I see I should have posted this on the JoAnn discussion

Do you have a link or pattern for anyone interested?

I just went to the Providence website and saw this:

As a result we do not need volunteers to sew masks for our caregivers, and we will not mail or distribute sewing kits next week. Please do not come to our offices in Renton, Wash., next week. We are truly grateful for your willingness to help and will share information soon regarding other ways you can help.

https://www.providence.org/lp/100m-masks

I was surprised to see numerous articles on how to make the masks because I find it hard to believe most fabrics can filter out something as minute as a virus particle.

"As the coronavirus pandemic continues to engulf the United States, anational shortage of N95 masks and depleting stock of loose-fitting surgical masks has induced a creative solution: do-it-yourself versions.

Some of the millions of Americans who remain relegated to their homes due to shelter-in-place orders are using that time to sew and assemble masks out of spare and recycled fabric, elastic and other materials.

Experts advise, however, that while the homemade alternatives can create a loose-fitting barrier that may mitigate the spread of some germs, they are not designed to block the spread of COVID-19, the official name of the pandemic that has swept the globe.

“The only mask that the CDC considers safe from you getting the coronavirus, the only way to actually prevent you from inhaling it, is the N95 mask,” Captain Michael Doyle, a U.S. Army New York National Guard physician assistant, told USA TODAY. Doyle is the commanding officer at the drive-in coronavirus testing site in New Rochelle, New York."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/03/23/homemade-coronavirus-masks-do-they-actually-block-spread/2899622001/

Just a thought....even if the hospitals don’t want or need the handmade masks, there are lots and lots of vet clinics and other types of services who have donated their masks to those on the front line who might also feel a need for them.

I also just found this article
https://www.vumc.org/coronavirus/how-donate-hand-sewn-face-masks

It seems to vary across the country, our three local hospitals were still asking for masks yesterday. Please check on your local needs, you may be desperately needed to sew masks. When thousands of patients are entering hospitals per week (as in NYC now), these homemade masks might be useful for patients to wear so as to "catch" their coughs and such that would otherwise land on their close-contact nurses and doctors. The CDC website lists homemade masks as acceptable as a last resort when other masks are unavailable.

I have seen so many posts about masks being needed. I also have seen a lot of posts saying they are worthless. So, I wasn't going to make any. Yesterday my DIL who works in a nursing home sent me a msg asking me to make some, along with instructions, so I will make some. I have plenty of supplies on hand.

As long as everyone understands what the homemade masks do and that they do not make you invincible to the virus. I can see where they would keep you from spreading your breath.

There was a woman shopping in the grocery store Tuesday that had one of the real n95 masks on. Except she was wearing it incorrectly. She had the top strap on, but the bottom one was not. Each time she bent over, it fell off her mouth. It was a waste of a mask that could have been used at the hospital

The top on is what we try to replicate. Not the N95, which Is used in specific area's of the hospital. The top one is also called an isolation mask.

I copied this from the CDC website:

(HCP= Health Care Personnel)

HCP use of homemade masks:
In settings where facemasks are not available, HCP might use homemade masks (e.g., bandana, scarf) for care of patients with COVID-19 as a last resort. However, homemade masks are not considered PPE, since their capability to protect HCP is unknown. Caution should be exercised when considering this option. Homemade masks should ideally be used in combination with a face shield that covers the entire front (that extends to the chin or below) and sides of the face.

fabricpatch.net has the link to the video that shows the interlining that is dense enough to stop the virus. It's a craft product you can get by the roll similar to the material the tops of bedskirts have sometimes or the few use shopping bags. The pattern I have is from http://craftpassion.com/?p=26304  there is a child's, teen/ladies and men's size. If you sew in a metal piece for the nose area, it's a pretty snug fit. I wasn't sewing through the metal. I am sewing a small rectangle ( fabric glue works too ) over it to hold it in place on the outer layer. I am sealing the centerfront seam with low temp glue. I am using ties not elastic on some of them and people can choose.

The ones I made used a small length -- 4" -- of floral wire where I turned the ends in with a needle nose plier so no sharp edges. I then stitched it into the seam allowance using a zigzag over the wire centered over the nose bridge area, before I turn the mask inside out. It allows for a snugger fit, which helps for those of us who wear glasses...without it, my lenses get fogged up quickly from my breath.

