Ellis called the loss of these
opportunities, in a word,
“devastating.”
After all, they go to about 15-20
shows per year. It’s not just the loss
of business, but also the chance
to catch up with old friends and
familiar faces from along the way.
“It came at a really hard time
because our tour was supposed
to be starting mid-March; our first
show was supposed to be (around
the time virus-related closures
began),” said Ellis. “It was really
jarring.”
So Ellis has turned her artistic
fabric skills to another purpose:
making protective masks for health
care workers in need of them as
they battle the coronavirus in their
field.
Much like the fate of the festivals,
thanks to sewing groups on
Facebooks of which she’s a part,
Ellis saw the priority for masks
— which help shield the wearer’s
nose and mouth from coming into
28 • I n T ouch with S outhern K entucky
contact with the COVID-19 virus —
heading this way from out west as
well.
“The shortage of PPE (personal
protective equipment was a really
big deal for local hospitals, nursing
homes (and similar operations),”
she said.
Ellis keeps her sewing studio at
the Flashback Theater Co. facility
on College Street in Somerset. She
said the first time she went back
in after hearing about the event
cancellations, surrounded by piles
of material waiting to be used, she
realized what could be done.
“I thought that there was a chance
(the masks) would be needed here,”
she said. “I talked to a friend who
is a nurse practitioner a few weeks
ago and said, ‘I’ve been kind of
playing with these masks’ — I was
kind of piddling around, not really
making them, but I was trying out
all these different designs, trying to
make them look good — and said, ‘If
you need any or know any medical
professionals who need any let me
know.’ And she said, ‘Oh my gosh,
we’re completely out of masks. I
would really love to have some.’
“That’s when it hit me, like, ‘Oh,
this is here, now,’” she added. “I
didn’t understand or realize how
close (the virus situation) was.”
Her friend said masks were being
ordered but they didn’t know when
the masks would arrive. So Ellis set
about using her talents to create her
own.
As with all Ellis designs, the masks
are one-of-a-kind, and visually
vibrant, with eye-catching patterns
and a sense of style. If it’s possible
for a health mask to be a piece of
wearable art, Ellis makes them that
way.
“It’s nice to have such things that
are expressive,” she said.
And for Ellis, as a creator, it allows
her to continue to do her thing for
a good cause in a time when she
could just be sitting on the sidelines
doing nothing.
M ay 2020