Lately, the most popular accessory isn’t the sun hat or the summery skirt, but the face mask. Everyone is looking for them, and in Dublin, there is one neighbor who everyone goes to.
Toward the beginning of the pandemic, masks were nearly impossible to find. Tanya Smith is a tailor and seamstress, so she knew exactly what to do. She began making masks to donate them to hospitals, nursing homes and friends.
Smith is originally from Vietnam, where she says people often wore masks even before the pandemic.
“I used a modified design,” she says, “similar to those available in Vietnam.”
Her masks are made for children and adults, created with elastic and tie straps depending on your preference.
Smith says the stay at home order hasn’t affected her life as much as others because she usually works out of her home shop. However, her schedule has certainly shifted, as now she’s been busy making masks instead of tailoring dresses and pants.
“I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had time to think about it,” Smith says.
So far, she has donated about 630 masks and sold 100 to people around town. Her goal is to collect income from selling masks so she can purchase more materials to make more masks to donate. Currently, she’s working on a collection she plans to donate to Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
The response from the community has helped encourage and motivate Smith.
“Many people who know me or have heard about my work have made small cash donations or have donated materials like fabric or elastic to help,” she says. “People in Dublin are generous.”
Her work has gained so much attention that she’s getting orders from people who heard about her masks from local Facebook groups.
“They advertised to help me sell to raise money for more donations, but I didn’t know until a couple of days later when people texted me to place orders!” Smith says.
Mallory Arnold is an editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.
