We make do - face masks

With *no* face masks of any kind available, it was time to break out the sewing kit and scavenge a sheet from the rag bin. Flannel may not be the best but it's soft and comfortable.

I do not own a sewing machine so everything had to be done by hand. I'm honestly not very good at it.

I snagged some half inch elastic before going into the Grand Bunker of Doom - because I couldn't find any quarter inch elastic. I got some bandana material too because it was red and on sale.

My first attempt was based on a 'tee-shirt dust mask' I found on You Tube, but I doubled up the fabric for extra protection. It covers my face very well but uses a lot of elastic.

My second was based on a standard pattern for a cloth surgical mask off the web. Right now there's a lot of videos and instructions so take your pick. I used the 9 inch by 7 inch rectangle, doubling up the fabric for extra soft goodness. The half inch elastic doesn't make for a good fit behind the ears. The length was off too but that was simple to fix.

Tomorrow I go for version 3 - carefully cutting the elastic lengthwise but sticking with the 9 x 7 rectangle. Sewing by hand makes me appreciate the work women have done (usually with little repayment) for centuries.

It won't stop the virus but it will prevent me from touching my face. It might stop the water droplets that may carry the virus expelled by someone coughing. It *will* flag people to stay the heck away.

This is a system failure folks: Quarterly Earnings Capitalism cannot cope with even a mild pandemic. I'll rant on this another time.

Stay healthy people.

-m