Koleene Herlocker joins us to talk about the Iowa Shop Hop, which is scheduled for the month of June. We recorded this in March 2020, as they were preparing in the midst of Covid-19. For more on the shop hop, go to https://alliowashophop.com. (And there's a copyright article by Elizabeth in the magazine!)

Carhartt, Inc makes uniforms, outdoor wear and other things for the last 131 years. But just as in WWI and WWII, they have joined the call, and are now making masks and gowns. Hailey Barnett (3L law student) and I talk to him about the fabric they are using, the choice of patterns, and so much more. For more info see https://www.carhartt.com.

Megan Romere, a law student at University of Texas at Austin, and she is making masks using her grandmother's White sewing machine and her grandmother's stash! We talk to her about life sewing masks, what she is using for ties, and her upcoming wedding plans.

Frances is one of our favorites. She talks to us about life right now, and the new quilt fiction podcast, season 2. For more go to http://www.quiltfiction.com. There's video too. So you can see her reading the book, Aunt Jane of Kentucky. I so adore it. She is also the host of the Off-KilterQuilt (When a Straight Line's a State of mind).

We talk to the students at Tulane that have been on the frontlines of mask making with me. Over the last month, I've been working with students and others to organize making homemade masks. We've received two grants, one from the Phyllis M. Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking , and the other from the Newcomb Institute. We talk about the work and plans for the future, and life as a Tulane student during Covid-19. For more, see https://law.tulane.edu/news/law-professor-and-truck-driver-join-make-million-masks-day.

“We've made over 1600 masks the past 8 days, giving them away to any who need. We normally make mattresses, so we are using the same materials to make facemasks. A LOT of volunteers have stepped up & done some Home Sewing. It's been an amazing experience! For more on mattresses go to, https://comfortking.net/main/. “ When we talked the number had almost doubled. We talk to Chris about the masks from Comfort King Mattress Factory, the army of sewists helping him make that happen, and of course, a lot about mattresses. (How could we not?).

Laurie Ceesay Landree, an art quilt who focuses on portraits, talks to us about her latest work, which can be found on Facebook at Artsy Chick Quilts, https://www.facebook.com/artsychickquilts. She is also a hairdresser, and so we talk about her current life during this thing we are all going through.

Gudrun of GE Designs (http://www.gequiltdesignsdesigns.com joins us to talk about her recent 16,000+ one day sew along, Elvira Quarantine Quilt Along on March 22, 2020. She's the genius behind Stripology. She is also starting on Friday, April 3, 2020, Strip Along 2020. For more (and a picture) go to, https://gequiltdesigns.com/blogs/ge-happenings

Joe's company is helping homemade mask makers. Go to their Facebook page, and they will send you (for free) pieces for the nose bridge that you can sew in. The company is amazing. Here is the form to fill out your request: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc5_DGmpIWOncrE8ualX_Kp6MHqXGuLW6hLQ3QxvYuGf8NEQg/viewform?fbclid=IwAR3WZZdjiHXNAWpgCJQiKJ8C4Yjc8gB1NgfyO-phn9ECz0g_C8tOMfdjD20. They are asking if you make a mask using their supply to post it on their Facebook page.

Kathy Carter made some masks for her colleagues (even though they have not run out of N95 masks), and they were a hit. She talks to us about being an ICU nurse, what we can do to prevent illness, and what happens if you do end up in the hospital. Most of all, she is encouraging us to use our fun fabrics to make homemade masks. She said, "They are like trading cards!"