Here's how to get a made-in-Sacramento face mask or make one yourself
Since the federal Centers for Disease Control issued guidelines last week recommending people wear cloth face masks in public, it seems everyone is scrambling to find a way to cover their face — preferably with a bit of style.
Sheilagh McCafferty can help with that. The costume designer and her crew of interns were busy sewing for the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera’s then-upcoming production of The Barber of Seville when the Covid-19 pandemic arrived in Sacramento. Now the show has been delayed and she has turned her attention to making masks. She and a few others first focused on reusable masks that provided protection equivalent to N95 masks, which they have been donating to health care workers, though they are asking for a minimal contribution to cover expenses. More recently, they have been offering simpler cloth masks to the public.
Masks cost from $7 to $12, depending on design and level of protection. You can get them in a variety of fabrics, and McCafferty says turnaround time is about two days. You can order one by visiting the Atrium 916 Shop - https://shop.atrium916.com/
Learn more about this project and watch videos on how to sew your own mask here. Kaiser has also posted step-by-step instructions for sewing a mask.
Homemade masks are not a substitute for staying home, washing your hands frequently and keeping your distance from other people, health experts emphasize. They primarily protect others from you by containing your coughs, sneezes and breath. But depending on the type of material used and the fit, they offer varying degrees of protection to the wearer.
This New York Times story explores the different types of material you can use and the protection each one provides. Basically, the denser the material, the better the protection.
Videos also abound online about how you can make a mask from socks, rubber bands, napkins, bandannas and any number of other household staples. Here, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams demonstrates how you can make a mask out of anything from an old t-shirt to a hand towel and here is a handy home DIY site with several suggestions.
Update: April 9, 2020
Over the last couple of days, we have combed through social media to find local makers offering to create cloth masks, here is what we found:
If you know of someone making masks that would like to be added to the list please contact us here.
