Stitched with Care

Photo by Mark Kmieciak

Volunteers unite to provide masks in the fight against COVID-19

By Jan Arrant

During the coronavirus pandemic, the world changed, seemingly overnight. What hasn’t changed is our resilience as a society and the generosity of others who remind us there is still so much good in the world.

In late March when the pandemic was just starting to ramp up, Sachse resident Mark Kmieciak looked at his wife and said “I’ve got to help.” Kmieciak hadn’t sewn anything since his childhood, some 50 years ago; but that didn’t stop him from going to Walmart where he bought the last sewing machine on the shelf. He stocked up on material and supplies. He did his research and found what he believed was a suitable mask pattern on the Centers for Disease Control website. He admits those first few masks were not his finest.

“I kept those for myself,” he says.

As he continued to sew, he asked for feedback on the designs from nurses and others.

“They evolved. Right now I’ve got three patterns that I use,” he adds. Some masks have string ties, some have elastic ear loops. Much like everyone else making masks, Kmieciak encountered supply chain issues. “It’s been hard to get materials. My orders kept getting cancelled,” Kmieciak says. He even tried wholesalers, but without much luck.

None of that slowed him down. Kmieciak sewed masks 12 hours a day, and he has the wounds to show for it: stiff fingers, blisters, and needle punctures. As it turns out, he is uniquely qualified to tackle this project. First and foremost, he has a servant’s heart and wants to contribute to his community, but he also has a background in manufacturing and as a mechanic. He even has FEMA training, which might explain his curiosity to test the effectiveness of his layered masks. Kmieciak used a sleep apnea aid known as a CPAP machine to see if he could blow out a flame through the mask. If the flame held up, he knew his pattern was a success. The Proof is in the Numbers

Mark's one man factory has now surpassed his original goal of making 1,000 masks for Methodist Richardson Medical Center, nursing homes, nonprofits, and community members. Recently he purchased additional supplies to continue sewing and will see what needs remain.

“These masks help supplement our supply of personal protective equipment,” says Methodist Richardson

Photo courtesy of Mark Kmieciak Mark Kmieciak has sewn over 1,000 masks to donate to the local community.

President Ken Hutchenrider. “We are grateful for the time and effort of every stitch that comes from the heart.”

The outpouring of support from the communities served by Methodist Richardson Medical Center has been uplifting, to say the least. We are grateful to the volunteers who have sewn thousands of cloth masks, to the crafters who used their 3D printers to make face shields, and to the first responders who filled the parking lot with a parade of support. We’d need many more pages to list all the generous food donations, goody bags, and notes of encouragement. It’s been a daily reminder that we are in this together. •