Saving Face
The Folklore of Crafting Face Masks During the Pandemic
By: Camilla Mae Knoop
History of Masks as Folklore
How wearing and making facial coverings became a form of folklore.
Current Folk Groups
Who makes masks?
Why and how did they start?
Expression Through Mask Making
Whether political, funny, or uplifting, masks can be used to signal many messages.
Coronavirus & Mask Mandates
The Coronavirus reshaped our world. When people were instructed to quarantine and the mask mandate went into place, many people felt lost and scared. Resources such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other medical supplies soon became scarce, and many hospitals and health care workers experienced shortages. This led to support from various unexpected places: the prop departments for some medical drama television shows in Los Angeles donated their PPE to Californian hospitals, and Facebook groups began crafting and providing free masks for their communities.
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Crafting has long brought people together, and in a time when we can't join together physically, making masks has provided hope and the opportunity to express our concern for the welfare of our fellow humans. As a mainly materialistic form of folklore, many individuals used spare fabric scraps and their own hands and time to provide face masks free of charge. Many who already had the equipment for sewing opened up their workshops or studios for neighbors and fellow crafters to come together (at a safe distance) to ensure everyone had the necessary protective gear to face the pandemic. This activity of designing and creating face masks is a way to blend together your ideals and knowledge around sewing, diseases, and the world around you into one small piece of cloth, to be worn and shared and shown to everyone.