April 2020

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. I came across Bonnie Hunter’s (remember her from a seminar at the museum?) mask making pattern while looking for something else. I like her ideas-am nearly out of elastic and hers uses t shirt yarn for ties. The use of the yarn and a slight design alteration will make this more comfortable I think. I’ll be using some of my own tweaks of other patterns incorporated with her ideas. I never feel guilty putting my ideas together with other folk’s good ideas for an even better amalgamation. Click here for a video of Bonnie’s mask making technique. The steps for the corona mystery quilt will resume on Monday. Those who want to intersperse some patchwork between masks, this will be for you. I will be including a pdf file of the directions for those who work better from a written pattern. We are close to […]

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. The word must be getting around about our mask making proficiency. We’ve had a request from the Air Force Base for 100 masks, and do not have that many on hand. We turn ours over to Roswell every Friday. I know this would be a very fast turn around, but if anyone could make even just a few and get them out to Jackie at the museum tomorrow between 12:00 and 1:00, perhaps we can quickly honor their request. I’m not long back from a trip to Tops to get supplies for a very different Easter dinner. Most folks there were wearing masks, but in many different ways. This just happened to be in today’s NY Times. I found the mask to be uncomfortable and stuffy, but that is the case if it’s doing its protective task. Click here for mask wearing tips. BTW I […]

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. Those machines must be getting close to overheating ladies! I’m thinking that I will resume the posts about the corona quilt project in the next few days. What do you think? Wouldn’t you like to alternate mask sewing with corona sewing? Let me know if you think I should wait a while longer on that. I ran across these study results that show that masks made with our good quilters cottons are actually quite effective, sometimes even more so than a surgical mask. Good to know that our efforts are really helping. Click here.

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. Awesome! Terrific! Astonishing! and WHAT is so amazing? you ask… You ladies are! Jackie let me know that her pick up of masks yesterday was the largest we’ve had so far! Monday’s total was 215 masks!  Which means that you took my dare and outdid it. When I combine our previous total with a few individuals who let me know what they have donated on their own, and Monday’s total given to Jackie… that brings us to 1,059 masks made and donated by our guild to date! This is truly heart warming and spirit lifting to think how our craft of quilting gives us the ability to help so many others in this terrible time. Your generosity is inspiring. Since our quarantine deadline has been extended, can I throw out another challenge? Let’s shoot for 1500 masks. What do you think? Can we do it? […]

Hello all, Mary Ellen here. You ladies must be tied to your sewing machines. I hope your sewing conditions are better then the old sweat shop days. Got music? Got coffee (or your preferred beverage)? Getting up from the machine at will? Because…we have a phenomenal total of masks donated to date. They’ve been going to all sorts of places near and far… Roswell Park Millard Fillmore Suburban Niagara Hospice Newfane ReHab Eastern Niagara Hospital Buffalo Medical Group DePaul Seneca Street Community Development Corp. Buffalo Resilience A Rochester area nursing home a local nursing home friends and neighbors And just what is our amazing total?  Wait for it! ……….. 821 masks so far Actually I’d be willing to bet that our members have made and donated more than that, quilters are of the generous kind. Do you think we could get to 1000? I dare you!