Weekly update: keeping busy

Here are 3.5" rail fences and 3.5" HSTs in light blue, the RSC color for April.

I have squares and strips cut for other RSC colors but right now I'm busy making masks.

So far I've made 27. The first batch used up the small amount of 1/4" elastic I had on hand. There wasn't any elastic left at Wal-Mart and I just don't want to deal with online ordering.

Instead I found a pattern

for mask with ties and a filter pocket . A coffee filter will work. I bought "chenille craft sticks," aka pipe cleaners, for the wire nose bridge. I had accumulated several packages of bias tape (poly/cotton -- as the labels say, Kodel Polyester -- so I wouldn't use it for quilting) that works just find for the ties. I'm also using regular quilting cotton for the ties. Though those aren't cut on the bias I'm pulling the 2"xWOF strips through a bias tape maker which folds them nicely (easy to press).

This old label (6 yards for 15 cents) and project card were in the box with the 1980's poly/cotton packages.

I've sent masks to family in New Hampshire and will sent some to a friend in New York. Others will be donated locally. My goal is to use up all the pipe cleaners.

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On Sunday afternoon we went to Van Patten Woods, one of the Lake County Forest Preserves. There were a lot of people out. Everyone was socially-distanced. Stevens waited in the car while I walked around Sterling Lake.