Projects led by K-State provide cloth masks, face shields for local health care organizations

MANHATTAN, Kan. (KSNT) — Students, faculty and staff at K-State have been using their talents and skillsets to help local health care workers, from 3-D printed face shields made by students in the digital fabrication club to cloth facemasks created by a group of volunteers organized by the Department of Interior Design and Fashion Studies.

Professor Sherry Haar said stepping up to help is just the K-State way.

“Our mission is to contribute to the well-being of individuals, families and communities,”said Haar.

The department was able to round up a group of 30 volunteers to sew facemasks for the Riley County Health Department and Riley County EMS, a project that’s right up their alley.

“We have a history of 150 years of teaching, researching and designing soft goods, so we understand the importance of textiles to health and well being,” said Haar. “It’s just what we do.”

In addition to getting help from volunteers, they’ve also received help from local fabric shops like Fenceline Fabrics.

Owner Livie Olsen said all of her employees are a part of the interior design and fashion studies program at K-State, so she wanted to support the project.

“We donated some fabric and really I can’t take credit for much more than that,” said Olsen. “We helped get the word out a little bit, but really they’re doing all the hard work.”

Fenceline Fabrics has also been making masks and selling them to the public.

“Skills like sewing, that are traditionally women’s skills feel a little bit undervalued and it kind of feels like we’re coming in to save the day right now, which is really nice,” said Olsen.

Those skills are in pretty high demand, but Haar said as long as they have the manpower to do it, they’ll continue cranking out masks so those on the frontlines have what they need.

They’ve also partnered with Cintas to have the masks sanitized before they’re delivered.

Haar said so far, they’re on track to make 1,200 masks by May 1, but they want to make more, so they could use some more volunteers. Volunteers must be experienced sewers, have access to their own fabric and be able to drop masks off once they’re finished.

For more information about how you can help, you can email haar@k-state.edu.