April 4, 2020

How to make your own cloth face covering (without sewing!).

The official American presentation (with rubber bands):



The dreamier Japanese presentation (with hair elastics):



I think hair elastics would be more comfortable. I'm thinking that the cloth would feel heavy hooked over your ears like that and would prefer something that left the ears alone. The instructions I'm seeing for masks that tie around the back of your head all seem to require sewing.

And yet, it is obviously possible to take a long scarf, put it over your face, and wrap it around and do some tying to hold it in place. That's something we do in the North in the winter when the temperatures drop below zero. But there are summer scarves, and how to tie them to cover the face for sun protection seems to be well worked out, at least for women. I like this, which strikes me as stylish, but perhaps not much of a virus defense:



I'm seeing some videos showing bandannas tied in back in the classic Western armed-robber style. Is that approach good enough? Well, no one was ever claiming that a mask was a perfect shield, only that it might help to some degree. What degree? Who knows?!

And there's the whole dimension of mental wellbeing and social signaling: Do you feel better? And: Do other people see that you're being caring and thoughtful? The "bad guy" bandanna might not be so good at social signaling:



Now, the masks are voluntary, so you could just go without them (or go without them except when doing something dangerous, like venturing into a grocery store or a polling place). Are you going to wear a face covering? I took a poll, here, yesterday. Results:



Do you see that I gave you pairs of options? There were 3 answers — yes, maybe, and no — and for each of the 3, there were 2 choices. The first choice for each had you reacting to a message from the outside— reacting one way or another to being told you should do something. The second one in each case had to do with thinking for yourself in doing what's rational. For each of the answers — yes, maybe, and no — the internal decisionmaking approach was much more popular. In fact, all of the thinking-for-yourself answers —the second, fourth, and sixth — were much more popular than any of the answers that were based on the reception of messages about what you ought to do.

The least popular answer was the one where you do what's recommended. I wonder if doing what you're told would become more popular if mask-wearing were not voluntary. But taking my poll would never be mandatory, and there'd be no consequence to lying on my poll, so I don't think I'd get a lot of check marks on the option: Yes, I'll do what I'm told.

75 comments:

Rory said...

"I'm thinking that the cloth would feel heavy hooked over your ears like that and would prefer something that left the ears alone."

It pulls your ears away from your head, so that the backs of your ears can get cold in the morning.

wild chicken said...

These demo people always happen to have the perfect cloths lying around.

How does that happen.

tim maguire said...

I do what I’m told...by my wife.

Shouting Thomas said...

End the shutdown now.

If you're young and on the make, ignore it.

Go about your business and advance yourself in any manner you can think of.

If you still believe in experts and that the authorities have things under control, I suggest you watch "How to Fix a Drug Scandal" on Netflix.

Spiros said...

I think face masks should be worn by all visitors to hospitals and nursing homes. But this is too much. And it is dehumanizing. Our faces are tremendously expressive, they're dynamic canvases of feeling that play a critical role in communication. And, of course, faces are important for physical attractiveness.

And what about millennials? These kids stuggle with facial expressions and body language. These kids are already on the spectrum. Every interaction with the opposite sex is "rape." This is going to make matters worse.

Howard said...

My mask is blue with red tie strings and blue and white striped trim. My wife's mask has a very pretty floral design. She did the pleated versions they look feel and function just like the real thing. it's amazing what happens when you follow a recipe to the T.

I'm still not going to go into enclosed spaces with strangers for at least the next couple weeks.

Wince said...

I loved the way the Asian woman repeatedly pressed the cloth gently with the back of her hand.

Puts me in mind of the Jonathan Winters character Maude Frickert, who had the catch phrase: "All over my body."

chuck said...

The "bad guy" bandanna

I have a balaclava for bike riding in cold weather. I don't think it would send the right message. Apart from that, the idea of wearing a mask doesn't bother me, what is the big deal?

Fernandinande said...

And, of course, faces are important for physical attractiveness.

Well, that depends on the person, doesn't it?

Anyway, just draw some happy little smiling teeth on the front of the mask.

Wince said...

"Allllllllll over my baaaaaaaahdy."

Bob Boyd said...

That first video is the original reply the Navy sent to Capt. Crozier.

Eleanor said...

What I find interesting is who can do the things basic to survival. Older folks can still cook things from scratch and sew something simple like a face mask for the most part. I don't know if the Professor can't sew or doesn't want to. The young "crunchy" folks do a lot of cooking and have flooded the sewing groups on Facebook. They've made the Instant Pot a "must have". They're more into high-fashion sewing, but they have the skills to make something like a face mask, and there are a lot of them sewing them to give away. It's the generation in between that are most helpless. But if you want to make your own mask, sewn or unsewn, just do a search. The masks made from bandannas and coffee filters are popular. The ones with the best score for keeping the virus out are made from Hepa vaccuum cleaner bags.

Fernandinande said...

Do you see that I gave you pairs of options?

That was very generous, thanks.

Scott Patton said...

I was thinking Bazooka Joe method, but he left his nose uncovered so that won't work.

Ann Althouse said...

"I don't know if the Professor can't sew or doesn't want to."

It's been so long since I used my sewing machine that I look for it and, while searching the closets, try to remember if I gave it away. I know I once gave a sewing machine away, but I also remember having 2 different sewing machines, and 2 different scenarios that had to do with giving them away. I just don't remember if I completely followed through with the second giveaway.

In any case, I was forced to learn how to sew in the compulsory education I was subjected to in the 1960s. And I sewed on my own quite a lot. In those days, you could save a lot of money by making your own clothes, though it took A LOT of time. For the last few decades, clothes have been much cheaper, and it doesn't seem to be a good use of time to sew your own clothes. I haven't done it since the 80s. I have sewn in recent years but only by hand and only in order to repair something.

Ann Althouse said...

"I was thinking Bazooka Joe method, but he left his nose uncovered so that won't work."

Good idea! I have a perfect item of clothing for that. Thanks!

You'd need a turtleneck with a really long collar. I have a sleeveless shell that's really like an undergarment, but it has a superlong turtleneck attached. I thought it would be useful... finally it is.

Spiros said...

Oh my God, it used to be mandatory for young men to learn how to sew a missing button back on a shirt.

Clayton Hennesey said...

How often are people replacing or sterilizing these not-quite-a-panty-liner for their faces?

Robert Cook said...

"Oh my God, it used to be mandatory for young men to learn how to sew a missing button back on a shirt."

When? I was in high school from 1969-1973, and I remember the girls taking HOME EC classes, (though I don't recall--if I ever knew--if the classes were required or elective), but I don't remember boys ever being required to take any instruction of any kind that related to repairing or making clothing.

JES said...

A sewing group in WI, just organized two weeks ago on their own initiative, now has 17 sewers and has donated 709 fabric masks to health care organizations and postal workers. Mostly young gals with kids, home schooling and working from home. Sometimes the govment should just get out of the way.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

The first two videos show the cloth being folded toward the middle. It would seem that would prove less protection than simply folding in half, Or does it improve breathability?

Spiros said...

Mr. Cook, I had to learn how to do it in the 1990s. We also learned how to punch a hole in a leather belt.

Shouting Thomas said...

The bureaucracy we build now to respond to any and every emergency will be permanent. It won't go away. It will be the same as the huge military and intelligence bureaucracy we built for WWII that has never been disbanded. It will rule us.

Wince said...

For the last few decades, clothes have been much cheaper, and it doesn't seem to be a good use of time to sew your own clothes. I haven't done it since the 80s. I have sewn in recent years but only by hand and only in order to repair something.

A metaphor for our country's strategic supply-chain problem?

Chuck said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Browndog said...

It seems to me some have designs on wearing a face mask in public a social norm. Hard pass.

Eliminate the tradition of the firm handshake among men? Hard pass.

Aside: We all had to take home-ec in grade school. Sewing, baking, typing. Us boys weren't too keen on the idea, but it turned out to be pretty cool.

Big Mike said...

I have a silk bandana from a cowboy costume. If wearing it "bad guy" style helps keep everyone six feet away then wouldn't that be a good thing?

MadisonMan said...

Your use of the phrase 'hair elastics' made me smile at its old-fashioned-ness.

MadisonMan said...

At any rate, I have balaclavas that I'll use if I have to.

JAORE said...

I saw an interesting mask posting a few days ago. Hospital staff forced to wear the masks continually over long shifts reported severe ear irritation. To counter that some sewed buttoned on their head covers just above and behind the ears. The rubber bands tugged at the buttons, not the ears. A ball cap or other hat should do as well.

JAORE said...

"I have a silk bandana from a cowboy costume. If wearing it "bad guy" style helps keep everyone six feet away then wouldn't that be a good thing?"

You should practice saying,"Yippie ky Yay, mudder fukker". Adds a but of panache.

JAORE said...

Bit, not "but" of course. A butt of panache is too Laslo like for my limited imagination.

Browndog said...

More apt than ever:

George Carlin - Germs, Immune System

The Minnow Wrangler said...