That wire trick is a great tip, Annie. Thank you for sharing.

Yes, I will switch to the floral wire too.

If you are going to employ a piece of metal to cinch over the nose, you might want to consider a cut strip from an aluminum can instead of a wire. You have to be careful that the wire does not have a point that can come out of the casing where it is and poke someone in the eyes. Even if you have folded a stiff wire back on the ends, it could still cause some harm if it pokes loose. And it makes the mask more problematic to have a stiff wire in it.

So much conflicting information! I was considering making some, then I started seeing all sorts of negative feedback. Now it's positive again. I did see one comment where perhaps these masks could be used by medical people who are not treating virus patients. There are still people in the hospital, or seeing the emergency dentist, who need protection.

I think I'll check around locally and see if there's a need for them here.

FYI

https://www.gfclinic.com/approved-pattern-info-for-homemade-masks/

dallasannie, floral wire is very pliable and coated so it is smooth. With the ends turned in, there is nothing to poke through. And it's stitched all along the length of the wire so there is nothing to come out...the turned in ends act like an anchor. The wire is completely enclosed inside the mask.

An aluminum can, if cut will have sharp edges which would be more problematic for the wearer and for the fabric.

She demonstrates how to sew 2 different kinds of masks here:

https://sweetredpoppy.com/

I've found that a strip of aluminum flashing is good for the metal nose crimp. I know everyone doesn't have that on hand, but I have some scraps left from another project, so I tried it. I use a piece ap 1/4" wide by 3-4" long, and sew it into a doubled 'pocket' at the top of the mask, to keep it in place. After I cut the strip, I round the ends and use sand paper to smooth any burrs.

The masks I'm making are the re-usable type--fabric with a pocket for a filter insert, and fabric strips for tying behind the head. I'm slow, but I work on them for a few hours each day. I've sent a few to my son, a paramedic in a more populous part of our state, so he can cover his N95 masks, if necessary, or can distribute them to his coworkers as needed.

I sanitize them first, by soaking in a mild bleach-water solution, then rinse a couple of times, and roll in a clean towel to absorb most of the moisture. To hasten drying, and further sanitize, I iron with the highest setting, no steam. They are easy to pack flat, in a bubble mailer.

ETA pics. The close-up is of a child-size mask, which starts out the same size as a piece of typing paper, with an inch or so added for the metal strip pocket. It has contrasting thread which makes it easier to see the pocket for the metal strip. The blue fabric is an unused cotton sheet, and the gray is from scraps from another sheet I used for a quilt. The green print cotton fabric was left-over from another project.

For anyone who hasn't seen pics of our playroom, that's a hopscotch board painted on the floor. The playroom is now sewing center, home-school class room, and playroom. The sewing table is at one window seat, and the homework desk is at the other. My 'home office' is set up at the DR table, and the desktop computer in the laundry room is available for anyone. We've been eating all meals at the kitchen island. This allows us to disperse to separate areas when we need some space. ;)

fabric with a pocket for a filter insert,

Anyone know exactly what the 'filter' is that is meant to be inserted in the mask pocket?

I've read that anything from a coffee filter to a special medical grade fabric/filter can be used. I'm leaving that up to the mask recipient, but I'd probably use a coffee filter, since that's what I have on hand. You can google coffee filter mask--sadly some institutions have resorted to using those with rubber bands, as a last resort.

Pennsylvania nursing home.

Brooklyn Health Facility.

I'm using the 1/4 inch by 5 inch, plastic coated, double wire strips that are used at the top seal of coffee bean bags. I sew an open ended tube at the top center of each mask, just wide enough and long enough to slip the wire into. The wire is removable for laundry, and it can be disinfected and re-used. A local coffee roasting business gave me a bunch of fresh new wires for the nose tubes on my masks, and I can tell you that they are working well. I bag each mask with spare wires. YMMV

Thank all you ladies for sewing these! I so wish I could sew

Mask designed by a Dr and his wife. These are made of HEPA vacuum bags. He says these are very close to the N95 mask. Video instruction along with the links to the patterns. Super easy to make.

https://youtu.be/W6d3twpHwis

There is a solution pending FDA approval.

