Since late March, shortly after the first COVID-19 cases were reported in Michigan, I’ve been sewing cloth masks. To date, I’ve cut, pinned, and sewn 211 cotton masks, some with cloth ties, some with elastic. Of these, 123 masks were donated. The others were purchased via orders on social media, with a few given as gifts. Masks are now available to purchase in my Etsy shop.

The first fifty masks I donated were sewn from free kits supplied by businesses and organizers in Ann Arbor, MI; these masks went to medical and other frontline workers in the region. The next 73 (and counting) were sewn from fabric purchased with money graciously donated by folks buying my masks for themselves and their families. These masks have gone to BIPOC-led and/or LGBTQ groups and organizations for distribution in Detroit and Ypsilanti. When the protests began following the murder of George Floyd, I distributed donated masks to protesters in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor. (Thanks again to my friends who also distributed these masks.)

Today, I have twenty donation masks in progress, and I have fabric cut and ready to make more. As Michigan gradually reopens, I intend to keep sewing at least ten masks to donate per week, and I will continue sewing masks to sell on Etsy. If you need a kid-size mask, or if you want colors other than what you see on Etsy, please message me on Facebook or Instagram, or email me at rhizome.artstudio@gmail.com.

Be well!