I got on the band wagon! Helping hospitals with masks. Calling these: “Keep your Germs to Yourself” masks. These aren’t medical grade protection. Just 2 layers of cotton, whatever you’ve got. (We sell cotton online too - 58” wide. These are for patients or any of us to to keep our germs from spreading. You can make your own! See my stories for a video. Swipe right for a simple pattern. Take care of eachother out there. PLEASE stay 6ft away. Or I’ll have to make hoop skirts next! .

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My stitchers need work as many manufacturers cancel orders as stores shut down. We will make 250 of these for hospitals next week. We will pay our sewers and donate them, duh. Ready to make thousands as needed. Comments? Ideas? Contacts? Thank you!

Ok. “Keep your germs to yourself!” Here is a pattern to make your own masks for friends, neighbors & those who have to go to drs or hospitals. We are making 500 of these to start. Bias tape donated ✔️Cutting donated ✔️stitchers back to work ✔️please send along where to donate, or sell at cost for sewing only. (We’d like to help our work-from-home stitchers stay employed thru this time.) Should we sell these masks too?

I love all the fabric orders coming in. Scroll right to see 2 different personalities from 2 orders shipped today. Thank you. We now have kitties in 2 colors on the website! Find the fabric tab to order. These are laminated - easy to wipe off with any kind of cleaner or sanitizer you are using now. And washable. Timely. .
We also sell 100% cotton, 59” wide. That’s enough to make a lot of face masks. Stay tuned, a video class (3 min) for making face masks will be posted in stories tomorrow.

Now that I’m obsessed with mask making, I so love this photo from the 1918 flu era posted by @johnrwells Tomorrow we pick up & donate 200 with of the 500 masks we made to the Pierce County Police Dept. (can’t wait to see them in some of our prints) thanks to @refugeesarts We are hoping to give some to the Boys & Girls club for the staff, kids & families using their services. A retirement home and some grocery clerks have requested them. We offer a free mask with every online purchase. We are in this together and between my favorite yoga studios posting online videos, and checking in with friends & family I haven’t seen for a while, we are staying connected in new ways. I feel you. The act of mask making is an act of courage and bravery. We can stop this together. We all must do our part. Thank you.

We haven’t killed eachother ... yet. .
Is it the weekend yet? Or is it Tuesday? .
We’ve gotten these masks made. Lots of em. We are donating 200 to Pierce county
Cops. (How will they like sock monkeys?)And 750 to Boys & Girls Cubs of King Co. For kids & their families and staff still entertaining & feeding kids all day. .
We’ve teamed up with @refugeesarts their gofundme campaign will help pay our stitchers to make these. Please check our #linkinbio .

Please support our efforts and reach out with needs. Also, free mask with every order on our website. We’ll sell them on there soon too. Stay safe out there!

What a dork. Today we walked (how we roll) between rain dumps down to the Boys & Girls Club @clubinsider to drop off 300 donated face masks. ( our Denny tote I’m wearing holds 250 masks. Just getting started, people. More requests coming in. Another today from Neighborcare Clinics, serving homeless folks. We are all in this together and the more we can help eachother the better.  We donate the fabric, duh, because they are awesome! We now have masks for sale in packs of 5 on our website. Proceeds go to fund this project. And did you notice my coolest umbrella ever? Thanks

Using our 100% cotton napkin fabric, we have pivoted to mask making. Our sewers already work safely from home. They are keeping their jobs. We have the fabric and are meeting a need. We’re donating washable cotton masks to kids & workers in childcare, elder care, grocery stores, clinics serving homeless... .
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#wecandoit #makemasks .

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/31/well/live/coronavirus-N95-mask-DIY-face-mask-health.html

"But more experts now say that wearing a nonmedical or homemade mask to go the grocery store or pharmacy may be a good idea." 

Dr. Soe-Lin said she believes an added benefit of a mask is that it serves as a constant reminder against touching your face, a major way that the virus is spread. But no face covering, whether it’s homemade or a medical mask, makes you invincible. Pulling a mask on and off or fidgeting with it will lessen its effectiveness. And in theory, fiddling with your mask could contaminate it. Always remove a mask by the ear loops or the tie — never the part that covers your face. Dr. Soe-Lin said she has used cloth masks for three weeks and washes and dries them regularly. Someone with only one mask can hand wash at night and let it air dry. If a mask gets wet or damp while you are wearing it, it’s less effective, she said.

I had never made or thought of a mask 2 weeks ago. Now we have produced, sold and donated over 2,000 and the #s are growing exponentially. We have pivoted our business to meet this need, and keep our sewers employed in a time when other work has evaporated for them. We had a stockpile of napkin, uncoated fabrics in all our fun patterns which is perfect for the masks we now all must wear. Why not have a fun one? 

