About

November 11, 2020

I’ve come out of retirement (from my soap making business, see ArthaSoaps.com) and am making 100% cotton face masks. Part micro business, part service to the world. What a time we live in!

In mid March I sensed that mandatory face covering was coming. I wanted to help my friends and family to be protected.

I thought “I can sew! I can make masks!” So, I set up the old family Kenmore sewing machine, circa 1970, dug out some wonderful cotton fabric I had collected. I then spent hours and hours and hours online studying and making different patterns, and swapping resources with a few friends and family members. I felt it was vital to follow a pattern offered by health care providers. I found a pattern offered by Deaconess Hospital in Indiana in late March and made my first batch of masks.

As of April 22, 2020 I had made 246. Most I gave away to friends, family, neighbors, the local independent grocery store, local senior home, and my veterinarian’s office. I started selling them at the local independent grocery store, Piedmont Grocery, here in Oakland, California.

As of May 27, 2020 I had made 499.

As of August 18, 2020 I had made 1,106. They are still selling well at Piedmont Grocery.

On August 24, 2020 I started PiedmontMasks.com. I’m doing my own web design. Fun!

On September 6, 2020 I made my first silk-lined, 100% cotton mask.

As of September 20, 2020 I am returning to a style of Deaconess mask I was making in the spring. It still has decorative, 100% cotton fabric facing out. But facing in (against the face) it has a tightly woven – very breathable – 550-thread-count, Oeko-Tex certified, solid-colored 100% cotton. So, decorative fabric facing out, solid color facing in.

I hope you find something beautiful here to help make these times a little more sane, tolerable, and calming. Beauty soothes the soul.

And remember the Czech saying, “My mask protects you, your mask protects me!”.