{"id":2456907,"date":"2020-04-07T23:04:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-08T05:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/threading-the-aspen-community-through-the-covid-19-crisis\/"},"modified":"2020-04-08T07:08:02","modified_gmt":"2020-04-08T13:08:02","slug":"threading-the-aspen-community-through-the-covid-19-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/threading-the-aspen-community-through-the-covid-19-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Threading the Aspen community through the COVID-19 crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.7506849315069\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-323954-745\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled gallery-container\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/coronasewers-atd-040820-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/coronasewers-atd-040820-2-1024x683.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Lara Whitley sews masks at her dining room table at her home in Aspen on Tuesday, April 7, 2020. Whitley explained that this gives her a sense of purpose during this time. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"11\">\n<p><strong>Lara Whitley sews masks at her dining room table at her home in Aspen on Tuesday, April 7, 2020. Whitley explained that this gives her a sense of purpose during this time. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/coronasewers-atd-040820-2-1024x683.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/coronasewers-atd-040820-2-1024x683.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Lara Whitley sews masks at her dining room table at her home in Aspen on Tuesday, April 7, 2020. Whitley explained that this gives her a sense of purpose during this time. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/coronasewers-atd-040820-2-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/coronasewers-atd-040820-2-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Homemade masks hang on Lara Whitley\u2019s porch for people to pick up at her home in Aspen on Tuesday, April 7, 2020. Whitley said that each mask takes about 45 minutes to make and she generally sews at night. So far she has made 33 masks. \u201cI have everyone\u2019s names that I\u2019m making masks for,\u201d said Whitley. \u201cI\u2019m thinking about the person as I\u2019m making the masks, so I\u2019m feeling connected.\u201d (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"14\">\n<p><strong>Homemade masks hang on Lara Whitley\u2019s porch for people to pick up at her home in Aspen on Tuesday, April 7, 2020. Whitley said that each mask takes about 45 minutes to make and she generally sews at night. So far she has made 33 masks. \u201cI have everyone\u2019s names that I\u2019m making masks for,\u201d said Whitley. \u201cI\u2019m thinking about the person as I\u2019m making the masks, so I\u2019m feeling connected.\u201d (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/coronasewers-atd-040820-2-1-1024x682.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/coronasewers-atd-040820-2-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Homemade masks hang on Lara Whitley\u2019s porch for people to pick up at her home in Aspen on Tuesday, April 7, 2020. Whitley said that each mask takes about 45 minutes to make and she generally sews at night. So far she has made 33 masks. \u201cI have everyone\u2019s names that I\u2019m making masks for,\u201d said Whitley. \u201cI\u2019m thinking about the person as I\u2019m making the masks, so I\u2019m feeling connected.\u201d (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/threading-the-aspen-community-through-the-covid-19-crisis\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/threading-the-aspen-community-through-the-covid-19-crisis\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A grassroots effort is being done one stitch at a time at sewing machines up and down the valley by local sewers who are making masks for friends, family, essential workers and those most vulnerable during the <a id=\"N0x26b43a0N0x271f800:N0x26b43a0N0x2710950\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/pleas-for-distancing-as-aspen-surge-predicted-for-mid-april\/\">COVID-19 crisis<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">On a recent afternoon, a few of the sewers met at the Old Snowmass park and ride lot where Carbondale resident Claudia Cunningham peddled yards of fabric and other materials from the trunk of her car to local sewers Emily Taylor and Lara Whitley.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI thought it was going to be a quick handoff but we talked for 45 minutes,\u201d Whitley said. \u201cIt was really cool camaraderie.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Taylor said she felt the same about the meet-up.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/at-banner-paypal.jpg)\" class=\"col-xl-8 p-3 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/donate\/?utm_source=article&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=donation&amp;utm_term=&amp;utm_content=mid-article\">Donate<\/a><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe parked one space away from each other and would go over to the trunk and cut some of the fabric,\u201d she said. \u201cWe were having fun hanging out 6 feet apart.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Cunningham is acting as a distributor of mask material and is creating a network of individuals who are providing fabric, pipe cleaners and elastic, and then getting that in the hands of sewers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">She was scheduled to be in front of Natural Grocers in Glenwood Meadows on Wednesday to distribute fabric.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI have such strong feeling for community,\u201d said Cunningham, who is a hat maker and used to sell her work at the Aspen Farmers Market. \u201cI love, love our community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">She added that Pitkin County Commissioner Greg Poschman is helping by putting her in touch with sewers and those who have materials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Whitley, who also is an artist, said she made her first mask March 13 but it was more for her mental health than practicality.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI was feeling anxious like everyone else, so I went to the studio to feel better,\u201d she said, adding that her first mask was made out of magazine paper.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Now she\u2019s using patterned fabric, pipe cleaners to fit over the bridge of the nose and elastic to act as the straps around the ears.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Demand is high, since<a id=\"N0x26b43a0N0x271f860:N0x26b43a0N0x27110a0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/jaredpolis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Gov. Jared Polis<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i> last week asked Coloradans to wear masks to prevent the spread of the disease and the <a id=\"N0x26b43a0N0x271f8c0:N0x26b43a0N0x2711130\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/glenwood-springs-requires-residents-to-wear-face-coverings-for-essential-activities\/\">city of Glenwood Springs is requiring residents<\/a> to wear them outside of their homes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">By engaging in social media, sewers and those who need masks are connecting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Whitley has made 33 masks and has 42 requests. She pins them up on her porch outside of her Aspen home and people pick them up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe response has been amazing,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s a reciprocity here. \u2026 This is not just a gift to others; as a sewer it\u2019s helping me to participate and fill my corona days with intention. \u2026 It\u2019s calming.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Taylor said she\u2019s in prototype mode and is using different techniques and materials to increase the quality of her masks. Hers are more face-fitting and she is using two-ply quilter\u2019s cotton with strap materials rather than elastic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">She\u2019s also experimenting with cutting a hole where the mouth rests and sticking coffee filter material in so that it can be replaced after use.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Taylor said her friend, who\u2019s a nurse in Chicago, said they are desperate for any protective wear.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cShe said they are taking whatever they can get,\u201d Taylor said, adding that locally, sewers need more pipe cleaners and elastic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Cunningham is collecting it; she\u2019s asked that anyone who wants to donate or be part of the COVID-19 mask mission to email her at <a href=\"mailto:sixangels@comcast.net\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sixangels@comcast.net<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Whitley added that the effort is based on the actions of local companies like Marble Distilling Co. and Woody Creek Distillers making hand sanitizer during the crisis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThis is based on other people\u2019s acts of resourcefulness and ingenuity,\u201d she said. \u201cAll of the goodness coming out of this is wonderful. \u2026 It\u2019s bringing the good out in people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Taylor, who said there are not a lot of seamstresses in her 30-something age group, is happy to be part of something larger than her.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s amazing how our community has come together around this,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are lucky to live here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:csackariason@aspentimes.com\">csackariason@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/threading-the-aspen-community-through-the-covid-19-crisis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lara Whitley sews masks at her dining room table at her home in Aspen on Tuesday, April 7, 2020. Whitley explained that this gives her a sense of purpose during this time. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times Homemade masks hang on Lara Whitley\u2019s porch for people to pick up at her home in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2456907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 05:42:05","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2456907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2456907"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2456907\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2456921,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2456907\/revisions\/2456921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2456907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2456907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2456907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}