Sheila Shepherd, full-time cook for Cura Hospitality at St. Clair Hospital, in Pittsburgh, stitches masks of her own design (they have pockets!) and sells them at cost to customers at hospital café, according to an article on the Food Management website.
So far, she’s sewn more than 350 masks and counting for dining team members, hospital staff, family and friends. She charges $1.50, the cost of material, and donates her time.
Shepherd looked into mask patterns and began sewing for her sister, Michelle Sieman, who is a cancer survivor and in a high-risk category.
Shepherd uses a surgical mask pattern with a non-woven fabric to filter the mask. “I started looking online and adapted my mask with a built-in interface (a stiffener for the fabric), which provides additional protection for a filter placed inside,” she says. The pockets are designed so elastic can be removed or replaced with another material.