By: Isabella Redgate
Ingenium - Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation
Mask making during the COVID-19 pandemic
2 m
Jun 2, 2020
Media
Photo Credit
Alison Stanton
One of my mother’s masks, which she made for her sister (who loves crows).
One of the most visible aspects of the pandemic is the protection we wear — for those who have access to it. A shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has characterized the pandemic and caused many sewers to cast aside their projects to sew mask after mask after mask, among other essential garments.
I’ve used up my broadcloth — previously reserved for muslins — to sew up masks for close family and friends to don on their weekly shopping trips and pharmacy visits. After scouring Etsy for eclectic fabric swatches, my mother has sent several masks to her sister who is a healthcare worker in the US. Some sewers, who have become more creative in making their own masks, have shared their bedazzled, embroidered, and outfit-coordinating masks on social media.
Have you been making masks or other PPE? Share your thoughts, experiences, and photos with us using the hashtag #CuratingUnderQuarantine.
Isabella Redgate
Isabella Redgate is a Carleton graduate student in Public History and an intern at Ingenium Canada.
