Local family makes masks for the masses

During the COVID pandemic, many people have been using their extra time at home to learn a new skill or hobby. Some experiment with cooking, others with learning how to play a musical instrument.

Alison Sturm, of Buffalo, found herself bringing her sewing machine out of retirement to make fabric face masks. As a 911 dispatcher for the Wright County Sheriff’s Office and wife to a first responder, she saw the need for masks people could wear in their day-to-day encounters, as PPE supplies were scarce. Armed with a freshly dusted off machine and assisted by two of her daughters, Kadence, 14, and Aria, 16, Sturm and her family have sewn close to 1,000 masks.

The Need

When COVID first hit, PPE supplies, like masks, were in limited supply, so many first responders weren’t receiving nearly as many as needed. Sturm would see officers and deputies pull out a crumpled mask from their pocket, a mask that was technically recommended to be a one-time use.

“They were told to only use them if they absolutely had to, pretty much,” Sturm said of the paper masks. “No one had a big supply, so they were saving the N-95 masks for only serious medicals or if they were responding to something COVID-related. I felt they needed something just for everyday interaction.”

After hearing about hospitals encouraging people to make their own masks, Sturm began to look into different designs and the materials needed.

“I also got out my sewing machine that hadn’t seen the light of day in a very long time,” Sturm said with a laugh. “It has gotten a total workout and has paid for itself now a few times over.”

The Masks

   After gathering the necessary supplies and dusting off the sewing machine, Sturm then needed to decide on a design for the mask shape and size.

   “The first ones we made were a couple prototypes, just to see if we liked the design,” Sturm said.

   The design she and her daughters chose was the Olson surgical mask pattern, as they seal fairly well and don’t require a nose clip. The mask also covers a good amount of the face.

    With a pattern selected, they went about making a handful for coworkers, then made more for the Buffalo police officers.

   As the need for masks increased, Sturm dug into her fabric stash to accommodate the interest in receiving one; a few of her coworkers brought in fabric as well to contribute. Because of the donated material, everyone with the Buffalo Police received a mask to wear during everyday interactions, and a box was put out for the Wright County deputies as well.

   The early versions of the masks called for creative thinking, as some supplies, like elastic for the ear loops, was sold out; some masks were even made out of old uniforms.

   “At the time, they were switching out uniforms for the deputies, and they were going to shred a whole bunch of them because you couldn’t really donate them,” Sturm said. “They just had bags and bags of them. I was walking through the office one day and I told the Chief Deputy, ‘If worse comes to worst, I kinda make masks, and I could make a few for people.’”

   She asked to use the uniforms for the material if she ran out of her own fabric, and he told her she was free to take as much as she wanted. Sturm and her daughters would cut out the backs of uniform shirts and pant legs that were in good condition, washing and ironing them.

Kids Masks

   Early on, Sturm’s daughters, Kadence and Aria, would help cut the fabric, and she would go to work and draw the patterns on. She would bring home a stack for them to work on the next day. The masks also needed to be ironed and have the little finishing details completed, and they stepped up for that as well.

   When the new school year began in the fall, the Sturm’s decided on distance learning for their daughters. This option offered the opportunity to continue making masks, as the demand had only increased after learning that masks would be required for all students and staff.

   “We had friends that would ask us, ‘Do you make kid sizes?’ So, we modified the mask design so it would fit a kid’s face,” Sturm said.

   Looking at the smaller designs was difficult, as they reminded Sturm of little muzzles, and she was uncertain of how successful it would be for them to keep them on. Ultimately, though, she decided it was best to make the masks to keep the kids healthy.

   “I wanted to make sure they would have a whole set so they could wash them all the time,” Sturm said.

   Part of the problem with masks is that they are not washed nearly enough as they should, so the germs and bacteria breathed into the mask is breathed right back in. Having an extra mask or two to rotate between washing could help reduce this, and teachers could also have a few on hand in their classrooms. Sturm also decided that, if the kids had to wear them, why not make them fun?

   “We made dinosaur masks, ones with crayons, Disney, and any interesting pattern,” Sturm said.

   One hundred masks were donated to Tatanka Elementary School, providing kids with a mask or backup one.

Family Affair

With her daughters at home for the fall semester, Sturm was happy to see they still wanted to help make more masks during their free time. For Aria, her interest in helping was sparked by the opportunity to earn a scholarship from the education program, AVID.

“I needed over 50 hours of community service, and I already had 20,” Aria said. “It then became something more than just community service; it was about helping others.”

The sisters were allowed to stay up late, watching TV shows and cutting fabric, and during the day they would sew.

“I’ve sewn so many lately, including our largest daisy chain,” Aria said. The daisy chain connects a long line of masks by the thread to easily snip at the end, instead of taking more time to individually cut each mask as it is completed.

Kadence also helped out with the task of bagging all of the masks that were ready to be donated.

“I first just did it for fun, because I didn’t really have anything else to do,” Kadence said. “And once I heard my friends were going back to school, I wanted to give them masks, and they were so happy.”

Knowing her friends loved their masks made her feel good that she was helping out, and she enjoyed the different designs of each one.

“My favorite mask was a Beauty and the Beast one, that looked like stained glass,” Aria said. “I like roses a lot, too, so my mom made one with roses, and I loved that one.”

Donating the masks to Tatanka also showed her the impact of their sewing.

“That made me feel happy, because making masks and helping our community through this tough time has been really nice,” Aria said.

Mountains of Masks  

Sturm and her daughters managed to sew right around 1,000 masks for the community. With about 65 child masks cut and ready to be made still, they will complete those to wrap up their successful project.

“We felt like we were actually doing something when we were stuck at home instead of not doing anything,” Sturm said. “We felt like we could do something to help, in some small way. I don’t necessarily think it will curb COVID, but at least it hopefully helps and provides something that is clean and washable for people.”

Answering the call to provide masks to first responders, students, and teachers came with a lot of trial and error, lessons, and skills gained. Though the daisy chains of masks are behind them now, the Sturm family have received countless thank-you notes and kind words, reminding them that, even if it seems like a small amount, kindness goes a long way.