The Critical Care Decontamination System is the first of its kind,
capable of cleaning up to 80,000 pieces of PPE (personal protective
equipment) at a time. Battelle's system was designed to be modular so it
can be easily shipped, and scaled up – the more units in one area, the
more rapidly they will be able to clean mass amounts of PPE and return
them to the hospitals.

Clean & Reuse

I am having some problems with the tying of the ties. I am having a problem getting the uppermost tie to stay in place around the back of the head. I have looked at videos but it seems that they are all on women who have their hair pulled up into a bun or pony tail that catches the ties, or the person has on a protective hair covering that grips the ties on the head better than slippery hair.

What am I missing?

Do you think it matters if the ties go horizontally across or vertically up the side of the mask?

My ties are made of white cotton muslin. so they are not something slippery. They are 1/2" wide, flat and have a top stitch along the side. So, they are substantial.

Basically they are a folded strip, but not bias.

I think tie the wherever it holds best including if they criss cross each other on the back of your head.

Since you asked, dallasannie, I think it would work best if the ties went horizontally across the mask at top and bottom. That way the pull would be in the right direction, and not have to make a ninety degree turn toward the face the way the ties would have to operate if the came off the mask body going up and down instead of heading towards the ears. Hope that doesn't sound like gibberish, too many hours at the sewing machine at this point! I'm almost out of elastic, so until my Amazon order arrives, I'll be sewing ties, too.

There is a woman on my NextDoor who has been making masks and asking for sewers. The pattern/instructions she posted have NO filter and no pleats, except minimally on the sides. I posted that I think she is making unsafe masks (just two layers of woven cotton). Her reply is they are not medical masks but for donation to homeless shelters, her McDonald's workers, etc.

I think it's totally irresponsible to distribute masks that people can mistake for somewhat effective against the virus, as she has no control over where they end up - like in the hands of someone caring for someone with the virus, etc. They may think they are protected when they are not. I read that two layers of cotton provide protection of about 2% more than nothing.

I've posted articles about making safe masks, begging her and the other sewers to add a filter, suggested felt or hepa vacuum cleaner bags, etc. I've BEGGED her/them to stop and reconsider. She finally posted that I was harassing her and someone else posted that I was just trying to rain on her parade! What????

I am beside myself over it - but I did what I could.

The masks are still useful to prevent most of the transmission to surfaces when the wearer doesn't yet realize they are infected. Most of the virus is still being shared by contact with objects and surfaces. The masks help stop the spread.

Anyone who wears a mask please remember not to touch the inside and then it brings virus from your hands in contact with your face. Better to have a few and switch them out.

Olychick, you are incorrect. Adding an additional layer to one layer adds 2% more protection to the mask. Here is an article which has tested homemade masks efficiency of the cotton masks, they tested using a kitchen tea towel fabric against the n95 masks. Here is what they found:

efficiency of homemade masks

I went food shopping this am with my homemade mask on and it worked. Not only did it keep me from touching my face, which I try not to do anyway, but when people saw me wearing it, they gave me wide berth. Perfect!

The usefulness of the mask is a function of what it is being used for. While a fabric mask can't block the spread of the virus, it can capture most of the spittle that one ejects when one speaks, coughs or sneezes which is the primary form of virus transmission. Especially for those who are forced to be in close quarters with others, it can help prevent the spread of the disease. And a close fitting mask of fabric is better than a bandana tied around the face. It protects others from the wearer rather than vice versa. But the more who wear it, the more community protection everyone receives.

While I wouldn't recommend them for medical personnel who are forced to be in close quarters with infected people for hours a day, it is thought to be of benefit to the general populace.

Q: What mistakes are other countries making?

A: The big mistake in the U.S. and Europe, in my opinion, is that people aren’t wearing masks. This virus is transmitted by droplets and close contact. Droplets play a very important role—you’ve got to wear a mask, because when you speak, there are always droplets coming out of your mouth. Many people have asymptomatic or presymptomatic infections. If they are wearing face masks, it can prevent droplets that carry the virus from escaping and infecting others.Source

A hot topics thread is on point: https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5888028/why-we-should-all-wear-masks-to-flatten-the-curve#25309076