by Emily, aged 14
My granny recently passed away during Covid-19 and she left behind her sewing machine and a room full of colourful fabrics. Sitting in her sewing room surrounded by all the vibrant colours made me think about all the articles I had seen on my phone about making your own mask. I created a few masks to take on our holiday to Spain. Sitting sewing the masks I felt really relaxed. I also enjoyed trying out different fabrics and finding colours which matched with my outfits.
In Spain you have to wear a mask everywhere so all the local markets are full of an array of masks. I liked the animal masks because it created an illusion that your face was half human, half animal. I also liked the fire and ice masks because of the electric blue and deep red merging on the black background. I thought it was great seeing everyone wearing such individually different masks even though the easiest option is you just buy a couple of disposable ones at the shops.
Some of my dresses have bold patterns and I didn’t want the mask to take away anything from the dress. So, I found a peachy flesh coloured flowery fabric to make the mask with. I feel it blends into my face so my dress will be the centrepiece rather than a mask.
I love cake and I thought it would be fun to wear a mask which would make everyone around me hungry. As the mask has a summery cake theme to it I thought that I should wear a flowery crop top and light blue shorts to complete my summer look.
My school uniform is dark green so I needed a pattern which had the same coloured green to match the uniform. I also needed it not to be too vibrant because you still need to look smart. All school uniforms are made to make students look the same. However, you could choose to wear your mask on the way to school, giving you a chance to show uniqueness and be creative.
Even though the mask takes a lot away from your face, it does emphasise your hair. So I styled my hair in different ways to match the vibe of the outfit.
To the most wonderful Granny in the world, thank you. Carol Hallett 1940-2020
Emily Hallett, age 14.
Emily is a scout at 1st Chertsey Scout Group