Well day 35. . .38? I’m not sure what day it is anymore but it’s been over a month since we started this social experiment and last week the governor of New York has made the request to wear masks official. 

The official mandate is that when you are unable to social distance — like at the store — you need to be wearing a face covering. I think most people in my neighborhood had been doing this for a few weeks because in Manhattan it’s hard to keep 6 feet away from people regardless of where you are.  Either way, now it’s official. A sad sign of the times we find ourselves in. 

I had been using scarfs but now that the weather is getting nicer and I think we’ll be in this situation for a while now I decided to make actual masks. 

While I was cleaning out the project hoard/my closet a few weeks back I found some left over dressmaking supplies that I felt would make for good masks.  Other than that I had no plan when I got started. 

I had seen the government video showing you how to make a mask out of a T-shirt and my first attempt was based off that memory. Basically, you take rectangles of fabric and fold them into a mask-like object and stitch up the sides. 

It’s not pretty. But it functions. I used elastic I found in the bottom of a box I inherited for the ear straps. 

Not a bad first attempt but not the best outcome. 

Next I tried a pattern that I again— found on Instagram — from another creator who owns her own small business. She’s a professional seamstress who make incredibly beautiful things but she also made available a mask pattern. 

I have to say the pattern was 100% better than my self-drafted version. I’ve made a few so far because you do need to wash these after use. Not a project I ever envisioned spending time on but here we are.

I’m really happy with the fit, meaning I think this is how they are supposed to fit — but, am I the only person who has trouble breathing through the mask?