Object Details
- Description
- On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the COVID-19 outbreak had become a pandemic. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did not officially call for all Americans to wear masks until April 3, 2020, health care workers immediately began wearing masks when they came into contact with COVID-19 patients. Mask wearing had always been a common practice in hospitals; what shifted during the pandemic was the length of time health care workers wore their masks. In as early as March 2020, concerns became widespread that mask fatigue and the physical pressure caused by ear loops might cause health care workers to remove or loosen a mask in a potentially dangerous situation.
- Although discussions of this issue were originally confined to medical journals, the news media’s focus on practitioners dealing with COVID-19 meant that this problem became known among laypeople during the spring of 2020. When CDC called for all Americans to wear masks, discussions about the discomfort caused by prolonged mask-wearing became even more widespread. Many of these news stories provided possible solutions to the irritations caused by prolonged mask wearing: ear savers. Often sites included guidance on making these ear savers.
- When a nurse on her neighborhood list-serv asked if anyone could make her ear savers as she was having difficulties wearing a mask all day, Sherry Birnhak took up the challenge. Although her sewing knowledge was limited, Birnhak, who had seen her work hours cut, agreed to make a headband ear saver for her.
- After posting a request for help on various websites, Birnhak marshaled a group of volunteers. The project, Birnhak noted, “basically took off like wildfire from there.” The group, which adopted the name the Sewing Angels, ultimately included about 25 regular sewers. Although the group originally used pre-made headbands, they ultimately moved to making both their own headbands as well as ear savers with button and bungee bands. Donations of 3-D printed straps along with a major button donation from a company in New York enabled the group to produce ear savers on a large scale.
- In response to Birnhak’s Facebook group, The Save The Ears Project received orders from all over the United States and Canada. Ultimately, Birnhak oversaw the donation of over 13,500 headbands to both health care workers and essential workers across the United States.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
- maker
- Birnhak, Sherry
- date made
- 2020
- Credit Line
- Sherry Birnhak
- Physical Description
- yarn; plastic (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 1 in x 6 3/4 in x 1/2 in; 2.54 cm x 17.145 cm x 1.27 cm
- Object Name
- ear saver
