By Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Bags of fabric are crisscrossing Washington County along a virtual assembly line so precisely orchestrated the people working on it never see each other. Working remotely, the Washington County Covid-19 Mask Sewing Circle has already delivered more than 500 cloth face masks, and taken orders for 1,200 more. 

The sewing circle is co-organized by Angela Fochesato, Debbie Whitman and Kelly Scoville. Scoville said incoming orders have skyrocketed since April 3, when the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued a statement recommending the use of cloth face coverings to slow the spread of COVID-19.  

“The orders are coming from all over the county, and the stories, oh my gosh,” said Scoville.  “Sometimes when they order the mask they’ll tell you their ills, and it’s heartbreaking.” As a result of the increased demand, Scoville said she is prioritizing masks for the people in the greatest need, including first responders, cancer patients, and people who are immunocompromised.

The masks are made following a CDC-issued pattern, using an outside layer of cotton and an inside layer of flannel. But the most critical element is the number of pleats.

“It has to have three pleats so it will fit over the nose,” said Fochesato. “With two pleats it doesn’t fit right and it gapes on the side.”

The group has strict policies on material handling, designed to ensure physical distancing and zero contamination. As a result, Fochesato jokes that supply “drops” sometimes feel like they’re dealing in illicit goods and not sewing supplies. First, Fochesato is informed that fabric, previously bagged for 24 hours, has been left out for pickup.  

“Then I don’t announce that any [porous] materials are ready to go until they have set for three to six hours,” said Fochesato, who designed the group’s Court Street drop site using a series of plastic totes and lots of disinfectants. “We have wipes by the totes, so you wipe it down before you touch it, then you take the fabric. When we drop the masks off we have a sheet that tells them how to sanitize them, too.”

All of the masks are given away for free. Heeding the call for supplies, some people have donated funds, like Bold Coast Coffee of East Machias, who also donated coffee and gloves for volunteers, and others have dropped off or shipped piles of fabric. The greatest need has been for elastic, which is in tight supply nationwide. To get around this, group members have been buying up elastic headbands from area dollar stores. 

Not all of the group’s members can sew, but they help in other ways.

“People will call and say, ‘I can’t sew, but what do you need me to do?’” said Whitman. Sometimes they can volunteer to cut cotton and flannel into 6x9 inch rectangles, sometimes they can measure and cut elastic. Currently, about 40 people are busy cutting supplies, and 30 are busy sewing. Right now the greatest need is for more volunteers who can sew.

For Whitman, sewing masks is a way of giving back.

“I had breast cancer, I was diagnosed in May 2015, and I went through three types of chemo, 33 radiation treatments,” said Whitman. “This town was wonderful, for both my husband and me. They did so much during that time, this is my way to thank everybody that was there for me.”

So far the group has taken orders from the Department of Health and Human Services, Walgreens Pharmacy, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Maine Veterans Home and the office of local physician Dr. Cynthia Sammis, who plans to give them to her patients.

“I treat a lot of precious elders in our community and I would like for them to have a face mask to use when they go to Bangor, to the drug store, or to the grocery stores,” said Sammis. “We don’t have a big mask supply, so this allows us to protect our patients without worrying about running out.”

The big advantage of these masks, said Sammis, is that they’re washable. Each person is advised to have two so that they can wear one when the other is in the wash.

“I think it’s really wonderful, and I applaud everybody’s ingenuity in doing it,” said Sammis. “I would love to see everybody in town have a homemade mask.”

In his press conference Friday, April 3, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah said the federal government might issue more guidance around the use of cloth face masks.

“A cloth mask does not relieve anyone of the obligation to practice physical distancing,” said Shah, citing the most commonly-voiced concern around mask usage. “I’d hate for masks to give people that false sense of security.” For some people, the face mask serves as a reminder not to touch one’s face. For others unaccustomed to a mask, it could lead to more face touching, said Shah.

Last week the state of California issued guidance saying that the use of a face mask might be helpful in preventing the spread of COVID-19, at the same time echoing Shah’s concerns that a mask should not be seen as a stand-in for physical distancing and scrupulous handwashing.

Though medical-grade face masks are in short supply worldwide, Shah reported that the state has ordered 30,000 masks for medical professionals, and hopes to take delivery of those later this month. Also, L.L. Bean in Freeport has begun making surgical face masks using material once destined for the lining of dog beds.

For Sharon Mack, who has been practicing social distancing for more than three weeks, the sewing circle’s effort is both practical and heartwarming.

“Everyone is unsettled right now and everyone is afraid, but mostly everyone feels a little bit out of control and helpless,” said Mack. “This group has found a way to take control of a problem with a solution.”

“When I picture all these people searching their attics for supplies and then sitting hunched over their sewing machine for hours, it is as close to love and holiness as you could find,” said Mack. “I am amazed at how everyone seems to be pulling together to help each other and keep each other safe.” 

The U.S. CDC recommended face mask pattern and procedures may be viewed at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-co....