The Art Of Mask Making

While Arlington ISD schools are closed, there are essential employees still working, and they all have one thing in common.

All Arlington ISD employees are wearing masks, which is something the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends when people are in public. With masks now commonplace, we’re offering up some tips for mask wearers everywhere.

You can keep the masks simple.

The CDC site has a great resource that details everything from the proper way to wear a mask to simple instructions on how to make them. The good news is you don’t have to know how to sew to make a mas

Clearing the fog.

A mask can help someone with COVID-19 from spreading the virus, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to see if you’re wearing glasses. If you’re a glasses wearer and a mask wearer, you’ve probably noticed that things can get a little foggy. Fear not. The Today Show did a great segment on tips for wearing masks and being able to see, too.

Denim and canvas rule.

Masks can be made of everything from paper towels to bath towels. But what works best to keep microparticles from spreading? According to this study denim, canvas and bed sheets are among the best options. And while bandanas may be one of the easier things to grab, they may not be the best mask choice.

Support your team.

While safety is the No. 1 factor for wearing masks, style isn’t a bad thing either. And if you’re a fan of the Dallas Cowboys or Dallas Mavericks, you can sport your team colors and charities as well. Every NFL team has a mask available for pre-sale with the proceeds going to the CDC Foundation. The NBA and WNBA (Go Wings!) are giving proceeds from their sales to Feeding America and Second Harvest Canada.

Put your skills to use.

We had this in our helping from home story last week, but if you’re the crafty type, there are organizations in the area that can use your help if you know how to make a mask. Those masks won’t have to go far as places like Millwood Hospital in Arlington will take as many as it can get. Joann Fabric has set a goal of making 100 million masks and to date is more than 80 percent of the way to its goal. You can go to its site for all the details including how-to-videos.