As order volumes increase, our shipping department has decreased. My fabulous assistant, Loie, is working from home and not shipping orders or putting everything away as before. My husband David is working by my side until midnight getting orders packed and shipped. If we make a mistake, let us know and we are happy to bend over backwards to make it right.   

We have gone from a manageable but bustling wholesale business with reps and stores, and 6-10 retail orders coming in on our website each day to 200-250 retail orders per day. We used to make pretty laminated products for your home and going out in the world to now producing 100% cotton potentially life saving face masks. It's exciting and exhausting. 

It's what I do. I'm all in on every project. It's how I'll get thru this. It's what I can offer. I'm obsessed with finding the needs for our donations and make them happen. In my next email I'll share the charts my husband has been keeping, but here's my version:
We put them on the website 5 days ago.
# of masks sold:  
April 1 - 380
April 2 - 692
April 3 - 1519
April 4 - 1669

# of masks donated
1440 - we have work to do.

Right now, demand exceeds capacity. This will change next week as more sewers are making them. 
These sewers work in their homes, and can keep working thru the work bans. We put the masks in the dryer for 30+ min on high before we touch & pack them. We have been quarantined for 2+ weeks.

What will tomorrow bring? 

Our stitchers have gone thru our donated binding for ties, all the rest of the aprons strings we had on hand, and now we are making our own bias tape out of our printed cottons and the possibility of the combos make me squeal with excitement. Why not make these fun? 

Which brings us to the topic of print availability. You can ask us for what you want, but we may just ship what we have. in the end, something is better than nothing and we are doing the best we can. You can rock it! 

We are finding our new rhythm. 

We are making and shipping masks as fast as we can. Next week, we will be able to make 1000+ masks per day. We have shipped ~1200 so far, just picked up 900. We ship them out as fast as we can get more masks, and need to keep supplying donations as well.

NOTE: We are printing your orders and shipping label the day we get orders. This doesn't mean orders have shipped yet. You can check your tracking to find out where it is. Current orders will go out Mon/Tues delivering in 1-3 days via USPS.

Many of you locals want to come pick up. We are going to arrange a pick up area in our porch  / front yard. Please do not linger. Call or email if you need something. We are here for you. 

We love all of you and will have a big hug fest once this is all over. Hang in there!

While we were at the Quilt Market in Kansas City last week, one of our customers told us to go to Pryde's, a kitchen store with the biggest selection of Fiestaware in the midwest. We had gotten Fiestaware when we got married 32 years ago. We love it but never thought of selling our colorful splashy modern laminated cotton tablecloths, aprons & napkins alongside it.

Well, David, our family's fabulous cook, and my cute husband, packed a bag of samples and walked into the cooking mecca of Pryde's. There, he met Louise, a fellow "Food is Love" guide & owner of the most inspirational kitchen store.

The employees and Louise all loved IMPWEARhome. They embraced our line and Louise made the largest wholesale order we've ever gotten in mere minutes.

This is Louise in her historic store.

David's excitement when he returned to the booth (where I had spent the afternoon happily connecting with my fellow fabric lover people) was palpable. He had connected with these cooks who love color and abundance as much as we do.  

Hi there! I’m introducing myself here as I’m partcipating in #slowfashionchallenge& #memademay Here goes! 

I picked this photo because I am a person who likes taking risks. I am always diving off cliffs and making my way down. It makes me feel alive (see photo). I get super interested in something and just go for it. Things I have gone for:

•Hiking, ⛺️/ I was a National Park Ranger in a “previous life” I still take pilgrimages to my beloved SW each year, but do plenty of hiking in my home state of Washington.

•Chinese/calligraphy/I have a degree in Chinese & traveled there in 1981 when everyone wore Mao jackets.

•I have remodeled 5 houses including tiling most surfaces using cast off tiles, rocks, broken pottery, and using lots of materials recycled from local schools. •I’m a deadhead, having gone to 40-50 concerts. (Usually hitchhiking) My oldest son(shown above me here) took me to a Dead & Co concert at the Gorge, giving me a real appreciation for @John Mayer.

•David Krauter. Still married to my first husband after 32 years. We have 3 nearly grown boys who all know how to weld and sail, & recycle

•I took my boys ages 3, 9, 12 to rural India for 4 months. We hiked 90 miles in the Himalayas & had adventures while my husband worked on tunnel boring machines there.

•After Axel was born I made all his clothes, did my first street fair selling them & created IMPWEAR clothing many of Seattle’s children in colorful reversible goodness for 14 years.

•While raising kids I taught art in public schools, teaching every child to sew, some to weld, do pottery, make pies & all to solve problems using their hands.

