When 11-year-old Lucy Blaylock saw a call for homemade masks on Tieks' Instagram, she knew just what to do. Over the past three years, the Gallatin, Tennessee native has become something of a local celebrity, designing and sewing blankets - some of which she has given away to needy kids all over the world.
So, when she spotted the #SewTogether campaign, requesting that people send in homemade masks for healthcare workers, she immediately got to work, and brought her family along with her.
Initiated by CEO Kfir Gavrieli and Tieks, a footwear company known for its popular, foldable ballet flats, the campaign offers gift cards to people who create homemade masks for donation. Such masks are used in conjunction with medical-grade ones to protect COVID-19 healthcare professionals and other essential workers.
According to her mother, Veronica Blaylock, Lucy started her research on Pinterest, the popular image-sharing service, where she found several "cool" designs. Next, she consulted with her aunt, who is a doctor, about what would work best for healthcare professionals. They landed on a winning rectangular style with pleats.
From the start, Lucy's four siblings and her mother have pitched in regularly to help with the assembly and sewing. Her father neatly irons the masks, to ensure the pleats are perfectly formed.
To date, Lucy and her family have produced over 1300 masks, and aren't stopping anytime soon, often receiving orders via Facebook and Instagram. "Lucy gets these big orders and we sit as a family and mass produce them. The whole family is onboard for this," said Blaylock.
So far, a health department in Texas and a Ronald McDonald House summer camp program have received masks. A large donation also went to TriStar Centennial Medical Center in Nashville. "It was just a wonderful loving touch for her and her family to do this," said Tristar CEO Regina Barlett. "As our team has been working over the past many weeks to get ready to take care of our community, our community is doing the same for us... like Lucy did today."
Community and family have been ongoing themes of the project. Mask production not only serves those fighting the health crisis, it offers the Blaylock family a sense of purpose during a hard time.
"You feel so helpless going through this, but producing masks is something we can do together as a family. We sit at the table working, talking, and laughing. It's changed the dynamic in our home," said Blaylock. The larger community has also stepped in, she said, donating fabric and spools of elastic to the cause.
Kfir Gavrieli, CEO of Tieks, is proud to partner with Lucy and her family. The company offers a $50 gift card for those who stitch 25 masks, and $100 card for 50 or more masks.
"Our nurses, doctors, EMTs and other medical professionals are on the frontlines of the pandemic. We must do everything we can to protect them, for their own health and for everyone's health," he said.
Lucy agrees. As the sixth grader told her mother: "Mom, I can't cure Covid, but I can sew masks."
To learn more about Lucy's efforts, visit @Lucysloveblankets on Instagram.
