Social and Psychological Aspects

Benefits of Mask Making and Donating

Authors: Melanie Carrico (University of North Carolina at Greensboro) , Haeun (Grace) Bang (University of North Carolina at Greensboro)

Abstract

In response to the face mask shortage at the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic, home sewists made and donated thousands of masks to healthcare workers, essential workers, neighbors, and more. Our study seeks to understand what motivated individuals to make cloth face masks and donate them to others during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we investigated whether the act of sewing masks had benefits for the sewists. 19 mask makers were interviewed about their experiences making and donating masks. Participants stated that making masks helped them learn new things about themselves, relive stress, and boost self-esteem. Sewing can be an activity that can help community and society connect and support each other, assist individuals to have positive psychological effects, and allow individuals to express creativity.

Keywords: sewing, masks, community

How to Cite: Carrico, M. & Bang, H. (2022) “Benefits of Mask Making and Donating”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings. 79(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.15905