Masking Our First Responders

March, 2020, I had just returned to LA, a last few of weeks of work,

then suddenly, everything is closed and we were in a pandemic lockdown.

Utter shock and standstill.

So many suddenly so sick, and a scramble to somehow keep busy and be of service. The crazy lack of masks and protective wear, along with my sewing skills and stock of sewing supplies, seemed to be my answer.

All of us stitchers stepping up, but early on, such a scramble, trying to figure out which hospitals would accept which kind of masks and what was actually needed and wanted — I didn’t want to just make a bunch of stuff that might or might not be used. Thank you Internet and Facebook, for so many sewing groups and connections, helping us share patterns and ideas on materials and techniques.

Then a friend suggested calling another friend, Jane, who had teamed up with the Los Angeles Fire Department, to make disposable masks to protect first responders when picking up sick folks—

When I first contacted Jane, I was told, “We are already out of kits to sew... Bags of pre-cut materials for five masks each... But could you possibly help cut more? “

Oh, yes indeed! I can cut! And let’s make it kits of at least 20 masks each.

I raided my dark, quiet studio for my huge cutting mat, Fiskars scissors and rotary blades, rulers, tools, extra cotton, elastics, thread, etc. , and hunkered down at home in Granada Hills.

My new friend Jane dropping off materials: rolls of polypropylene, yards of cotton and spandex, then returning to pick up oh so many kits.

Cut, prep, bag, cut, prep, bag¬...

Like prepping bags of party favors, but so much more serious and necessary.

Cut, prep, bag...

Nothing open and people waiting weeks and weeks for any fabric store orders.

So, strapping on my homemade masks and scrounging materials: running around to pick up donations of spandex in Hollywood and cotton in Reseda. Carefully washing and sanitizing everything.

Cut, prep, bag...

Masks delivered to grateful workers.

https://supportlafd.org/news/blog.html?fbclid=IwAR0RFhuz5mQwLvqTIsQp7WkvvgmBUIfX0kZLymerF6vE_UXPlEvQx4R-QqQ

(do scroll down to April 1, 2020 – Los Angeles, CA)

Cut, prep, bag...

Lining up more and more stitchers and fabric sources through costumers LA, fellow costumer from Grad School, Laura, and any other contacts we had. My pal, Art Department Zanna, jumping in to help with more pickups and deliveries.

Cut, prep, bag...

Thousands of masks later, LA Fire Department folks thrilled.

Mayor Garcetti commending our efforts and can they get in on our action?

Well, Mayor, while that is nice compliment, it’s so frustrating, since we are the stopgap! not the solution!

So many nationwide shortages and slowdowns... then finally! factories able to get supplies out on a large enough scale!

Happy, grateful First Responders; tired stitchers and coordinators.

And I’m completely out of extra sheets and pillow cases and, well, any extraneous cotton or stretch materials.

And also, so very happy to have helped make a difference.

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Sew much labor of love

Something’s happening over seas

seeping into our everyday

seemingly overnight

Propaganda film esque color, spreads

covering our globe an ugly tone of sad

a bad dye job gone oh so very wrong

and all our notions of careful

fly out the window

in this new order of six feet apart

keeping us from six feet under

So funk down and damn depressed

So many unknowns

So,

sew the knowns

cover the mouths

And the new notions needed

are our needles and threads

OUR call to arms

a call to hands and hearts

Banding together Rosie’s Riveting contemporaries

with new generations of generators

We band of the skilled

stitching in time

to save more than nine

A desperate scarcity

has us dig down

deep into our drawers

our sheets and shirts

our half-sewn projects repurposed

No riveting planes and bomb building us

this war’s weapons are rulers and shears

machines and needles

A balancing act of slam-it-out quick

and make it right

Heartfelt expressions of

quelling expectations of

exhalations of ill

We flatten this curve with our tailors’ curves

Masks to hold the worlds breath

as we all hold ours

and these fabric ties

bind us

together

as we tread apart

and blanket the sickened world

in quilted love

Teresa Shea 3/27/2020

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Many thanks to my fellow stitchers, organizers, pattern makers and creatives:

Jane, Jennifer, Robin, Laura, Linda, Zanna, Jane, Seham, Adriana, Cindy, Carole, Chelisa, Rosa, Jane, Allison, Alison, Eve, Adrienne, Tammie, Laleh, Shanan, and many more...

So many wonderful material donations from Remainders Pasadena, a non-profit creative materials reuse organization.

https://remainderspas.org,

This is a great place to donate extra fabric supplies!

And huge gratitude and virtual hugs to all of our fellow stitchers, old and new, all around the world, who have made such a difference in this crazy time!