Mask Makers of the 2020 Pandemic

The year 2020 will undoubtedly enter history books defined by the Covid-19 pandemic. In the United States, it brought many challenges. There may always be questions about the virus origin and what should or should not have been done to stop it, but the profound effect on private citizens and their response is indisputable. In many cases, there was nothing the general public could do but hope and pray. A shortage of face masks gave people the opportunity to do something.

Over the years, the cost of fabric and equipment and the availability of finished product in stores changed the priorities of many Americans. They could buy an article of clothing for less than it would cost to make it. Sewing had not become a lost art, but it had become specialized.

During the mask shortage, those who knew how to sew and had the equipment saw what appeared to be a simple solution – handcrafted masks. They had remnants everywhere. Internet provided free mask patterns, and so they began to turn out masks by the thousands.

As the weeks of mask making turned into months, mask makers began to struggle with isolation, fatigue and the sacrifice of a normal life.

In "Mask Makers of the 2020 Pandemic," some mask makers tell their personal stories and, most importantly, what kept them going.