NOTE: Cloth masks are NOT for medical use---they're more like a handkerchief, to protect other people from your spray of moisture.
Wash them after every use, and stop wearing them when damp from breathing.
I am so proud of Marz!
I've started making face masks* for her workplace (food co-op)-- yesterday she biked over with a Star Trek T-shirt, asking me to make her face mask out of it.
She left the shirt on the porch and waited outside––in the drizzling rain––while I stitched it up.
Fabric & stuff does hold the virus, but I'm willing to accept that minor risk. (Mz is facing much more!)
I tried not to touch my face... and, of course, washed my hands.
I cut the image off (T-shirt fabric is too baggy to be a good mask), backed it with a tightly-woven cotton, and sewed on fabric ties.
And I'm so happy that she reported that her mask got lots of compliments at work yesterday, even a "So cool".
I hope her mask's success will encourage other people to make and wear them.
Though now I've read more, it seems it's the CUSTOMERS who should wear them---they protect other people from you ( not so much you from other people...).
Hardly any of her coworkers are wearing masks... yet.
It helps when someone else goes first, sets the pace--and makes it fun and personal, which is why I'm proud. She wore it to protect herself, but it also served as a model.
I told her if anyone else wants a customized mask, give her their fabric and I'd sew one up.
At first I just liked the Star Trek mask because it's personalized, but Star Trek's message fits the situation too:
the explorer/pioneer/pilgrim call "To Boldly Go..." checked with respect for "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combination"--(the Vulcan IDIC).
Reminded of that, last night I finally started watching the new Star Trek: Picard. You can get a free month at CBS-All Access to watch it: use code “GIFT”.
I loved it! Mz only thought it was okay.
Possibly a difference is that Picard is old,
and we see a lot of his old friends and companions--also, of course, old.
Or, dead.
Picard says he's been grieving the death of Data (Brent Spiner, right) "for two decades".
Two decades!
When in pop culture is anyone old enough to mention "two decades" of their adult life?
That wouldn't resonate with a younger generation, but it does with me.
Aside from that, I also am caught by the overarching topic---artificial intelligence/"synthetic beings"--echoes of Battlestar Galactica, et al.
I watched four episodes of Picard in a row. The final episode is tonight, but I'm going to pace myself so I have a longer-lasting treat. That's hard for me--I'm the kid who eats one marshmallow now rather than waiting 15 minutes for two.
__________________________
*Are handmade cotton face-masks effective?
Right away I thought of them being like handkerchiefs & tissues--if you spray spit, they catch it before it hits someone else. So, that's something, and it shows concern for others, which is key.
(I worry about the boundaries of politeness breaking down under stress.)
But homemade cloth masks are NOT for MEDICAL USE--they're ineffective for wearing a long time around sick people.
The New York Times article (featuring Minnesota!) "A Sewing Army, Making Masks for America" declares "they offer at least some protection":
www.nytimes.com/2020/03/25/business/coronavirus-masks-sewers.html
Wash them after every use, and stop wearing them when damp from breathing.
I am so proud of Marz!
I've started making face masks* for her workplace (food co-op)-- yesterday she biked over with a Star Trek T-shirt, asking me to make her face mask out of it.
She left the shirt on the porch and waited outside––in the drizzling rain––while I stitched it up.
Fabric & stuff does hold the virus, but I'm willing to accept that minor risk. (Mz is facing much more!)
I tried not to touch my face... and, of course, washed my hands.
I cut the image off (T-shirt fabric is too baggy to be a good mask), backed it with a tightly-woven cotton, and sewed on fabric ties.
And I'm so happy that she reported that her mask got lots of compliments at work yesterday, even a "So cool".
I hope her mask's success will encourage other people to make and wear them.
Though now I've read more, it seems it's the CUSTOMERS who should wear them---they protect other people from you ( not so much you from other people...).
Hardly any of her coworkers are wearing masks... yet.
It helps when someone else goes first, sets the pace--and makes it fun and personal, which is why I'm proud. She wore it to protect herself, but it also served as a model.
I told her if anyone else wants a customized mask, give her their fabric and I'd sew one up.
At first I just liked the Star Trek mask because it's personalized, but Star Trek's message fits the situation too:
the explorer/pioneer/pilgrim call "To Boldly Go..." checked with respect for "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combination"--(the Vulcan IDIC).
Reminded of that, last night I finally started watching the new Star Trek: Picard. You can get a free month at CBS-All Access to watch it: use code “GIFT”.
I loved it! Mz only thought it was okay.
and we see a lot of his old friends and companions--also, of course, old.
Or, dead.
Picard says he's been grieving the death of Data (Brent Spiner, right) "for two decades".
Two decades!
When in pop culture is anyone old enough to mention "two decades" of their adult life?
That wouldn't resonate with a younger generation, but it does with me.
Aside from that, I also am caught by the overarching topic---artificial intelligence/"synthetic beings"--echoes of Battlestar Galactica, et al.
I watched four episodes of Picard in a row. The final episode is tonight, but I'm going to pace myself so I have a longer-lasting treat. That's hard for me--I'm the kid who eats one marshmallow now rather than waiting 15 minutes for two.
__________________________
*Are handmade cotton face-masks effective?
Right away I thought of them being like handkerchiefs & tissues--if you spray spit, they catch it before it hits someone else. So, that's something, and it shows concern for others, which is key.
(I worry about the boundaries of politeness breaking down under stress.)
But homemade cloth masks are NOT for MEDICAL USE--they're ineffective for wearing a long time around sick people.
The New York Times article (featuring Minnesota!) "A Sewing Army, Making Masks for America" declares "they offer at least some protection":
"Homemade masks are no substitute for the high-grade N95 masks that are the most effective devices to filter out the coronavirus. They’re not even as tough as surgical masks that, until recently, were plentiful in any hospital or doctor’s office.With overrun hospitals facing an acute shortage of masks, people are pulling out their sewing machines to fill the void.
"But the D.I.Y. pieces — generally stitched together with a few layers of cotton, elastic straps and, on ambitious designs, a flexible bridge over the nose — offer at least some protection.
“Better than nothing” has become a popular phrase in the tight-knit sewing community.
Some doctors are wearing the homemade fabrics over surgical or N95 masks, trying to prolong the coveted masks’ limited life spans.
Other masks are being handed out at health clinics and nursing homes.
www.nytimes.com/2020/03/25/business/coronavirus-masks-sewers.html
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