MCH Makes Face Masks on 107 Year Old Sewing Machine

REDMOND, WA – A 1913 Western Electric Portable sewing machine, that quite possibly made face masks during the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic, is now making face masks for the 2020 COVID Pandemic, with help from local children.

When MCH teacher Alyx Hodges spotted an antique sewing machine at a local thrift shop, she was compelled to buy it. At $30.00, she thought that it might be a nice decorative item in her home. However, the machine ended up in her garage where it sat for several years. Then COVID happened.

Looking for a simple project that her summer camp kids could use in her socially distanced childcare room, Hodges remembered the sewing machine. Because the classroom is creating a strong culture of mask wearing, and because Hodges had extra fabric lying around, she found a face mask pattern and put her campers to work.

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