What does your mask look like? The classic N95 mask or the plain white ones they are giving out for free in the supermarket?
So I personally am wearing the plain white one.
I was given in a pack of ten while checking out of the supermarket but on several occasions, I have been asked how come I don’t have a fancy one with my fashion background.
Also, why I’m not making the masks because people are buying them and I could make money.
So here is the thing for me yes the thought did pop in my head weeks ago when I got the notification from Etsy that people want masks and they were calling all shop owners to start making and selling them.
They presented it as people are in need which yes they are but let’s not kid ourselves here Etsy makes money when shops list an item and when the item sells.
Side Note: I did get an email that they returned the fees back to shop owners for I believe 100 masks sold and under but don’t quote me because I read it quick.
Any email over a few sentences and my eyes glaze over and I’m out.
So when the thought popped in I told my good friend Susan who right away said: “Oh ok so what are you going to be the technician again”.
And that was all I needed to hear.
She knows me all too well and also knows that I finally got clear on what I want my future business to look like.
Making masks was NOT part of that vision and would NOT help me get any closer to my goals.
What it would BE for me personally is a form of procrastination that I have done my entire life.
Doing the busy stuff that makes the short term money but doesn’t serve my WHY.
Remember that Find Your Why book we talked about.
The other thing is there are three types of people in business according to another good read The EMyth Revisited.
There is the Technician, the Manager, and the Entrepreneur.
So my entire life I have mastered the skill of being the technician and manager but have yet to master the entrepreneur role.
When I had my cheer bow business which I will call it that because it was way more than a hobby.
I was literally making 100’s of bows and running a sweatshop with paid by the hour high school students helping me.
I had no idea what my profit and loss were and way overbought supplies which I am STILL selling off at less than wholesale.
The thing about cheer bows that is similar to the face mask situation is while the materials are cheap it is time-consuming to make them.
Time is Money, my friends.
So big picture if you can sew fast and really well it is a SKILL!
There are people (sample hands) who LOVE sewing and are Rock Stars at it.
People like me are good and can make garments if we want to but I don’t love making more than one of something in reality.
Anything more than that for me feels like a sweatshop.
This is why I did not hem pants or make my own clothes after I graduated from FIT (despite what my family thought I learned to do in college).
It is so much cheaper and better use of my time to pay someone else who is really good, fast, and enjoys it.
When I think back to the Bow Business the thing that set my soul on fire was DESIGNING the original unique bows NOT making them in volume.
However, the only way to make a return on the original design is to then mass produce them because otherwise you just spent an hour or more of your time to make a $15 bow.
Get the point?
So that said I have no desire to make masks for myself or anyone else BUT if I was designing and making them I would first research other cool ones for ideas and inspiration.
Then I’d create my own designs from there (my design process).
Which leads me to this post of original designs I found that do not look like what everyone else is wearing.
Let’s all aim to be different because being the same is just boring!
Like To Know It Board
Some of my favorites are the ones with the sayings.
I love the idea of the prints and bling rhinestone ones.
For people like my daughter and husband who hate wearing the mask and always forget theirs, I LOVE the Neck Gaiters.
For my friends in the garment industry, those would count as “newness” for the weekly reporting (which btw I don’t miss at all).
My daughter is part of the Class of 2020 so that one is super cute.
She’ll be going to Hawaii for college in August and the Palm Tree one would be fitting (yes we got an email yesterday that HPU plans to have classes in person in the Fall so now I need to book where I’m staying… uggg).
Another favorite is the lace one which I am currently selling a mixed bundle of 8 yards of lace fabric on eBay for super cheap because again it’s not about the money.
I am looking to purge anything that is not serving me these days.
DESIGN TIP: For anyone who is into making masks you do not need new fabric. Use any old Tshirt or garment especially ones with prints or verbiage to make your mask original and unique.
Mask Details To Purchase Online:
Soooooo Are you wondering if I’ll be purchasing any of these?
By now you should realize that given the time it takes to make the pattern, cut the mask, add the saying or bling and then sew the mask I would 100% buy it for $10-20 before making one.
Also for me buying the mask would mean that this is a long term situation.
We all know I live in that Bubble of Unicorns and Rainbows so I believe this will pass, there will be a new normal, we will adapt and it will all work out.
That said I will continue to wear my white free mask from King Kullen until we don’t need to wear them anymore.
Not for anything but I just had a thought…. so you know how in the summer people have tans from not taking their sunglasses off??
What are people’s faces going to look like now with the mask situation??
Did you just get that image in your head of the sunglass/ mask tan??
LOLOLOLO
Me too!!!
Literally laughing out loud as I write this with a big cool-aid smile on my face.
So moral of the story making masks even though I CAN does not bring me joy and happiness which I am all about at the present moment in the journey.
I will just continue to find resources for others and share those on my blog because that DOES make me super happy.
And on that note stay healthy and well all!
Share in the comments if you have a favorite and make sure you go find that thing that sets your soul on fire.
xo Nicole
For more shoppable designs check these out from my Like To Know It page.
Note: My blog periodically contains affiliate links meaning that if you make a purchase, I might make a small commission at no extra charge to you. Purchases made through them are greatly appreciated.
Leave a Reply