Batch Sewing

Yesterday felt kind of normal. I am so grateful for that.I spend the day in the studio, batch sewing. Our family business is considered essential and I am making 200 masks for our employees. I'm using the Made Everyday pattern with knit ties. I tried a few different ones and picked the one I thought would fit the most people and would be easiest to sew in bulk. I also didn't have elastic and these will likely be worn for hours on end, so ties are essential. So far, so good. I cut and prepped 140 masks on Monday and Tuesday. Yesterday, I finished 70. I sewed them in batches of 10, each batch taking about an hour. Today I will continue - hoping to get another 50 or so finished with the rest completed by Monday.This is not my favorite kind of sewing. Once I got into a grove, though, it felt really good. I was reminded of when I used to make camera straps. I'd batch sew those, completing one step on all of them before moving on to the next step. There is a certain rhythm to this kind of sewing and after my muscle memory kicked in, it was second nature. I haven't really been able to sew much during this time of isolation so it was nice to find my groove in an unexpected way. It felt good to be able to use my skills and talent. It's such a small thing that could possible have much larger benefits.I was also incredibly tired at the end of the day and finally had a good night's sleep. So there's that.(It should go without saying, but I will say it anyhow: These are not a replacement for PPE or masks needed in a medical situation. They will be used in public settings where they may help slow the transmission of COVID-19.)