Covid-19 response
Updated 03.30.20 at 23:07 PST
Seattle Makers is closed to the public until futher notice, at least until the end of March. Read our full statement on the closure here.
We are now putting all our resources toward creating supplies to respond to the COVID virus. Read our full statement on our current plan here. Below, view the supplies we are producing and get more information on how to make these for your community.
Want to help? Learn how.
Have questions? Check out our FAQs below.
Note: Our face shield design was not approved for medical use. We will be assembling our current stock and selling and distributing these to the community and organizations in need so we can reduce the spread of disease.
All donated funds will go to covering material and production costs to provide masks to Seattle Community. Any funds raised in excess will go to supporting the makerspace, development of additional makerspaces, and scholarships for makers.
Visit our old homepage here.
Help from home!
Donate
Donate directly on our website here – any amount helps! Plus, every donation goes straight to paying for materials and keeping the space running so we can keep making these disease-thwarting products and get them out to folks who need them.
Face Shields
Our community is currently printing 280 shields per day, and making 500 EVA foam masks per day. We have enough to make over 3000 masks, so we are starting with ~800 face shields and getting them out to the community.
HOW YOU CAN HELP FROM HOME:
- Help us get these shields to the right folks. If you know organizations we can get these masks to that will make a difference, please complete the bulk order form.
- If you have a 3D printer, print the visor model at home out of PLA or PETG or ABS and drop it off at Seattle Makers (instructions and the files for the visor are here).
Sewn Face Masks
We have given out materials for 30 masks, and we have kits ready for people to sew 150 more masks. Dozens of sewers across Seattle have contacted us to help using their own fabric, and many more have been spreading our template across the world.
HOW YOU CAN HELP FROM HOME:
- Pick up fabric from Seattle Makers and sew masks at home. Pick up packs of 5 fabric kits from Seattle Makers at our no-contact pickup station in front of our building. Instructions on how to make them are here. Drop them back off when you’re done sewing and we’ll get them to someone who needs them. You can also keep one or several for yourself and your family.
- Use your own fabric and sew a mask at home. Instructions on how to make them are here. Drop finished masks off in front of the makerspace and we will get them to those in need.
- Donate fabric. We are out of fabric. If you have fabric, you can make more kits and drop them off! Use 100% cotton, tightly woven lightweight breathable fabric, cut into 16″x15″ rectangles, and rubber band them in packs of 5.
FAQs
Q: Can I volunteer to come help at the makerspace?
A: We are having limited numbers of volunteers physically work a the makerspace, wearing personal protective equipment and keeping 6″ distance between people (for more information on our hygiene techniques, go here). If you are willing and able to come volunteer at the space, email Dimitri Hunter ([email protected]) who is coordinating the volunteer effort.
Q: Can I pick up a mask/shield/sewing kit for myself or someone else who needs it?
A: You can pick up two items in person at the space at no charge. Order the items directly in our online store and we’ll have them ready for no-contact pickup. Call ahead (833-2-MAKE-IT) to make sure someone is available, then come by and ring the doorbell (with your elbow) and we’ll bring your order downstairs. We still ask that you get these products to customer service workers, or others who can use them most.
Q: What if I need more than 2 face shields or sewn masks/kits?
A: For pickups of more than 2 items, you can fill out the form here to request a quantity and let us know where they are going. We will do our best to approve all requests, with the intention that they get to the people who most need them.
Q: Why are you changing the plan?
A: Our new plan is described in full here. We identified the delays below that were slowing down the impact these could be making:
Delays in getting them to doctors:
1) FDA approval required for hospitals, and nothing we make will possibly pass them in time to make a difference.
Delays in getting them to service workers:
1) Approval from store managers and corporate
2) Payment for masks/shields
3) 1 to 1 sales is very slow, despite the majority of people wanting to buy these
The spread and cost is exponential, so we are choosing to act first. We are confident the community and/or hospitals will fund the project eventually, but we need to make the impact now. We have $1250 donated so far by the community with a goal of $15,000. You can donate directly to the project on our website or via GoFundMe, or by picking up an item and giving a suggested donation through our online store.
Q: How will people know where to donate when they’re given a product?
A: Each item will have a card with a stamped message that says:
“This [$5] [face shield] was made to reduce spread of COVID19. Please consider donating at seattlemakers.org.”
Q. Is this project working with hospitals? