I’ve always been a saver. Not a hoarder. A saver. I like to save things that I think will come in handy sometime in the future. I have a closet in my office that is full of storage boxes containing scraps of fabric, notions and yarn left over from projects dating back more than thirty-five years. Some might see my stash as junk, but for me, every time I open a box, it’s like looking through a photo album. Each scrap and ball of yarn triggers the memory of the maternity top, baby gown, toddler romper, dress or craft project it was purchased to become.
A few weeks ago I took a trip down memory lane as I dug into the depths of my craft closet in search of pieces of fabric and usable notions to make face masks to send to my soon to be daughter-in-law, Ariel, who is an OB/GYN in Oregon. Unlike the pale green masks usually seen on medical personnel, my masks are bright and colorful, cause that’s what I’ve got on hand.
I followed the directions I found on a YouTube video via Facebook courtesy of Deaconess Hospital (Click Here for video). The directions are pretty simple and straightforward and soon I had the knack of it. But, after the first dozen or so I ran out of 1/4″ elastic. After a fruitless trip to Walmart in search of more elastic, I tried Amazon and quickly discovered I wasn’t the only one making masks. There was none to be had. So, I mailed out what I had, keeping two behind for Dave and myself and thought I was through making masks.
A couple of days later, I decided to dig through my stuff again to see if maybe there was more elastic somewhere in my stash. I knew I had elastic, but it was wider than the recommended 1/4″ width. I decided to see what would happen if I cut the elastic widthwise. After cutting it, I gave it a few tugs to check for fraying and to my delight, it did not. Who knew?
With elastic replenished a bit, I started sewing again and was able to produce another dozen or so masks. I sent a few more out to my parents, my kids and began offering them to friends. Again, with my elastic gone, I thought I was done.
Yesterday, after seeing pictures of masks online, I opened the closet door again and pulled out the scraps of bias tape I’ve saved throughout the years and began sewing it into ties for masks. With these ties I was able to make another dozen masks to share.
I’m not going suppose that I am done making masks. In the past few weeks I’ve rediscovered something that I guess I’d forgotten; that with a little ingenuity, a little bit can go a long way. In my stash I still have bits I can make into ties. Even as my scraps of memories are used up and distributed, it’s a good feeling to know they are being put to good use.
