Every day on Art&Seek, we’re talking to people who have tips for staying creative and calm. Share yours with us on Facebook, Instagram or @artandseek on Twitter. Click above to listen to Bob McCranie from Turtle Creek Chorale share his tip with KERA’s Nilufer Arsala.

Bob McCranie making face masks. Photo by Terry McCranie

Like a lot of people, Bob McCranie felt helpless when COVID-19 hit North Texas. Then one evening, while watching the news, he heard about the great need for face masks in our community. Bob saw this as a way he could help so he decided to take action. He got on YouTube, found a pattern he liked and started sewing.

And sewing he did.

What started as just a few masks for family and friends has kept Bob sewing almost non-stop “I knew how to use a machine and hand stitch, but I’ve never done anything on this scale before,” he said. “Initially, I thought I’d get 5 or 10 orders from family and friends, but over the last week, it’s snowballed into over 1,500 orders from people who need them for daily work– like medical workers, UPS drivers, court workers and those that have other essential jobs.”

Since he started a few weeks ago, Bob has enlisted  volunteers to help with the flood of orders and has also received donated fabric and supplies to make the masks.

And even though his sewing machine is running well into the night these days, Bob has perspective. “It’s important work that’s keeping me busy and its really filling a need in the community,”

If you’d like to make your own masks from home, here’s a video from Bob to show you how.

Stay on top of North Texas COVID-19 updates with KERA News.