Afternoon mask making

 After having a horror of trying to make more sewn masks for a long time (I have been wearing some from Society 6 - including several designed by South Korean artist Pikaole, who I follow on Twitter and whose drawings of animals I enjoy), I decided I really needed two work-weeks' worth of masks, because you need to wash the reusable kind after each day.

Also, a Ravelry friend sent me a card of elastic she wound off from a giant cone she bought - this was when elastic couldn't be found anywhere and you could only buy industrial quantities - and I felt like "She went to the trouble to mail it out so I should use it."

 

And also, maybe, I am getting better in terms of acceptance/learning to live with this thing.

 

I still don't like making pleats though. 

I made six masks:

 

There they all are, along with the rubbery ear-saver I bought from someone on Etsy (I got a pack of six, this is the one I could quickly lay my hands on). I need it because my ears are floppy and the elastic makes them fold forward and then the mask falls off. (I don't know either. Maybe I have some kind of cartilage weirdness?) Also, it snugs the masks up to my face better so there are fewer gaps. I still want to get some filters to put inside these (they are double layer with an opening on the reverse side) because I can tell they allow more inward airflow than the Society 6 ones. 

 I just grabbed fabric and started choosing "what do I like/will match with my clothes/isn't cutting into a piece I will want all of for a quilt later on" and also "which admit the least light when you hold a double layer up to a lamp" because you don't want too large a space between the weaves (I mean, virus can still get in, of course, what you are trying to do is block spit droplets, and a non-woven filter will help with that too*)

 

(*I ordered some "mask inserts" from Amazon, based partly on the "MADE IN US!" claim on the listing. We'll see. If they don't work I can sacrifice one of my unused furnace filters - the reason you can't get the really high-filtration ones right now is people are buying them up for this purpose)

 

Anyway. This is not the kind of fashion modeling I ever wanted to do, but then I'm too fat, short, and funny-looking to be a model anyway. (And now you can add: too old)

 

Hedgehogs, because if you have to wear a mask you might as well be cute

Unicorns, ditto

A folk-style print that will go with some of the more primary-colored clothes I have

A floral - a bit more sophisticated

Butterflies, for biology

 Cupcakes, because why the h*ck not?

Anyway, that took the remaining spoons I have for today. (I might also invest in some "Hollywood tape" if I can find some - this is what actresses use to help their strapless dresses stay up - and it might help close some of the gaps between upper cheek and mask. I did put my one remaining chenille stem in the unicorn one and it helps, but I think I'm out of those now - though perhaps I could order some more)