Local Resident Reignites Passion by Sewing Face Masks

Local Resident Reignites Passion by Sewing Face Masks

Michelle Pinon News Advertiser

You never know what will spark ignite or reignite a person’s passion. For Two Hills area resident Nancy Mereska, the spark was a news article about health care workers in Portland, Oregon being asked to make their own masks because of supply shortages.

Since Nancy already had a storehouse of fabric from years of sewing that she never thought she would use, she began thinking and decided to go online and find a pattern for fabric face masks. Shortly after, she shared that pattern, craftpassion.com, with readers of the Vegreville News Advertiser in the form of a letter to the editor.

“I phoned a dear friend who lives in a senior’s apartment and asked her if she needed a mask. I also sewed a few and took them around to my neighbours. My friend referred me to the apartment manager who said it would be nice to have 100 masks for the seniors in the three buildings she manages. At first I was floored, but decided I can do this! Then I found out about how the staff at the Vegreville Handicap Association did not have proper protection. So, another one-hundred went under my sewing machine needle.

My masks have gone to the Pediatric Oncology Unit of the U of A Hospital for parents of kids with cancer; to the Cross Cancer for nurses; and, to a very long list of individuals. I’ve made over 400 masks and distributed them mostly through the mail.”

When Nancy was trying to fill those big orders she was sewing seven hours a day. “Now that spring work is here, I am dividing my time between my sewing room and outside work.

Sewing the masks got me through Easter when we could not have any company.”

So far the biggest hitch for Nancy has been getting her hands on enough elastic to make the masks. While Nancy has placed two orders online, she has only received any of them to date. However, she is grateful for some donations from other people in the area.

“I ran out of elastic fairly fast, but I had ordered from a fabric outlet in Quebec so I was sure it would come. It didn’t.” She made a public appeal through a couple of radio stations and then received many meters of fabric that were donated from as far as Edmonton, even Winfield. All of it had to be trimmed to the right size. “My husband helped trim many meters of elastic to 3/16th inch.”

Nancy does not charge anything for her masks but does ask for a small reimbursement to help cover the costs of postage. “I know the price gouging that is going on with masks, and that’s just not my speed. I really appreciate the elastic that was donated so this venture could go forward. I have had some great conversations with women and gotten to know a few over the phone so to speak.”

Nancy said she will keep sewing masks as long as there is a need for them. For now, she will be dividing her time between sewing masks and gardening and is more than happy to be able to contribute her time and talents for people in need during the pandemic.