Pretty yet practical masks made in Garden City

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/08/2020 (1018 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, our lives have all changed and we continue to adapt to the “new normal.”

As part of these changes to our routines and lifestyles, public health officials have stressed the importance of physical distancing, handwashing and the use of face masks to reduce the spread of the virus.

Garden City resident and avid sewer Tamara Ewatski has been making non-medical cloth masks to meet the demand from customers and the community. However, it was not a quick decision to jump into the mask sewing process.

“This spring, about a month into the pandemic, I started sewing masks because I had so many requests — and I thought, ‘OK, I can help out and do this,’” Ewatski says.

Ewatski has been sewing since she was a child, and recalls sewing her own clothes in high school, as well as making hand-sewn gifts for families and friends.

“Sewing has always been a hobby for me. In my early teens, I spearheaded a fundraiser at school and started by sewing 100 scrunchies. Then I started making custom Halloween costumes, window coverings and it just grew from there,” she said.

This past year, Ewatski followed her dream and started her own business, Sew Pretty Yet Practical, making everything from hand towels to aprons and now face masks.

“Before COVID-19, my most popular products were kitchen tea towels and hand towels. While these still remain my most-sewn items, I have now made over 1,500 masks and counting,” she says.

Ewatski has crafted her masks to be stylish but still functional. Available in a huge assortment of patterns and colours, as well as more subdued tones, the masks are made from two layers of 100 per cent cotton.

“My masks are sewn with a pocket, so a filter can be inserted if they wish” explains Ewatski.

The community response to Ewatski’s masks has been overwhelmingly positive. She has had orders from Ontario and Alberta, as well as throughout Manitoba.

“For me, the biggest thing is to create items that are both pretty and practical. Hence my business name,” she says.

“I love fabrics and finding that perfect pattern. I also love making people happy so I guess you can say I am sewing and living my dream.”

Anyone wanting to see the full range of the masks, towels, aprons, and everything else Ewatski sews, should check out Sew Pretty Yet Practical on Facebook.

Orders can be placed by emailing tkewatski@shaw.ca or via the Facebook page. For added peace of mind, contactless pick-up is right here in Garden City.

Daniel Guenther is president of the Garden City Residents’ Association and a community correspondent for his neighbourhood. Email him at: gardencitywinnipeg@gmail.com