Masks

Mask Maker, Mask Maker… make me a mask

Posted on by Amelia Mitchell

May 30, 2020 UPDATES

My attention was needed in many other places and spaces, and I took a pause of a week or two. I am glad to have a voice and be able to impact the world.

Back to masks now and I’m going to switch this up a bit.

 

Sarah in Mask
Sarah wearing a batik mask in size medium. Note the elastic goes around her head not around ears.

I will continue to make masks and gift them to people who need them, over 350 have gone out to date.

Today, feeling and seeing what is happening in our country to black and brown people both in terms of murder by police, horrific violence towards them that is being encouraged by the president, as well as the structural and systemic racism that has not changed, the primary recipients of mask gifts will be BIPOC and those protesting. I also continue to support my community of fat folks who need masks that fit them and keep them safe.

For everyone else, thank you for your donations they have helped keep me sewing and gifting. Thank you for your wonderful comments and feedback, a gallery of many of you is below.

I know many other people want masks or additional masks, and with my daughter Sarah’s help that can now happen.

She has helped me with this process from the beginning and has opened an etsy shop to sell the masks. When I get going I make extras and you can buy them. Her Etsy shop is SarahWithLuv.

The masks are priced fairly to reflect the time and materials, masks listed in the store are photographed and are ready to ship.  Lots of fun patterns. Sizes Small for kids through Extra Large will be available as they are made.

Always feel free to contact me for size or special fitting concerns. The world doesn’t fit me well, so I get it. My contact is via email

A couple of fun highlights – my masks have been featured in two videos and I am quite tickled by that.

  • Cal Cates and Kerry Jordan of Healwell are doing excellent things in the world of massage, they have created training videos in response to the coronavirus pandemic and featured my masks in their second video, Back To Practice II.
  • Jonathon Bartlett provided some still photography for this excellent video Black Doctors on COVID and many of those masks came from me and are found on faces of dear friends, all the more special.
  • If you see any other Amelia masks out in the wild, send me photos!

VOTE masks – are special and time consuming and I love them and will be making more – talk to me.

Gallery of Masks – Send me Photos! I love seeing you in them:))

Read on to learn a lot more about the masks as well as some sizing tips and info if you are requesting a donation or are shopping.

 

April 23, 2020 ORIGINAL POSTMasks

Hello friends, family, and my people I might not even know yet,

I am making masks. A couple hundred so far, clearly more are coming. It is a happy place for me, soothing and productive during this time of isolation amid the coronavirus pandemic. I am playing with fabric and thread, creating something with meaning.

Masks are needed right now, for everybody, so I am focusing on the regular everybodies, there are much larger operations supplying our medical folks. Our lives and our safety are something that I am willing to devote time and energy to, and I hope these masks are protective to the wearer and  contacts.

 

Since many are asking, I wanted to put the information in one place so that I could share it easily, I can also add lots of pictures here.

 

All about the masks:

Here are all the details about masks. Yea, it’s a lot of info, trying to answer all the questions I get. At this point I’ve made over 225 and they are all over the country with a few jaunts to the UK as well.
I’d love to see a pic of you in one of the too tight masks to try to figure out where they are going wrong. So far the ones I have been making seem to work for people.

First, the masks are gifts.

Please understand I am not selling them or making large bulk orders, simply making them for my people, and that includes my fat faced compatriots. I appreciate donations and do not expect them, keeping everyone safe is my primary goal. Info on how to do that comes with the mask.

Masks are washable, fitted, have a pocket to add additional filtering material, and have a nose wire to create a better seal at the top. They come in whatever fabric I pick for you, from a variety of prints from my quilting stash, although I welcome your thoughts on color.

Sizing Information

Medium: teens and most who identify as women
Large: fits most who identify as men, or have a longer face, and an N95 fits inside

Small: fits school aged kids

They are fitted with elastic that goes around the head, not ears. I also will include a long shoelace, some people find that more comfortable.
You can check out my instagram for lots of pictures @auntamelia

Sizing for Fat Faces:

This is one thing I can do to give back to my community of fat activists and fabulous folks in large bodies. Some are finding that regular masks are not fitting well.
And what I am finding is that what is important is the distance between the bridge of one’s nose and the just under the chin for fit. For many of us, that distance is no different from from someone in a smaller body, so simply adding a bit of width and extra length to the elastics provides a good fit.
A large with extra length elastic will always work, my very small sister wears a large with an N95 mask and is fine. I wear a medium as does my daughter who has a bigger face and head than I do, she got longer elastic.
I try to err on the side of longer with the elastic that is sewn into masks, the wearer can always shorten with a knot or even a couple of staples. For my fat faces friends and anyone else who asks, I will also include a long 45″ shoelace which is a good alternative to the elastic and may be more comfortable.

What I will need to know from you once I have agreed to make you a mask(s):

1. Sizing – tell me your thoughts, if you want to simply err on bigger, or any other details
2. Your address for shipping
3. A sense of your color/pattern preferences – Dark/light. fun, floral, creatures, soft, loud, conservative, batiks, specific colors you love – give me some ideas. I am sewing from stash so have many options.
Finally, please find a good article online about wearing a mask, donning etc. before wearing!
With love,
~Amelia

6 thoughts on “Mask Maker, Mask Maker… make me a mask”

  1. Hi Amelia! What an amazing way to focus on doing something positive during this crazy time. I would love to get some masks from you for myself and the girls. I think the three of us would be mediums. Three different patterns would be good to tell them apart and whatever cute patterns and colors you like is good for us.
    Can I Venmo you some money as a donation?

    Reply

  2. Sent you a message on Facebook.

    Read through your website. Happily following some of the accounts you reference.

    Aunt Amelia, Namer and Speaker of Things: You are a change maker.

    Thank you for mask making and so much more.

    Reply

  3. Hi Amelia. I’d love to get more information about requesting masks for my family if possible. Thank you and blessings.

    Reply

  4. What a wonderful way to give back! Thank you. I will order from website. Much easier than getting around to making my own! LOL!

    Reply

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