Little Masks, Lasting Love

Design

A fitting message for this project.

It has now been some years since the COVID outbreak and shut down. Many of our youngest children weren't even around then. And much like regrowth after a fire, taking COVID-era material, and giving it a new story can make an impact.

Many children and adults too, were separated from loving connections in 2020. We didn't see the faces of those arouond us...the most essential part of human connection. Wouldn't it be just the most remarkable thing to transform the items used to separate us into something that brings us together? And what better day to spread love than Valentine's Day? With this in mind, I set out to create a piece that not only changed the purpose of the material, but made a lasting memorial to the idea of the power of loving connections. Maybe you, too have a unique backstory that could be turned into a quilt.

Fabric squares from face masks.

Preparing the Face Mask Fabric

I began with a few packages of unused children's face masks that had come from Old Navy. There were 3 types of patterns, and 3 masks in a package. So I set about gently ripping the seams open to remove any elastic. That's when I discovered each mask had two pieces of fabric. When all was said and done, I had about 18 squares that measured 6 inches each. This would be enough for a crib sized quilt, or a small baby quilt. As an accent fabric, I had some white with brown hearts that would make a great addition. It was important to use the masks even if the colors weren't perfect.

You will want to wash the fabric considering it was from a pandemic era. I decided to make the quilt first, and wash it second since the masks I used were never opened. If yours are opened, you can wash them before ripping out the seams. Place them in a mesh bag and put them in the washing machine. Wash them in hot water to kill any germs, and dry them in a dryer on high heat just to make sure they are clean. After that you can disassemble them for use in the quilt. At this point you may want to iron them and if necessary starch them to make them stable. I did not starch mine, but I did iron them.

Stripes as a simple design.

Designing a Simple Quilt Layout

You can choose from a variety of quilt designs that utilize smaller fabric squares. Half square triangles, pinwheels, 9 patch, and flying geese blocks are just a few ideas that work with smaller pieces. Some Valentine themed pieces would be hearts, XOXO motifs, or simple patchwork arrangements. The possibilities are vast. Most likely the colors will be pinks and reds, but other colors can incorporate well into the design like purple, white, peach, or a soft pastel. For my quilt, I decided to make it very simple. I put the squares into rows to form stripes. This gave me a fast project, and it still had visual interest. It would also be ultra beginner friendly.

Pin basting. You can still see the creases from the mask folds.

A pillow case style binding for this quilt makes it a bit softer.

Quilting and Finishing Touches

For this particular quilt, I decided not to bind it in the traditional way. Instead I laid the backing on the quilt top, right sides together, and then laid that unit on top of the batting. All pieces needed to be the same size, as there wasn't going to be any trimming later on. I sewed all three layers together at a 1/4 inch seam around the perimeter, and left a section of the edge open to turn the quilt right side out. It resembled a pillowcase. After turning it, I sewed the opening closed by hand, but by machine is perfectly fine. It is at this point that I pin basted the quilt to keep it from shifting while quilting the hearts on top.  This quilt needed a special design on the top, a message of sorts in the quilting. I inherited some rulers from another quilter some years ago, and one of those was a heart ruler. I just had to go with that design. Using a ruler foot on my domestic machine, I quilted hearts all over, from top to bottom, but not so dense as to make the quilt rigid. I wanted it to have a nice drape, to be soft, and to be "friendly" as I like to say. Finally, I figured I would sew a row of top stitching 1/4" in from the edge to reinforce it, just in case it got a lot of use. And that's it! I washed it afterward, and now am ready to gift it to my neighbor that just had a baby. Remember to add a label to mark the new beginning of these repurpose face masks!

Heart-shaped rulers allow me to quilt evenly.

Reflecting on the Project’s Significance

The power of this project can be very healing. It is the transformation of children’s masks from a difficult time to a warm keepsake. With the upcycling of the materials instead of discarding them, it is really an investment in sustainability, creativity, and renewal. You may have some old COVID fabric to make into a quilt. Make a difference by donating a quilt sewn from the remnants of COVID masks!

The final transformation. These masks have a new life.