MASKS YOU CAN LOVE E

By Ann Klefstad

As of July 25, people in Minnesota are required to wear a face covering “in all indoor businesses and public indoor spaces, unless alone,” according to the Minnesota Department of Health website.

Dock 5: Natalija Walbridge

Natalija Walbridge is a noted craftsperson, a designer and maker of handscreened bags, working out of her cottage on the harbor in Duluth. When the pandemic began, she was hard at work creating bags for the upcoming prestigious American Craft Show at the St. Paul Civic Center. Suddenly this show was cancelled.

As she heard more about the shortage of personal protection devices for health care workers, she decided to do what she could to fill the need. As she told an interviewer, “The recommendations were that homemade masks weren’t going to be useful,” she said. “Then the CDC updated their website to say that even a plain bandana is better than nothing. After I got over the shock of that, I realized that I can do better than that. I make bandanas. I have bandana fabric I can sew. I immediately dropped everything I was working on and committed to making masks full-time. My next question was how to make the best mask possible? What can I do to make it as functional as possible?”

So we all need masks — and people in Duluth have been wonderfully creative and forthcoming when it comes to creating these masks. Many started this effort back in March, when it became apparent that masks would help, and that there was a huge shortage of them.

What follows is a few stories about a few of these people . . . many others have also been working hard to provide masks to those who need them. Let’s celebrate the creativity and community goodwill and concern that goes into this effort.

Her friend and fellow fiber artist, Lila Boheland, developed a mask pattern to share with the sewing community. Dr. Andie, a local physician, is Lila’s daughter and helped develop the design.

“I have kept in touch with Dr. Andie throughout the last few months to keep informed of health care workers’ needs,” Walbridge said. “In addition to making and donating masks, I also made scrub hats. Dr. Andie asked for scrub hats that were cheerful to help patients feel more at ease with all the PPE gear (personal protective equipment). I’m proud to have been one of the many home sewers who helped support health care workers with homemade PPE from mid-March through mid-July.”

These hundreds of masks were not available to buy; Waldbridge donated them to healthcare workers and essential workers who needed them.

Now that the immediate PPE crisis is past, Waldbridge is selling her beautiful masks for the rest of us, on the Dock 5 website: www.dock-5.com. An incredible range of prints and screened designs mean that the masks are fashion accessories, as well as necessary for health.

Hannah Johnson Fabrics: Janet Anelli

“People were coming out of the woodwork” to help with the mask-making initiative this spring, said Janet Anelli, proprietor of Hannah Johnson Fabrics in Lakeside. Her store became a nexus for the effort; this may be because of the influence of the store’s namesake, Janet’s grandmother, Hannah Johnson, whom the store website describes this way: “Hannah continues to inspire us with her legacy of determination, creativity, and courage. . . . . When Hannah was in her early twenties and with three small children she was in an automobile accident that left her wheelchairbound. Being the strong, determined woman she was before the accident only made her stronger and more determined. . . . She sewed, she cooked, she baked, she knitted, she crocheted and she truly enjoyed doing those things because she brought love, creativity and talent to everything she made.”

Asking Anelli about the whole mask adventure, it becomes evident that this was a true community effort by the sewing community.

“Dr. Andrea Bohland, one of the ER doctors in Duluth, came up with the idea of making masks, and her mother, Lila Bohland, worked with her to design the pattern. Then a website owner, thimblesandacorns.com, digitized the pattern. Now we give the pattern away.”

Anelli said you can get a pdf of the pattern by email or

Continued on page 24 you can pick up a printout at the store.

“I’ve printed reams and reams of them,” she said. Nathan Bentley (of Bentleyville fame) ordered a pallet of elastic from China, so they could give elastic to mask makers. One customer who has a laser cutter, James Harrison of Lakeside, cut out hundreds of the masks. Minnesota Power put together hundreds of kits to give to employees to sew.

“We gave much of this away, but some people would give us donations, which we passed on to St. Lukes, or to CHUM. CHUM told us that with so many people out of work, they had many more people to feed, so these donations were very helpful,” she said.

Now, people come to buy fabric for making masks for their families. The many wonderful and whimsical prints available in the store mean that anyone can find a subject that fits a family member’s affinities, from forest animals to flowers to fish, and on and on. On the day of this interview, the Duluth city councilor who sponsored the mask ordinance for the Duluth, Terese Tomanek, came in to buy fabric for police department masks: all navy blue.

Frost River: Chris Benson

Chris Benson, the owner of Frost River Trading Company, has made carefully crafted canvas and leather goods for outdoor adventure for years. The store in the Lincoln Park neighborhood has become a favorite neighborhood fixture. But when the coronavirus pandemic hit, the store had to close.

Beyond that, Benson had an up close and personal view of the desperate need for PPE for medical staff. His wife is an anesthesiologist at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth. She saw the shortage coming, and told him that the first thing taught to medical students was how to protect patients, and yourself, from contagion. The couple also knew that they needed to protect their family.

Benson explained that St. Luke’s and Essentia hospitals in Duluth have been supplying Frost River with the material used for covering surgical equipment. Trays with sterilized instruments are wrapped in this fabric to keep the tools clean until the point of surgery. After the tools are removed, the wrap becomes waste and is thrown in the trash.

