Sara Flynn (she/her)
Disabled Veteran
Mother of three, under the age of 8, two on the autism spectrum
All the Masks I Made, Created April 2020 to April 2021
fabric, thread, 21" x 21"
Made from scraps of fabric that I collected while making masks requested from panicked friends and family early on in the pandemic. I have 3 young children, two are special needs, the schools were closed so my time to sew was even shorter than usual when the schools were closed. The people that know me see me sewing beautiful art quilts and sensory sensitive clothing for my children so when the lockdown started I made my family fabric masks and and then requests started pouring in. People who hadn't spoken to me in years sending me a request, emotional and panick stricken words asking me to sew them and thier family masks. Very few people acknowledged that as mother I now had less time available to sew at home. Comments like; "I don't know how you do it!" or "you're so amazing, how on earth do you sew so fast?" I sew fast because I have been sewing for over 30 years, I did not learn these skills overnight, but still the never ending stream of comments in absolute wonder on how I could sew things quickly. Not ever a compliment on my skills to sew confidently, competently and while keeping my children safe, home schooled, and happy at home. I can do these things because I am skilled in time management, don't call me a hero and expect more of me than another human, that's how they treat veterans. I am a disabled veteran. They call the troops heroes and send them off to do horrible things, returning with injuries that will never heal and justify it by assigning them the title of heroes.
I stopped counting how many masks I made after 500. The people who I knew were at home, off from work, no children to take care of and they had a sewing machine were the hardest to be patient and kind with. How could they so callously heap more work onto my shoulders? I had less time than most and still I answered the call to serve my community. I was exhausted, sewing after putting my kids to bed, processing the onslaught of emotions from the pandemic. I stuffed a jar with scraps while making masks, knowing that I would need to work through these emotions later. I have to care for my children and compartmentalize my feelings to be worked through later. Now a year later I made this mini quilt piece, processing my anger, hurt, and pain it cost me to make 100's of masks for no more than a thank you if I was lucky.
@mama_makes_time
