In many Asian countries, wearing a face mask in public has been a cultural norm long before COVID-19. There are many Youtube video's available to learn how to make masks.
MJ webshop team created these masks for her parents with beautiful fabrics of Kurume Kasuri.
This is using 'Kurume Kasuri' ikat fabric / blur dots.
And this one is using 'Kurume Kasuri' ikat fabric / ichimatsu check.
For inside, she used Tenugui.
While creating the masks, appreciation of the textile is becoming bigger and she understood the reason why Shimogawa Orimono kept using 100 year's old industrial loom.
It's not hand woven, it's machine-made. Their old machine creates more space for the touch, the fabric gets softer and stronger with the old loom.
Their fabrics are not cheap, but with reasons.
She had a great time sewing the masks for someone she cares about and feeling enriched by Kurume Kasuri fabrics.
*We watched this video, sorry it's Japanese only.