Frost River makes PPE out of this cloth that would otherwise be wasted: they converted their sales floor into a production center for PPE, and have been supplying the hospitals with much-needed masks and gowns. These PPEs are not available to the general public; instead, they protect our professionals.

Katharine Johnson, writer of Saami historical fiction

Many individuals have been creating personalized masks for family and friends.

Katharine Johnson, the author of The Wind and the Drum, a historical novel about Finnish Saami life, chose Finnish fabric maker Marimekko for masks for her family. She has been a teacher and writer who grew up on a rocky farm on the Mesabi Iron Range of northern Minnesota; her grandparents emigrated from Finland. https://katharinejohnsonbooks.com

Ivy Vainio, Duluth photographer and AICHO staff

Ivy Vainio’s dragonfly mask was made by her husband, Dr. Arne Vainio, an Anishinaabe tribal member and physician, and also a writer and fixer of tractors and old cars.

“My husband made me his first cloth face mask on his Finnish grandmother’s 1906 Singer model 27 treadle sewing machine during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic,” she explained. “I love dragonflies as they are so unique, and symbolize change and transformation. I have several face masks, and this of course is the one most special to me. It is a gift of health and life every time I wear it.” D

By Abigail Blonigen

protocols of wearing a mask when out in public, maintaining at least six feet of distance between yourself and others when possible, frequent handwashing and staying home when feeling ill.

Grocery shopping

Super One Foods: Super One has a specified shopping time for those most at-risk, specifically seniors, expectant mothers, those with underlying health conditions and immunocompromised individuals, according to their website. These hours are from open until 8 a.m., with most stores opening at 6 a.m. This allows folks to be the first to shop after overnight cleaning.

Whole Foods Co-op: Similar to Super One, Whole Foods Co-op has reserved their first hour of opening for those who are atrisk, from 9-10 a.m. They also offer delivery and curbside pickup through Instacart.

Exercise

BoomerAge Duluth: BoomerAge is a group of adults over 50 that focuses on active aging through outdoor fitness. Due to the pandemic, the group has capped events at 10 people and has ensured their activities can be done while social distancing. Find their group on meetup.com

Essentia Wellness Center : The Essentia Wellness Center is hosting outdoor fitness walks for seniors every Wednesday from 9-10 a.m. through mid-October. The group meets at 8:50 a.m. in the northwest corner of the Hermantown center. Register at duluthymca.org. For those comfortable working out in an exercise facility, the YMCA also offers a variety of “Active Older Adult” (AOA) classes.

Personal Care

The Colour Lounge Salon: The Colour Lounge Salon has implemented a detailed guest and stylist safety plan including regular cleaning between each client, acquiring appropriate personal protective equipment, and recertifying their team on infection control and hygiene practices, according to their website. They also encourage folks to wait in their car if they arrive early and arrive with clean, dry hair in order to spend less time in the chair.

London Rayne Salon: London Rayne has also detailed their health and safety policies on their website with an emphasis on disinfection practices. In addition, the salon will not be offering any facial waxing appointments at this time, the windows will be open for ventilation, and payment must be contactless.

Pet Care

Passion Fur Pets

Grooming: In order to limit contact between staff and customers, Passion Fur Pets has installed a gate system outside of their front door to safely and securely drop off pets without owners needing to enter the building. Canal Bark: Specializing in boarding, grooming and training, Canal Bark has reduced their drop off and pick up hours from 7-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. for the safety of their patrons and staff. Canal Bark is also employing “curbside pickup” in which an employee meets the owner at their car to transfer the animal.

Movies

Zinema 2.0 Virtual Cinema: Zeitgeist’s Zinema 2 movie theater has moved to a virtual format, with rentals available at zeitgeistarts.com/zinema. The Zinema will be routinely adding films in one of five categories: New Releases, Social Justice, Arts, Retro and International. The physical theater space is also available for private party rentals.

The West Theater : The West Theater in Spirit Valley is open at the allowed 25 percent capacity. Their website ensures rigorous cleaning of the space and temperature checks for all employees and customers. They encourage advance reservations to ensure the correct number of

“buffer seats” between patrons. The West is also available for private rentals.

Education

Computer Skills: With more aspects of daily life shifting to an online format because of COVID-19, computer literacy is more important now than ever. The Adult Learning Center and Duluth Workforce Center partner to provide tutors to strengthen computer skills, with the opportunity to earn a Northstar Digital Literacy certificate. Call 218-336-8790 to learn more about classes and registration.

University for Seniors: The University of Minnesota-Duluth’s University for Seniors offers eightweek-long terms in a variety of courses, including “current events, history, philosophy, science, art, poetry, literature, exercise” and more, according to their website. Learn more and register at university-seniors.d.umn.edu.

Hobbies

Boredom Buster : Proctor Hermantown Community Education is offering an online class for Fall 2020 geared toward alleviating boredom for seniors during the pandemic. Once a month through December, participants will be mailed materials such as word puzzles, trivia and stretching exercises. Register at ph.ce. eleyo.com.

Rubber Stamped Greeting Cards: Also a Proctor Hermantown Community Ed course, this greeting card class sends participants the supplies necessary to create five unique greeting cards. Registration includes an instructional video so folks can craft in the comfort of their own home. D