I’m amazed at how people are checking on and helping each other as we deal with the Covid-19 virus and stay in our homes.
I spent the day cutting fabrics for making 200 masks for our staff. Thank goodness for a rotary cutter! I can’t tell you how good it felt to be doing something. We have a whole team. It’s amazing how people have all we needed—except for the elastic and filter. We needed to search deeply for elastic—everyone seemed out of stock. I had a spool of wire and good cutters, others had fabric—lots of quilting material. Tonight those with sewing machines are busily sewing them up. Our team leader made miniature samples to go along with the directions.
I’d like to help in another way by offering a free book with the purchase of a book. It’s the same sale I have offered during the holidays.
If you can weave or not now, perhaps reading about it will make for some pleasant time—maybe even inspire you to get to the loom.
Many of you know my book, Weaving for Beginners (as a pdf or in print). However, the other books offer more depth and are like reference books. They have all the illustrations you expect. Order your free books on my website: www.peggyosterkamp.com
Here’s what you might be interested in knowing more in depth about in Winding a Warp & Using a Paddle: how to use a paddle, plan projects, understand sett for different projects as well as different yarns, and make perfect warps.
Warping Your Loom & Tying On New Warps is only available as a pdf but has lots of information that isn’t readily available to weavers—especially in one place. How to beam perfectly tensioned warps by yourself, use sectional warping, adjust looms, tie on new warps, learn how different types of looms work, and how to adjust them.
Weaving & Drafting Your Own Cloth has in-depth information on drafting, analyzing fabric, creating your own designs, burn tests, multi shaft weaving, besides efficient weaving motions, information about different types of shuttles, making perfect selvedges and weighting them separately. There is a big chapter on troubleshooting as well.
My DVD is available on Vimeo as well as on a DVD. How to warp the loom from back-to-front is what it shows. It’s just like what’s in all the books.
I use 3/4″ strips of t-shirt material for mask ties. Cut along the bottom of the shirt & around in a spiral. Tug on the strips & the fabric curls on itself nicely. Use four 16″ lengths per mask. Keep on weaving.
Very little effect, I am sorry to say. Check on the size of the virus and the mesh gaps in the fabric.
I am hearing on reliable news that they are recommending masks now. That they surely keep sneezes and coughs stuff from getting out.
Please share the instructions for making the masks. These are a great idea!
It’s very kind of everyone who is making masks for other people.
Please be aware that the virus can get through even masks made with hepa filters. My friend is making them with 3M filters that filter smaller particles, which is what is needed to keep the virus out. Of course a t-shirt or bandanna around your face, or a mask made w/ such material, is better than nothing. But it’s important to realize when you’re using a mask that is only “better than nothing” so as to not get a sense of security that may not be warranted.
Hopefully the regular surgical masks will be available soon, and they do a pretty good job for ordinary citizens needing to go out of their homes. People have used them in Czechoslovakia, Mongolia, and other Asian countries and have kept the numbers of cases very low in those areas, in tandem w/ other measures.
In the meantime these homemade filterless masks will help, as long as people realize they are not going to completely protect them.
P.S. filters can be purchased at http://www.iallergy.com.
they r the 3M 2800 model – it is the only model that catches 1 micro and larger.
Thanks for this info. I found out that we are putting in filters. Now your information is in a comment so others can find it.
Peggy