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There have been honks, positive messages, songs and donations to provide support for health care workers on the front line of the COVID-19 crisis.
Now, a group of Tri-City teens has added their talents to the growing effort to help doctors, nurses, care aids, cleaners and others working at B.C. hospitals and care homes
The Sewsociety Project is a group of young people who are making scrub caps for health care workers as their way to make a difference in a world caught up in the pandemic.
“It was just seeing the demand and wanting to do something nice for people who are sacrificing for our wellbeing,” said Sewsociety founder Jessica Liu, a Grade 11 student at Port Moody secondary school.
The Sewsociety Project got its start last summer as a way to stop textile waste and protest fast fashion, where cheap clothes are bought and thrown out after minimal use. During its initial efforts, the group gathered unwanted fabric and sewed it into quilts that were used during last fall’s climate change protests.
Now, as the world turns its eyes to the pandemic and how to stop it, club members are designing and making caps after talking to health care providers about their needs.
“They told us that the masks they have to wear get painful over time, especially behind the ears,” said Liu, who said she was told there can be bleeding as the straps keeping the mask in place can dig into skin.
“Also we’ve noticed that for some nurses, the caps they use are cutting into their forehead. [New softer caps that tie in the back] add an extra barrier against your skin,” said Liu, who added that the group is using donated fabric to make the caps, and buttons are used for hooking on face masks.
It took some time to design the cap and only about half a dozen have been made so far. The group hopes people will volunteer their sewing skills to make more and also donate material, such as linen, which washes easily and wears well.
“We’ve been trying to get the final fit perfect and start giving them out to nurses and getting feedback,” Liu said.
• To contribute or help out with sewing, contact [email protected]
Read more about COVID-19 here.