Althouse said, "It's been so long since I used my sewing machine that I look for it and, while searching the closets, try to remember if I gave it away. I know I once gave a sewing machine away, but I also remember having 2 different sewing machines, and 2 different scenarios that had to do with giving them away. I just don't remember if I completely followed through with the second giveaway."

I also have a sewing machine, and I know where it is (in a storage closet) but it is inconvenient to use. The last few times I used it were to make curtains, all straight seams, just measure, pin & sew. It is still a hassle. I have some nice scarves and some painter's masks that I will use instead of trying to sew anything.

For those who are trying to sew masks and can't find elastic, I guess if you cut open bungee cords there are several strands of elastic in them. I'm sure we are at peak bandanna buying right about now.

And yes in the early 60's my mom sewed most of our clothes for me and my sister. But clothing has gotten so inexpensive (and fabric seems to be more expensive) that it is not worth the time and effort anymore.

Buckwheathikes said...

What short memories we have.

February 29, 2020 (about a month ago): “Seriously people — STOP BUYING MASKS!” the surgeon general, Jerome M. Adams, said in a tweet on Saturday morning. “They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus."

March 31, 2020 (five days ago): U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said on “Fox & Friends” Tuesday that “the data doesn't show” that wearing masks in public will help people during the coronavirus pandemic. “It's important to understand that we are looking at the data every single day and we make the best recommendations to the American people we can based on what we know,” Adams said.

“On an individual level, there was a study in 2015 looking at medical students and medical students wearing surgical masks touch their face on average 23 times,” Adams explained. “We know a major way that you can get respiratory diseases like coronavirus is by touching a surface and then touching your face so wearing a mask improperly can actually increase your risk of getting disease.”

This guy's story changes pretty often.

Milwaukie guy said...

As I said in a thread yesterday, I'm going with the cowboy/Antifa bandanna look.

I don't what the exact efficacy of a bandana is but I note that wearing it steams up my glasses a bit. It's got to help some.

CJinPA said...

I don't think I'd get a lot of check marks on the option: Yes, I'll do what I'm told.

I find it curious that so many said "Yes, because I understand the science" when they understood the science prior to the recommendation, but didn't wear the mask until being urged.

Only a few brave among us voted the first option.

Iman said...

I’m going with the burka/beekeeper look.

gilbar said...

From Ace of Spades
*** CDC Stages of masking grief ***

Denial: Don't wear masks, they don't work
Anger: you're wasting masks and your selfishness will kill doctors
Depression: All the masks are gone
Bargaining: What if people use bandanas?
Acceptance: Everyone wear masks all the time

gilbar said...

seriously, if the CDC and the WHO aren't straight with us on this;
WHY should we imagine that they'd be straight with us... On ANYTHING?

Milwaukie guy said...

I've never done drag for Halloween or anything. But, maybe a burka as a starter dress. Or, a black turban and scarf [I usually wear black, anyway] for the Hashishim.

Milwaukie guy said...

The beekeeper sounds awesome, too. Especially if you have the smoker going to maintain your 6' cone of protection.

Karen said...

Ann Althouse: Here’s the easiest mask, made from t-shirts, no sewing. From the great Lex Friedman, AI genius.
https://youtu.be/qFmaSNP6_z4

Buckwheathikes said...

"WHY should we imagine that they'd be straight with us... On ANYTHING?"

The problem at the CDC is that they waste an incredible amount of money on topics having nothing whatsoever to do with disease control - which is their mission and should be their ONLY mission.

If you casually view their website, you'll see sections having nothing whatsoever to do with disease control, such as injury, gun violence and safety (ATF responsibility), environmental bullshit (EPA's responsibility) , workplace safety (which OSHA controls), opioid prevention (DEA responsibility), traumatic brain injury, home safety, motor vehicle safety, food safety (FDA's responsibility), chemical weapon elimination, sexual violence, suicide ... none of this has anything whatsoever to do with the mission of the Centers for Disease Control.

The CDC is a disease in and of itself. It's called "mission creep" and it's metastasizing.

reader said...

Went to the market. It is now mandatory for all essential workers to wear a mask. It’s only strongly recommended for anyone leaving their house. I wore one because I’ve known some of the women working at that market for 15 years and I would hate for them to think that I do not care about them. So here’s what I saw;

Stocker pulled his mask of to tell me “Hi!”,
Manager of the liquor department pulled hers off to take a drink of her Starbucks,
The checker, who I’ve know forever, pulled hers off to rub the tip of her nose with the back of her hand, and
The kid at McDonalds was wearing his under his nose.

