Ch-ch-changes!

My pleated face masks have been selling pretty well, which is great, although I have had some reports that the ones made with the black elastic don't seem to work out as well as the ones with the white elastic.  They're the same kind of elastic, just a couple of millimetres thick, but somehow the white ones are more stretchy and fit better.  So to anyone who has bought the ones with the black elastic and they have snapped or not fit well, I do hope you will let me know so I can replace them.   Also, not ALL of the black elastic ones are bad, it's just that they seem to snap off if really yanked on to stretch across a larger face.

I had heard that one didn't fit well, so I replaced it, then I messaged a few people about theirs only to find out that they hadn't worked out but they hadn't bothered to let me know.  I have had a few people say so, which is great, because I most definitely don't want word getting out there that I make inferior products.  I stand behind everything I make, and if it isn't right, I'll make it right.   I don't know there's a problem unless I'm told, so please do speak up!  

For the past couple of weeks I've switched gears and started making the shaped masks instead of the pleated ones and using a 1/4" wide elastic and these are selling like hotcakes.  They're also really easy to make once I figured out a well fitting pattern.  I've also adjusted it to fit larger or smaller faces, and for children.  The elastics and the mask itself are quite comfortable (as comfortable as one can be, I guess).  The pleated ones are more suited for smaller faces, or teens, so they're not out of the picture, but they're not great for men or people with larger faces.  

In the past 2 days I've banged out over 60 masks! I did the ones in the first picture yesterday, then moved into blues and greens today.

Here's a sample of what I have on hand now.  My personal favourite is still the blue skulls (and besides the Nova Scotia tartan, they are my next best seller!), but now I've got other blues, some lips, some that are clearly for women, others that are more "manly".  I haven't gotten much into the browns, oranges and yellows yet, I think tomorrow might be the day for them.  I have a ton more fabric I can and will use to add to the varieties available.

I also have some Toronto Blue Jays and NHL Original Six fabric ordered and on the way.  Ideally people will start ordering specific colours, so I don't have to have a ton on hand, I can just make them per order, but for now this works fine.  And yep, there I am modelling it for you.  I don't think I'll ever get used to them, but for now they're part of the "new normal".

I really didn't see this coming ....

As a quilter, I really didn't see this coming ... the day that my primary big selling item would be non-medical face masks.  I guess nobody saw it coming, who would ever have thought something like this would happen?  Well, some out there knew it was coming, could have stopped it, didn't ... and here we are.  Regardless, now the world needs to wear face masks and I have the skills to make them so face masks I shall make.  

I've been making them for a couple of weeks now and they're selling well.  I had initially found a free pattern online and gave it a go, it didn't go well.  It was complicated and awkward and didn't fit well, so I figured it was time to build a better mousetrap and designed my own.

*** NOTE *** These are non-medical face masks.  They do not contain a filter and do not have a pocket to insert a filter.  They are double sided, 100% cotton.

I used one of the actual hospital masks as a guide for size, length of elastic, etc, and this is what I came up with.  Of course, as a quilter, I have a LOT of 100% cotton, much of which has been donated to me over the years, some I bought or won, regardless how it came to me it's all fair game when it comes to being used.  

People have suggested to me that they'd like to see masks with musical instruments, or sports teams on them.  For one thing, with the folds in the fabric, the pictures of those things would have to be pretty small to even be recognizable.  It might work on other styles, but not on mine.  Plus, a lot of those are really hard or near impossible to come by, especially with so many people buying online right now.  So I'm using what I have.  I have a wide variety of colours and prints, some are more plain than others though I have very few just plain no-pattern fabrics.  Most of them either have streaks of something on them, or an all-over design, or just a tone-on-tone print (like blue on blue, etc).  So far I've been told that they're breathable and very comfortable, so I think I'm doing ok.  

It was recently suggested that I include a slot along the top for a pipe cleaner to be inserted for nose comfort.  I hadn't thought of that and might give it a shot in the next batch I make.  Currently this is what I have on hand.  Just email scrappyblue@gmail.com if you want to buy any, they're $10CAD each, plus shipping if applicable.

Of course, I'm still quilting in between making the masks.  I've got a quilt in the works for a lady I've quilted for many times, plus a wedding quilt for this fall, and I'm restoring an antique quilt for a friend, so needless to say I'm always busy, but never too busy to take on another project.