I made 4 face masks yesterday.

Add that to the list of things I never thought I’d find myself saying.

But, given the new recommendations that we all wear face coverings when we go out in public I decided it was time. I basically followed this pattern and instructions. If you have basic sewing skills it’s simple enough. A few things to note:

• I used quilting fabric from my stash. The masks are 2 layers and I used a different layer for the lining so that we know which is the inside.
• I did not add a pocket for a filter. I want them to be comfortable and breathable and these are not meant for medical use.
• I specifically chose this pattern because I wanted a mask that hooked over the ears and didn’t tie since we both have long hair. (And mine is getting longer by the day, I swear!)
• I stitched a piece of bias tape on the lining so that I can insert a piece of floral wire to shape the top of the mask around the nose. I left it open on one end so that I can remove the wire to wash the masks.
• The first one took me about 30 minutes. After that I finished 3 more in less than an hour. Should we need more (color coordination matters) I’m sure I can reduce that time.

They are pretty comfortable. I didn’t wear mine for long but the elastic around the ears didn’t bother me. Dale wore his for the better part of the afternoon as he was outside doing yard work. It probably wasn’t necessary to wear it then but it was a good way to get used to it. He reported that the elastic was fine and it didn’t bother him to wear.

I’m headed to the library today to do some paperwork. I’ll be there by myself so I won’t wear it while I’m inside but I will be wearing it when I’m out in public and I hope I don’t feel silly. I hope, instead, that I have the courage to wear it proudly as I protect others.

I think there’s something really special about using cloth napkins. And these days it’s not only special but it’s smart. Less paper napkins in the landfill is a good thing, right? So last week I set out to make some cloth napkins for my family.

I gathered my supplies: fabric, iron, rotary cutter, cutting mat.

I pressed the fabric.

I cut the fabric into 15″ squares.

Finally, I was ready to sew!

I set up my serger to execute a rolled hem. This was easier said than done because my serger, like so many sergers, can be cranky. The thread kept breaking until I got the tension right. And then the thread kept breaking until I changed the needle.

Before long, though, all was well and I chugged right through all those napkins. I “chained” them much like I do when piecing a quilt. Basically you just keep feeding them in until you don’t have any left. Cut them apart and then feed them into the serger so that the opposite edge gets hemmed. Then do the final 2 sides, first one side and then the other. By doing it this way I got nice square corners.

In about 2 hours time (one hour for pressing and cutting and one hour for serging) I had 24 fabric napkins. And even though these will be washed in the washing machine, and that uses energy, I can just throw them in with any load we’re doing. It’s got to be more green than buying and throwing away paper napkins.

I do have one problem, though. They are too pretty to use!