Necessity is the mother of invention, and at the start of the pandemic, the thing everyone needed was masks. To help keep people safe, an army of home sewers banded together last spring to make face coverings and other personal protective equipment for health care workers, family members and strangers. Stuck at home without the diversions of socializing, travel or dining out, the crafting continued. They made hand-tufted rugs, paper orchids, wooden chess sets, tiny shrines and botanical mandalas. Sewing machines got hauled out of closets, dusted off and used to create, among other things, jackets out of vintage quilts, which spurred a fashion trend.

Source: New York Times May 13, 2021 06:56 UTC