Sewing masks for the cause

Aquilla Mahler of Iowa Park and a group of ladies who are members of area quilting guilds are joining forces to make masks to help the health care workers.

Mahler said the Pease River and Red River Quilting Guilds are just ramping up to get the distant assembly line in place to make the masks and they have already had a request for 250 from a Wichita Falls hospital.

She explained the masks are made from heavy duty cotton quilting material and some will have elastic and others will have ties.

She said the Pease River group normally meets at different churches in Vernon to sew and they do have plans to meet and make some of the masks, but members have already started making them at their homes.

“Some of us are cutting them out and ironing the pleats, while others are sewing them together,” she said. “We would like to find someone who likes to cut fabric and iron to take care of that part while we sew.”

Mahler said Cindy Simmons of Electra already has some masks made and ready to be delivered.

She said they know there are a lot of need for the masks and they will make them as long as they are needed.

“We are going back to the days of cloth diapers and fabric masks that are washed after you wear them Most of the medical places have washers and dryers,” she said.

The fabric is heavy enough those wearing them will not need to wear a paper mask under them.

Mahler said her job is to sew the sides together with strings or elastic.

Someone has already donated 17 yards of the needed material and they can get 10 masks from each yard of fabric.

“It has to be quilting grade material. If you can hold it up and see through it, it is not what we are using,” she said. “ Many of us are using our quilting stash.”

Mahler said some members of the quilting groups had already made masks and gave them to doctor’s offices and one gave some to a pharmacy in Seymour so they could give them to customers who might need extra protection.

“That is the thing I love about the members of the quilting guilds, they are such a giving bunch of ladies and we range in ages of 30s to 90s,” she said.

Mahler said if someone would like to donate fabric, thread, or elastic to be used for the medical mask they can reach her at 940-613-4843.