Masks

     My first attempt at making masks was a failure.  The pleated, rectangular kind with string ties fit poorly and my hair tangled in the ties.  Then my neighbor emailed some pictures of masks that she made along with written directions and a video.  I washed and dried a bunch of 100% cotton fabric and made a batch of masks.

My selfies look ridiculous, with the goofy neck angles and the extended arms.  I have solved the problem by photographing myself in the mirror.  I liked the red mask.  I felt frisky instead of elderly when I put it on.  Then I remembered the Edgar Allen Poe story titled "The Mask of the Red Death."  Maybe red fabric was a poor choice.  I decided that only English majors would make the connection. 

Each person's noggin is unique.  I didn't want the mask to pull too hard on my ears, so I made the elastic on this first mask a half inch longer than directed.  It turned out that I should have cut it a half inch shorter than directed to get a perfect fit.  My subsequent masks were adjusted accordingly. 

In order to make Mask #1 wearable, I shortened the elastic by folding it in half and tacking it 1/2" from the end.  Perfect fit.

This brown fabric was the only one I had that was not girly.

I made nine masks - some for me and some to share.  Since I used scrap fabric and elastic that I had on hand, I spent $0 on this project.  Governor Murphy says we have to wear masks when we go to stores now.  I'm ready.