Perth Road Village Crafters sewing for Kingston Hospital

Peter Bird | Apr 08, 2020

If you go to Kingston General Hospital (KGH) for some reason, you may be given a mask that matches a quilt somewhere in Frontenac. Sewers all over the region are making cloths masks and donating them.

“I saw a Facebook posting from a group called Healthcare Mask Crusaders who were rallying folks to supply masks for the Kingston Cancer Centre at KGH for patients going for cancer treatments, saving surgical masks for the front-line staff,” said Cheryl Bird (President of The Perth Road Village Crafters)

“We wanted to do something and were looking at mask patterns on the internet when we found this group. They provided their preferred pattern and I shared it with our group.

“With the problem of store closures, the Perth Road Village Crafters set about sewing masks from their personal stashes of material used for making quilts and sewing. Everyone who sews has a fabric stash.’ said Bird. “The elastic was a little trickier to get, and when it was used, up we reverted to ties. So far, we have made and delivered over 500 masks, with more on the way,”

The group usually meets weekly but is unable to now, so working at home gives them a sense of working together, although they are apart.

“It feels good to be able to contribute our time and skills in this time of crisis. There are a lot of others contributing masks as well, so hopefully we will have enough to get us through. We will keep making the masks as long as they are needed. I know the Healthcare Mask Crusaders are getting requests from Corrections Canada, and nursing homes in who are in need. Sewers everywhere are contributing to the cause. Together we can make a difference,”,

Perth Road Village Crafters are a group of women who meet every Wednesday morning at Harris Park Hall in Perth Road Village, (when they are not socially isolating), to quilt and create other crafts. They raise money through their events, like craft sales and their annual Tea Party and Quilt Display held in September, to contribute to local charities.

As Mr. Rogers said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”.