I’m sure we are all much safer and happier following our new overlord Newsom.

reader said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bruce Hayden said...

“ In any case, I was forced to learn how to sew in the compulsory education I was subjected to in the 1960s. And I sewed on my own quite a lot. In those days, you could save a lot of money by making your own clothes, though it took A LOT of time. For the last few decades, clothes have been much cheaper, and it doesn't seem to be a good use of time to sew your own clothes. I haven't done it since the 80s. I have sewn in recent years but only by hand and only in order to repair something.”

The funny thing is that the two women most in my life (after my mother) loved to sew. My ex wife bought a good sewing machine to sew her maternity clothes, and kept on sewing clothes after our kid was born. It was never about money, but rather creativity. She just couldn’t find maternity clothes that she felt fit in a professional environment that weren’t extremely overpriced. Everything else was polyester, and she doesn’t wear polyester, esp to work. For her, it was a creative outlet. My partner made most of her outfits through high school and even college, then sewed her maternity clothes, and for her kids. She claims that she couldn’t buy that much off the rack, because she had large breasts and a small waist, and back then, coordinated outfits weren’t sold as separates. Again, it was an avenue for creativity. Her problem now though is that she has lost the ability to focus (thanks to the medical malpractice I have mentioned in past comments), so can’t even thread a needle now. I believe that we only have one sewing machine in either of our houses. Maybe. I suggested giving it away. But she is an even worse pack rat than I am, so that isn’t going to happen. We’ll just move it to the new house in a couple weeks. It doesn’t take up that much room, and she is happy.

Maybe I can convince her to put it up on OfferUp as her patriotic duty. Hah!

tcrosse said...

This morning at my friendly, neighborhood supermarket there was a wide variety of masks, as well as no masks. Beside the official store-boughten ones there were variations on the bandanna theme. I overheard one masked woman asked a masked employee where the masks were. The employee was probably to well-brought-up to laugh in her face from 6 feet away, but that they hadn't seen masks since the bleach and Purell disappeared.

Bruce Hayden said...

I commented on another thread that the Chinese were pretty slapdash about much of what they do, and that that probably explains the release of their SARS-2 Coronavirus into Wuhan, and ultimately, the world. That said, how can they be so careless that they can’t reliably sew masks to protect against the virus they created and foiled upon the rest of the world?

MadTownGuy said...

KTLA: Officials across California losing patience with those violating stay-at-home orders"

"Officials had said they want to rely on social pressure to make sure people don’t gather in large groups, stay at least 6 feet (1.8 meters) apart and only leave home to procure essentials such as food or medicine.

But San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore used stronger language when reminding people that state and local distancing measures aren’t just recommendations and that scofflaws could face misdemeanor charges carrying up to a $1,000 fine or six months in jail.

The days of trying to get voluntary compliance are over,” Gore said Thursday. “The message is going to go out to all of public safety here in the county that we will start issuing citations.


Ann Althouse said...
"The least popular answer was the one where you do what's recommended. I wonder if doing what you're told would become more popular if mask-wearing were not voluntary. But taking my poll would never be mandatory, and there'd be no consequence to lying on my poll, so I don't think I'd get a lot of check marks on the option: Yes, I'll do what I'm told."

Run the poll in a week and see how the results differ.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

Barriers work, whether we call them masks, scarves, kerchiefs, bandanas, veils, burkas, keffiyehs, barricades, fences, or walls.

Even so, I’m not going to wear a mask, even if I get arrested for showing my face in public.

mockturtle said...

This is rich: The expert who told us just a couple of days ago that wearing a mask was not just unnecessary but could be more risky, now telling us how to make masks.

Buckwheathikes said...

LA Mayor Eric Garcetti is turning LA into East Berlin.

He's set up a Google app where neighbors can snitch each other out - STASI-like:

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/bethbaumann/2020/04/04/la-mayor-garcetti-says-snitches-get-rewards-for-ratting-out-their-neighbors-n2566348?411

This isn't going to end well, folks.

mockturtle said...

When? I was in high school from 1969-1973, and I remember the girls taking HOME EC classes, (though I don't recall--if I ever knew--if the classes were required or elective), but I don't remember boys ever being required to take any instruction of any kind that related to repairing or making clothing.

