use them for nurses visiting other patients. I also heard that they can help nurses using the heavy duty masks. They put them over the heavy duty mask to help it last longer.