By Margot Millard, North Stake Media Specialist
“Just like American women knitted socks during WWII, this is our time for ‘knitting socks.’” —Carol Neville
On March 21, weeks before the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) issued its recommendation for all citizens to wear face masks to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus, Carol Neville (San Pedro Ward) decided she couldn’t wait. Neville and her husband, a local epidemiologist, grew increasingly alarmed by news reports of personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages for doctors and nurses, and the idea of using a scarf or bandana as protection against a killer virus appalled her.
“Heck, no!” she thought. “I’m making face masks. Just like American women knitted socks during WWII, this is our time for ‘knitting socks.’”
Although her research showed that homemade masks were not as efficient at filtering out the virus as medical grade ones, Neville felt something was better than nothing. Soon after posting her invitation for volunteer sewers on the Facebook group Latter-Day Saint Ladies of San Antonio, she extended the call to all area seamstresses with a new FB group, Sew Masks San Antonio. SMSA quickly became a clearinghouse for individual and professional requests, along with new ideas for patterns, research on the best material for filters, and trouble-shooting sewing problems.
“Health care workers in desperate need left requests, along with individuals at serious risk with asthma and diabetes. If a need presented, volunteers just jumped in and said they would take care of it,” according to Neville.
Because of stay-at-home orders, volunteers set up shop on dining room tables and kitchen counters, with most donating their own fabric and supplies for free. Marathon sessions of cutting fabric, pleating, ironing, clipping, pinning, wiring, inserting elastic, and sewing continued for weeks. Completed masks were bagged and left on porches, to be delivered by volunteers to nursing homes, hospitals, firefighters, police, even school cafeteria workers.
One such delivery volunteer is Dr. Erica Middleton (Las Lomas Ward), a clinical psychologist who works in several local hospitals. During her rounds, Middleton noticed that wearing a homemade mask over her traditional surgical face covering helped patients relax and warm up to her quicker.
“Oh, my goodness, I love your mask!” and “It matches your outfit!” were familiar phrases that Dr. Middleton heard, from patients and staff alike. When she brought a large donation to hospital workers, “It was like Christmas, with nurses and other staff picking out masks!” They were pleasantly surprised when Middleton informed them that the masks were made by ladies from her Church, free of charge.
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“Who would’ve thought that fabric hoarders would be the ones who came to the rescue of the Coronavirus pandemic!” —Sandy Starr
Many of the masks delivered by Erica Middleton were made by Sandy Starr (Sonterra Ward), a retired home economics teacher and professional sewer who immediately volunteered at SMSA. Starr’s personal stash of fabric and supplies was deep and she generously offered materials to those in need, along with expertise from years of sewing experience.
“I’ve used one roll of 144 yards of elastic [almost one-and-a-half football fields!] and am on my second roll now!” she mused. “If we could’ve met together, we’d have formed an assembly line and it would have been easier.” Even so, she still felt the spirit of giving service while working alone.
“I’m not an essential worker but given my limitations, it was a safe way for me to help. Who would’ve thought that fabric hoarders would be the ones who came to the rescue of the Coronavirus pandemic!”
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“This helps me get out of bed everyday — it makes me forget about myself and my pain by serving others.” —Lluvia Martineau
Lluvia Martineau (Sonterra Ward) wanted to use her sewing skills to help others during the Covid-19 crisis and was eager to join SMSA at Sandy Starr’s invitation. Martineau, a self-taught seamstress who designed and sewed her own clothes as a teenager, suffers significant pain and discomfort from unresolved health issues. She credits her newfound purpose in sewing masks to helping her overcome daily challenges.
“This is what I needed to do at this time,” she reflects. “This helps me get out of bed everyday — it makes me forget about myself and my pain by serving others.”
Even with Martineau’s years of sewing experience, crafting face masks still presented challenges. “It took me forever to sew my first 45 masks, but I was so proud!” Her desire to increase her production rate was richly rewarded as she often felt the Spirit teaching her how to improve her technique.
One of Martineau’s most recent donations included sewing 20 masks for San Antonio’s Business Community’s “Covered with Compassion,” a drive for 50,000 face coverings by May 8. She and several other SMSA volunteers contributed hours of work in helping meet our city’s demand. Says Martineau, “I really want to teach my kids to serve and how happy it can make you.”
“I was his wife’s ministering sister until she passed away last month. He loves his mask because he gets compliments everywhere he goes and wore the mask for his wife’s funeral.”
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Although it was impossible to interview all 250 members of Sew Masks San Antonio, it is important to note their participation in the cherished American tradition of defending their country against all enemies, including the invisible. Uniting in a worthy cause to help fellow citizens is a wonderful example of how the Savior wants us to minister to our brothers and sisters, and a bright reflection of our Church’s values. Today, two months after Sew Masks San Antonio volunteers revved up their sewing machines to meet the city’s urgent need for face masks, requests have slowed considerably. But as long as Covid-19 is still active, Sew Masks San Antonio is here to honor all requests posted on its site.