Leaf Me Alone Art-Mask

 I was skiing last Monday for my last runs this season. I find that one of the most relaxing places to be is on a chairlift alone in the sun when Mt. Holly is just open and barely anyone is around.  I was listening to my music and thinking about what work I had finished to enter into the Small Expressions 2021. I didn't enter last year and consequently I missed the deadline by a day so I didn't enter this year either!

Still, this new piece struck me out of nowhere and I just had to make it.  I've been working on the Leaf Me Alone series which has begun to have even more meaning through this pandemic. I feel like wearing my masks 40+ hours a week should have a little bit of a "6-feet, back off, leave me alone" resonance.  Why...I should make a Leaf Me Alone Mask to go along with the series.

I wanted to use the original draft of the Leaf Me Alone weavings for the interior fabric. I knew exactly where the fabric that I could run through my printer was in my studio but I had never used it before.  I created a blue and green version of the pattern in Photoshop. While reading all the directions for the printable fabric in great detail, I printed it out while gritting my teeth and waiting for my printer to jamb up and screw up the fabric.  It didn't mess up at all, it printed out great!  

I thought i was done with my mask patterns but there I was stitching another mask lining together, with my newly printed fabric.  I wanted to make the words pop in the fabric, so I spent my free time during my lunch breaks and evenings embroidering the Leave Me Alone. I made sure it looked good from the opposite side also, I knew I'd want parts of it to show through the leaves.

I already had the beaded leaves made; I've been making a lot of them in preparation for the leaf panel on the large Leaf Me Alone panel. Making beaded leaves is really never-ending. I just had to create the fabric leaves to give it an even combination and lots of texture.  The stitched leaves go faster than the beaded leaves, but not by a while lot.  I went through my fabric scraps and all of the sheer fabric pieces that I found were part of the installation I did for River Terrace Church, "Hope Flows."

I had Sunday off and I thought that I'd get the leaves all stitched together and the piece finished that day. I pushed and stitched all day. I didn't realize that the exhibit entries due April 15 was actually April 14, midnight (this is why I usually send in work a week ahead so I don't screw up the deadlines).  I finished at 2am, slept for 5 hours, got up and took photos now that I had the daylight. My heart sank a little when I realized that the exhibit had closed already, but it'll be done for next year.  And I can send it in to other exhibits. 

Honestly if I had realized that i missed the deadline I may not have kept going so late and it may have gotten thrown into a bag to be finished later...which I then sometimes loose interest. I was very tired at work the next day but I'm glad it got done and it's good to know that I can still pull a late-nighter if I'm really inspired to do so. 

*Sidenote, this is not a protective mask, it's only one layer of printed cotton fabric and the top layer is open, sheers and beads.

Diane's Gunmetal Mask, Dressy Masks

Diane's Gunmetal Mask, photo credit Bryan Johnson

Mask making continues for me this year and this request was really fun to work on.  Diane has a wedding to go to in October and requested a dressy mask to go with the outfit she's wearing.  I sent her a few fabric and bead samples, she picked one, and then I ran with it. 

Diane's Gunmetal Mask, detail, photo credit Bryan Johnson

I initially had thought about keeping the design super simple and just beading the edging of the mask.  I've been wearing a mask for 40+ hours a week since March and realized that having glinting shiny beads right in front of the eyes was not going to be comfortable, plus the glasses she wears.  So I started sketching some other designs.  Diane's outfit has some uneven or angled hem lines so I decided to use that idea, still keeping the beadwork simple. 

Diane's Gunmetal Mask, photo credit Bryan Johnson

I am in love with how this mask turned out!  If I have someplace dressy to go, I'll be making myself one also.  We're really not going anywhere until all this calms down though, so I don't see me needing one for a while.  This may be a little much for working at Home Depot. Ha.

Diane's Gunmetal Mask, detail, photo credit Bryan Johnson

I had a difficult time narrowing down the photos that Bryan took so you get a few different angles.  Yes, I'm wearing a wig, it's so much easier than doing my hair and I wanted to add a fun twist on these photos anyway.  I got it together in the nick of time for the Ann Arbor Fiberarts Guild's online COVID Mask Exhibit too. 

Diane's Gunmetal Mask, detail, photo credit Bryan Johnson

This mask has a partner, Diane's husband requested a "vineyard theme" mask and I took to Spoonflower to find designs.  Even though I don't drink anymore I couldn't resist this print and her husband liked this best too: 

Paul's Satin Vineyard Mask

I purchased the vineyard fabric in satin and the fabric is just delicious. You can find this design and others in Bags29's shop on Spoonflower.  Check out the link HERE.

Paul's Satin Vineyard Mask and Diane's Gunmetal Mask

Specialty Masks

So far I've made approximately 120 masks.  I have set aside my weaving and beadwork for a few months but I'm getting back to those this week.

I never have much of an excuse to buy or use fabric (last time was for the River Terrace Church Installation) and this has been a nice little break on these quicker projects.  As I've been mask making, my desire to make some more fun ones stirred.  I reached out to another local artist who makes patches for some special order Star Trek insignias.  I ordered a few Next Generation and Original to play with.  The first mask I made with these is Original Star Trek science/medical blue, complete with the gold rick rack.

In the next ones I'm going to move the insignia and rick rack out to the sides a little further from the middle but all in all I was happy with how this one turned out.

