The Hammonton Gazette 040820 Hammonton Gazette | Page 4

Sewing groups making masks for others
Wednesday, April 8, 2020 • The Hammonton Gazette • Page 3
MASKS, from Page 1
she was skeptical at first.
“a couple of weeks ago, when
the mask thing started, I brushed
it off because, as someone with a
degree in biology, I was like, re-
ally? Is it really going to do any-
thing?” Karl said.
However, Karl’s daughter—
who is a nurse at a hospital in
western Pennsylvania—told Karl
that the staff at the hospital was
being told to recycle their N95
masks, and the type of masks that
can be made at home would be
valuable.
“What these do is protecting the
N95 masks from the elements of
the world, such as if you get
banged in the face or you get
schmutz or something like that,
it’s an easy way to protect that
mask, because they are considered
gold; they’re in short supply,”
Karl said.
Karl noted that she “promptly
ate crow” and got about to sewing,
with her daughter receiving the
first batch. Karl said she has also
sent masks to atlantiCare.
“If you’re a medical person or a
first responder, and you ask me,
you get masks from me. The good
thing is that I’m a quilter, so I’ve
got a fabric stash like no other,”
Karl said.
Karl said that she makes masks
both with elastic and with cloth
ties, as well as other options.
“I’m making headbands with
buttons so they hook it up there
and avoid it going around the ears.
I’ve also started making masks
where the elastic goes around the
back of your head, and that keeps
it really secure, but I also make
the ones that tie. There’s pros and
cons to going in either direction.
Ties are old-school; a lot of people
like them because they’re not elas-
tic, and some people are allergic
to elastic, so you need to offer
something that doesn’t have elas-
tic in it,” Karl said.
Hammonton resident Theresa
Pavesi also started making masks
to help hospital staff.
“I have a network of friends on
Facebook that’s a support group.
We’re Moms for Neurofibromato-
sis (NF). One of the NF moms in
Ohio put out a notice that her local
hospital was in need of the home-
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made masks, so I jumped in to
help them,” Pavesi said.
Not long after, Pavesi was con-
tacted by a cousin who works on
the COVID-19 floor of Jefferson
Cherry Hill Hospital.
“She said they really need them
because they’re using the same
paper mask for three shifts. It
blew my mind. She said that, just
to have one for each person, she
needed 32, so I kept sewing for
two days straight until I got 32
done ... My goal is to get three per
person on the COVID-19 floor at
Jefferson, so that while one’s in
the wash they’re wearing one, and
they have a spare in case some-
thing happens to the one they’re
wearing,” Pavesi said.
Pavesi said that, beyond the
masks for the hospital, she has
made masks on request in return
for a donation to help find a cure
for NF, which afflicts both her
husband and her daughter.
“When someone beyond a hos-
pital—like an individual or a fam-
ily—asks me for masks, I do it for
a donation to keep the fundraiser
going. It’s not a time to help your-
self; it’s a time to help other peo-
ple ... everybody in my household
has pitched in for this. My hus-
band helps cut the nose wire, my
daughters do the pressing and clip
threads. everybody does some-
thing to help. It’s a great thing to
keep us moving in a positive way
Courtesy Photo
Fred Karl cuts the material for his
wife, Betsey, to sew into masks.
More pics on Page 14.
together,” Pavesi said.
Karl has a similar response to
those who ask about payment for
her masks. Her daughter was di-
agnosed with multiple sclerosis,
and, as a result of medication that
she has had to take for that, has a
very severely immunocompro-
mised system.
“People have asked, can I pay
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1 [phone] ~ 561-1007 ~ 561-3597
491 White Horse Pike • Ancora, NJ
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