Hospitals across the United States are running out of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including masks. Masks are essential to keeping our healthcare workers safe as they treat patients with COVID-19 because this virus is spread through droplet transmission. That means it is spread through particles expelled when a patient breathes, coughs, or “drips.”

In Illinois, Deaconess Health System asked crafters to sew face masks to help their doctors and nurses stay safe. New York’s Governor, Andrew Cuomo, issued a similar call for hand-sewn masks on Twitter. Other health systems followed.

I am located just outside of Charlotte, NC, a city which is quickly becoming the epicenter of NC’s coronavirus crisis. Our hospitals have begun asking our healthcare professionals to reuse masks. They are running out.

These hand-sewn masks are not as effective at blocking viral particles as the N95 masks our healthcare professionals need. We all know that. Our country is in crisis, though, and the people who are saving our lives need our help. They are asking those of us who can sew to help save them so they can save us. Please see the attached video tutorial and join my Facebook Group to help me get you where you need to be to donate masks to your local hospital, particularly if you are local to the Charlotte area.

You can find a pattern for masks with ties if you do not have elastic here.