The next Star Trek mask is a Next Generation command red.  I did move the insignia out to the side more and I like it better.  I also felt it needed a black piece of fabric to jazz it up a little like the collars on the uniforms rather then having just the insignia on red fabric.

I turned out having a good Next Gen feel so I have no critisizm of this design.  I've ordered gold/mustard fabric for my next one of these.  the hand stitching for the insignias and rick-rack takes extra, but it's worth it to me.  I'm a bit of a Trekkie and  I think I needed a Star Trek representation in my mask repitior since I have only been able to find Star Wars fabrics since I've been mask making.  Like I mentioned in my previous mask post, this is just another fun accessory to me.  I feel like I have less need to match them with what I'm wearing since we're all kind of settling on whatever masks are out there being made right now.

I couldn't help myself when I saw the below red holographic dragon scale fabric.  This mask is thick, and very warn with the black satin lining, but I don't mind wearing the masks and I really love how this one turned out for something fancier.

Seams Fabric in East Lansing has also been giving me an excuse to but some more fun fabric.  The below print I've been looking at for a while, but I have had no reason to buy this fabric.  I toyed with using it as the header for our bed, but it was way too busy.  At least I can make masks out of it!  (Don't get me wrong, there's a lot to be made with fabric, but I just can't make up new projects for patterns I love).

I also love the dinos and DNA print from Seams. 

Fabric Mask Making during COVID 19

Well, here we are needing to hunker down and stay home to keep from spreading COVID-19.  I told myself that I wasn't going to make masks, with working overtime I wanted to keep what free time I had to my artwork.  After I got off the phone with my dear friend Abigail on Sunday I decided it was time.  She is in Tenessee and they are required to wear masks if they are out in public for anything. 

I imagine Michigan is headed the same direction where we will be required to wear masks so I'm just getting a jump on it and have been testing out a pattern this week.  Joann Fabrics has been sending out a ton of imformative emails with different mask making patterns and suggestions.  I decided I like the more form-fitted ones versus the 6 x 9 rectangles with pleats.  THIS is the pattern I started with.

I printed the PDF for the mask that is provided in the pattern turtorial and made my first mask along with the video.  I already knew that I wanted to use elastic around the ears (so I could still move it away from my face to drink my coffee at work, not worry about it getting tangled in my hair etc.).  I also skipped the interfacing step to keep it simple and easier to wash and not be too stiff.  I also knew I'd probably be altering the pattern and might need less layers in the beginning.

I made my first mask (above) and wore it to work the next day.  I made the straps way too tight which hurt my ears and the mask kept moving down my nose as I talked to customers, trained on the computer programs and moved around the store.  It works great if I'm not talking to anyone though (or minimally).  When I got home that night, I dropped it into Photoshop and added a half inch to the length of the pattern.

My second day at work with the mask was much better, 7 inches for the elastic loops so it keeps the mask in place but not super tight, long enough that I could talk without it moving around and it still cupped my face.  The last issue was it needing to be a little bit tighter over the bridge of my nose.  I added darts on either side of the nose (below/middle of my eyes) and it works perfect.  I've been pulling fabric from my stash and buying some fun stuff to work with too. 

My coworker Russ wanted me to make him a mask first.  I wasn't really planning on making and selling them, but I feel like I'm filling a need for those around me, a little bit of protection for my bubble at least.  When I finished his mask we found his face was longer than mine and he was having the same issue I was with the very first pattern (so I've got a longer version now that I still need him to try but it's an additional half inch longer in the front, the back of the pattern is about the same, I moved some lines).  Another coworker has paid me for a Star Wars mask (he lit up when I told him we had bought some Star Wars fabric), a friend ordered 3 masks, I want to have enough to not having to do laundry all the time.  So I'm making masks.

Elastic!  Everywhere seems to be out of elastic from what I can tell.  Since I keep almost everything, I have been cannibalizing old camis for their elastic straps and edging.  When I noticed this I laced an order with one of my bead suppliers, Fire Mountain Gems, which still has some elastic options in stock.  I'm using what I have right now though, who knows when that elastic will get to me from Oregon.

My studio was getting cleaner until I switched gears, now there's a very narrow path between my loom and an ironing board to my sewing table.  Fabric is piling up, I'm thinking about cutting scraps into mini squares to make a quilt at some point in the distant future.

Bryan and I both are still going to work, I got an "essential" job at Home Depot when Talbots was forced to close it's doors and Bryan is in IT and we need the internet to keep running.  We are making sure to wear masks when we go out, especially to the grocery store and at work.   The key to these fabric masks is that they're machine washable and you need to wash after you wear them out.  I'm washing all of them first and bagging them (with freshly washed hands) for others.  I always suggest to air-dry things, especially since dryer heat and elastic don't mix.  But they are ok to put in the dryer too. 

You can see my weaving under the above picture.  I have been joining my fellow AA's on Zoom meetings in the evenings via my tablet and cutting fabric for the masks as we chat at my loom.  This is my life right now and I'm so thankful that we are happy, healthy, I have my meetings still to keep me in check with learning a new job and coming home and making masks.  I know so many people that are making and donating masks to medical workers, I figure since I can sew, I can at the very least make my own.  As much as sewing can be meditative and a fun little break for me, I hope to get to the point where I have a stock-pile of masks and I can get back to weaving!