The Disruption

Post-Lockdown Thoughts & Something About Face Masks

It would feel a little strange to write a new journal post without mentioning something about the obvious. I remember writing in an Instagram post back in March about how it felt like I’d woken up in some kind of dystopian dream. A little bit like an episode from Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror.

It seemed like everything around us had changed overnight, yet I felt very grateful for our own blessings and the relative familiarity of our day-to-day routine. We made a vegetable patch, planted a myriad of seeds, put together an art trolley for our toddler, and walked, played in the trees, seen things in a new light.

As business in a (tenuously) post-lockdown world tries to move back to something that resembles ‘normal’, things that would have seemed incredible a few months ago have slipped into reality. It may be a cliché, but there really is a ‘new normal’. It feels like there is a window now to seize the positives, to make changes for the better, to prioritise the things that are really beneficial to society as a whole.

When the first pictures from Wuhan were broadcast, I also remember thinking I could not imagine myself or the others around me wearing face coverings. That was just something for the hospitals and faraway places, surely? But that too, perhaps a little bit later in this part of the world, has just become routine.

I’m still in the slightly self-conscious phase of mask-wearing, but there is something intriguing about the idea of displaying a beautiful piece of cloth instead of our most revealing expression – our smile. At its simplest, a face covering can be a silk scarf folded in half (apparently this is the Hollywood way). It might seem a little odd to talk about the ‘trends’ of mask-wearing, but I do find it interesting from a history-of-fashion perspective.

A Fitted Mask Pattern for Sewing

I’ve been trying out a few different designs of cloth face masks, as it’s now mandatory to wear them in shops & public transport in Northern Ireland. Sewing masks for family has suddenly become an opportunity to use up those treasured pieces of stashed fabric that I couldn’t bear to get rid of! If you’re a sewer and would like something a little more substantial than a silk scarf, Craft Passion have kindly shared a pattern for free online that I’ve tried and found to be a good fit (there are four pattern sizes with full instructions):

https://www.craftpassion.com/face-mask-sewing-pattern/

I’ve been using some cotton and linen remnants, both re-purposed and new. As far as I understand, it’s good to use a fabric with a close weave, and natural fibres will be more comfortable against the skin. I also made some masks with a layer of synthetic, non-woven Vilene interfacing as a mid-layer, as I had some left over from another project (just cut out an extra lining and be sure to order the layers correctly when stitching).

For the head or ear elastics I purchased some eco-elastic from James Tailoring, which is biodegradable and wrapped in cotton. From experience, the around-the-head elastic is a little more comfortable to wear and gives a closer fit, but is not as easy to slip on as ear elastics or as kind to your hairstyle…

Happy wearing!