Just Wanna Quilt

Katrina Brees, a local artist and performer, has turned to making masks during the Spring of 2020 to supplement her income. She also talks to us about copyright.

Heather Ensley talks to us about her own journey in mask making: "I joined the Million Mask Challenge on April 5th. I decided I wanted to make affordable face masks for the everyman. The first day I sewed the Deconess pattern and found it cumbersome and time consuming. So I developed my own pattern called the Tootsie Roll because it kind of looks like a Tootsie Roll to me.I use a serger with a 4 thread overclock stitch a strip of fabric and two thin round hair elastics. I can make one mask in under 2 minutes. It is totally machine washable. I have test washed one through 10 machine washes in hot water and it has held up very well.I am the president of the Pensacola chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild. I also have an interesting story about my guild that I would like to share."

Angelique Thomas talks to us about the Innocence project, and the state of the prisons in New Orleans. They are making masks for the prisoners. See more https://ip-no.org, This was recorded on April 28, 2020.

Chelsea is sewing masks in her off time, when she is not helping people through telemedicine with mental health issues. She's on the frontline helping people cope with so much during COVID-19. She's also got advice for beginning sewists!

Juan talks to us about his work making bias tape makers that he is giving out to sewists in the effort to make mask ties more efficiently. He is part of many with 3D printers across the country pitching in to help.

Rachna was already a very successful business person with Taj Cottage, her clothing line. Now, she is putting that know-how to work making masks. And it is amazing. For more go to http://www.tajcottage.com.

We Have Masks is a powerhouse organization that is only a few months old. We talk to two of their founders about their efforts to create masks, and how their entrepreneurial skills are helping with this effort. See: https://wehavemasks.org/ Like so many groups, we are not only making masks; we are organizing.

Toni talks to us about technology, Twitch, and how she's surviving COVID-19. For more go to https://quiltoni.com/.

Founder of Operation Shields Up, Alan Puccinelli joins us to talk about fabricating PPE face shields for front line caregivers in the current pandemic crisis. See more at http:://www.https://www.opshieldsup.org/. There's great videos too at the site!

Anderson fabrics, that normally make custom interior design textiles, is making masks, and they are beautiful. They also have a quilting component of their business. Go to https://www.andersonfabricsquiltshop.com for more information.

Koleene Herlocker joins us to talk about the Iowa Shop Hop, which is scheduled for the month of June. We recorded this in March 2020, as they were preparing in the midst of Covid-19. For more on the shop hop, go to https://alliowashophop.com. (And there's a copyright article by Elizabeth in the magazine!)

Carhartt, Inc makes uniforms, outdoor wear and other things for the last 131 years. But just as in WWI and WWII, they have joined the call, and are now making masks and gowns. Hailey Barnett (3L law student) and I talk to him about the fabric they are using, the choice of patterns, and so much more. For more info see https://www.carhartt.com.

Megan Romere, a law student at University of Texas at Austin, and she is making masks using her grandmother's White sewing machine and her grandmother's stash! We talk to her about life sewing masks, what she is using for ties, and her upcoming wedding plans.

Frances is one of our favorites. She talks to us about life right now, and the new quilt fiction podcast, season 2. For more go to http://www.quiltfiction.com. There's video too. So you can see her reading the book, Aunt Jane of Kentucky. I so adore it. She is also the host of the Off-KilterQuilt (When a Straight Line's a State of mind).

We talk to the students at Tulane that have been on the frontlines of mask making with me. Over the last month, I've been working with students and others to organize making homemade masks. We've received two grants, one from the Phyllis M. Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking , and the other from the Newcomb Institute. We talk about the work and plans for the future, and life as a Tulane student during Covid-19. For more, see https://law.tulane.edu/news/law-professor-and-truck-driver-join-make-million-masks-day.

“We've made over 1600 masks the past 8 days, giving them away to any who need. We normally make mattresses, so we are using the same materials to make facemasks. A LOT of volunteers have stepped up & done some Home Sewing. It's been an amazing experience! For more on mattresses go to, https://comfortking.net/main/. “ When we talked the number had almost doubled. We talk to Chris about the masks from Comfort King Mattress Factory, the army of sewists helping him make that happen, and of course, a lot about mattresses. (How could we not?).

Laurie Ceesay Landree, an art quilt who focuses on portraits, talks to us about her latest work, which can be found on Facebook at Artsy Chick Quilts, https://www.facebook.com/artsychickquilts. She is also a hairdresser, and so we talk about her current life during this thing we are all going through.

Gudrun of GE Designs (http://www.gequiltdesignsdesigns.com joins us to talk about her recent 16,000+ one day sew along, Elvira Quarantine Quilt Along on March 22, 2020. She's the genius behind Stripology. She is also starting on Friday, April 3, 2020, Strip Along 2020. For more (and a picture) go to, https://gequiltdesigns.com/blogs/ge-happenings

Joe's company is helping homemade mask makers. Go to their Facebook page, and they will send you (for free) pieces for the nose bridge that you can sew in. The company is amazing. Here is the form to fill out your request: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc5_DGmpIWOncrE8ualX_Kp6MHqXGuLW6hLQ3QxvYuGf8NEQg/viewform?fbclid=IwAR3WZZdjiHXNAWpgCJQiKJ8C4Yjc8gB1NgfyO-phn9ECz0g_C8tOMfdjD20. They are asking if you make a mask using their supply to post it on their Facebook page.

Kathy Carter made some masks for her colleagues (even though they have not run out of N95 masks), and they were a hit. She talks to us about being an ICU nurse, what we can do to prevent illness, and what happens if you do end up in the hospital. Most of all, she is encouraging us to use our fun fabrics to make homemade masks. She said, "They are like trading cards!"