Me, too, Cookie. Home Ec was not elective and neither was Wood Shop for boys. While I neither liked nor disliked Home Ec, I have found myself wishing both genders could have been schooled in basic home repairs, simple plumbing and wiring, tools and their uses, etc. As a widow whose late husband took care of those tasks, I have found YouTube to be a very useful resource, however, and have proudly and successfully performed quite a few tasks that would have daunted me back in the day. And yes, boys should learn how to cook, plan nutritional meals, etc. Both of my [decidedly manly] grandsons are good cooks.

mockturtle said...

Although my HS days preceded yours by a few years.

Sebastian said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Deanna said...

Dear youngest (24) daughter would probably pick the 3rd (green) option in the survey. She was hired for her first job out of nursing school to work nights on an interventional cardiology floor in a Detroit area hospital. A little over 2 weeks ago they discharged their remaining cardiac patients and admitted only Covid-19 (known or suspected till test results are known) patients. A week into this, hospital admin. began the rationing with 'one gown and one mask per care provider per shift'. Yesterday she said she's pretty sure everyone she works with on their continuously full 20-bed unit has the virus and that at this point the masks are pointless, neither protecting patients nor staff.

Of note: the day her unit transitioned to Covid-only the unit nurse manager, the person who she interviewed with and who hired her jumped ship. A week ago the hospital instituted mandatory OT of one extra 12-hour shift/week. Not yet a year out of nursing school and half the time she's at work she's charge nurse.

JMW Turner said...

I'm thinking of a selection of bandanas in multiple colors and fabrics for that dreamy antifa look...

Bilwick said...

I like to wear women's panties on my head, but never felt comfortable about doing it in public before. Now I can and tell people it's protection from the coronavirus. Thanks, Kung Flu!

Indigo Red said...

I have two masks and I'm debating which to use -- Batman or Big Bird.

effinayright said...

Milwaukie guy said...
As I said in a thread yesterday, I'm going with the cowboy/Antifa bandanna look.
*****************

I tried the Lone Ranger look, but for some reason I don't think it will catch on.

effinayright said...

MadisonMan said...
At any rate, I have balaclavas that I'll use if I have to.
*********

How will Greek pastries help you at a time like this?

Friedrich Engels' Barber said...

I remember when it was considered inadvisable to wear a mask and gloves into a bank or liquor store.

mockturtle said...

I remember when it was considered inadvisable to wear a mask and gloves into a bank or liquor store.

But those days are gone. LEOs will no longer arrest anyone for these minor infractions. So now you can rob banks and liquor stores with impunity while at the same time warding off the coronavirus. Two birds with one stone!

Robert Cook said...

"Ann Althouse: Here’s the easiest mask, made from t-shirts, no sewing. From the great Lex Friedman, AI genius.
https://youtu.be/qFmaSNP6_z4

4/4/20, 11:52 AM"


That's GREAT! However, I was annoyed with his monotonic voice yammering on for 4 minutes of the 6 minute video before he illustrated the method. I recommend interested viewers to skip ahead to about the 4 minute mark.

n.n said...

The eyes of March, April, and May are primary conduits for sharing.

n.n said...

I have two masks and I'm debating which to use -- Batman or Big Bird.

What came first, the bat or the coronavirus?

That said, Luke, I am your father. Full metal headgear, with vent to mitigate the greenhouse effect.

n.n said...

I like to wear women's panties on my head, but never felt comfortable about doing it in public before.

Pussyhat. Embrace the feminine gender, without the color stigma of rape... rape-rape culture.

tcrosse said...

I remember a fraternity initiation stunt which involved making an inhaler out of a jockstrap. I'm surprised it hasn't turned up on YouTube.

rhhardin said...

I met several bike riders on the daily ciruit, none wearing masks. Just the stupid I'm a bike rider clothes.

rhhardin said...

Mr. Wizard, the originator of the format, shows how to slice a banana with needle and thread. Without removing the skin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuXMTrzMlsQ

Howard said...

I had a sports reporter friend who called those road-biker getups European candy bar suits

Inga said...

The best and easiest homemade mask to sew yet. Fits snugly at sides and over nose.

mockturtle said...

Thank you, Inga. I made a pleated one but it didn't fit well. If I can find some materials I'll try this one. Meanwhile I'm using my dust mask that I've had for years.

ckmishn said...

Might I suggest an unlisted reason to wear one: reciprocity. The biggest value of the face mask is, if you have corona you're less likely to give it to someone else if you wear the mask. The best deal for society is that everyone else wears one so they don't give it to you, and you wear one so you don't give it to someone else.

If you don't wear one when everyone else does you're essentially a free-rider, kind of like the people ignoring the "*stay at home" order and socializing in groups whe. other people are sacrificing their income and social lives to stop the disease.