•5 years ago I started IMPWEARhome, using an eco-friendly version of oilcloth. It’s laminated cotton. I fell in love with it and made up a wholesale line, doing @NYNOW, @lasvegasmarket & other shows. I found that I could go to the shows with a Rollie bag and scrounge furniture from castoffs once I got there. (Typical)

•3 years ago I dove into fabric design, ordering 3,000 yds at a time. I’m now on my 7th design. (Most inspired by travels) That was a real cliff dive but it launched me into a satisfying new adventure that keeps me growing and learning.

I really care about making quality and ethically made products. Turning my fabric into aprons, tablecloths and bags takes a village! So many people come together to turn an idea into reality. Which is the finished practical and durable products made from IMPWEAR fabrics. Working with other companies who share my values is a just one way to use the power I have as a business owner to support folks who do it the right way! It's funny because when you look into fairly made items, incredible quality always seems to go hand in hand, like the smooth and buttery texture of the eco-friendly, water-based coating I use! It feels so much better than what most oilcloth is made out of (toxic vinyl). 

Another example is The Ribbon Factory. I found them during my search to find the perfect black cotton twill, that doesn't bleed, is biodegradable and fairly priced.

We have used literally miles of their ribbon for our apron strings.

The Ribbon Factory is the definition of a family business. For five generations they've made a consistent and fabulous product. I'm so glad I found them. They're were I get the ties on my aprons from and I love, love, love them. Their company was founded 140 years ago, so they've had some time to figure out exactly how to do good business. On their site David Steinbuhler has written the incredible history of his amazing company. I couldn't choose which parts to mention so I've copied is story below! 

Enjoy <3  

The History Behind the Ribbon

 My father worked here, my father's father worked here, and my grandfather's father is where our legacy really began.

My great-grandfather, August Steinbuhler, arrived in New York City in 1853 after crossing the Atlantic on a sailing ship at the age of nine. Charles Horn made the same trip the year before, also at the age of nine. Both boys were part of the German Austrian emigration. I don't know many details, but by the mid 1870s, these two men had married sisters, Charlie had founded the Charles Horn Silk Company in Manhattan, and August had started his life long career as a ribbon salesman for the company.

It is exciting for me to think that our company evolved through the sweep of our country's history adjusting to changing market demands and technology. We have remained strong and vibrant after 140 years and five generations.

The small, rural village of Titusville in western Pennsylvania had, in 1859, become the birthplace of the oil industry. While Charles was building his ribbon company in NYC, Titusville was becoming a rough and ready oil boomtown. By the mid 1890s, the founding fathers of Titusville were concerned with its character and wanted to create "more civility." They decided to advertise across the country offering to build a factory for any business that would move to Titusville and hire women.

Charlie answered the advertisement. August's son, William, who was working for his "uncle" Charlie, was given the job of disassembling the looms and seeing to their installation in the new plant. In midwinter 1897, a train rolled into Titusville, and the looms were moved from the depot to the new factory by horse drawn sled. William, my grandfather, who was just twenty-two years old at the time of the move, became plant foreman, got married, and started raising a family.

Charlie had no children of his own, and William took advantage of opportunities to purchase the company. Soon, his two sons, Bill and Jack, became involved. In time, they issued forth great innovation and change. New looms and new dye machines were developed and built, many of which are still used to this day. My father, Jack, began work in 1935 and he continued to work every day until his passing in 2007; a remarkable career of over seventy years. As styles changed over the last century, products have moved from hair bows to belting for ladies' dresses and ribbon for ladies' hats. Yarns have changed from worm silk to rayon to nylon and polyester. Cotton has been a staple for shoe binding, zipper tape, and garment tape. The company's name was changed to Horn Textile after silk was no longer used.

To me, it seems there has always been the family business. My father bought out his brother in the early 1950s, and in 1971, my brother JJ and I came back to carry on the traditions of innovation and dedication. It is heartening to know the company remains a steady fixture in our community with wonderful employee loyalty. Over the decades, I have watched older employees pass on their skills to new younger ones and am amazed to think how much knowledge has accumulated throughout the factory.

My brother, JJ, moved on to run a business he created manufacturing award medallions, and I am proud to say my two sons, Chase and Peter, have taken the helm with their youthful energy and enthusiasm, along with my grandson, Zach, trailing close behind.  This makes six generations. Walking the floor of the mill with its massive timber columns, I feel our rich history and am grateful to have been a part of it.  I know the company remains in strong hands, and like my father, suspect I shall be around for many more years.

Sincerely,


David Steinbuhler

It's me again! If you use my fabric to make awesome things, I truly recommend checking them out.

The Ribbon Factory

Cheers and Happy Spring everyone!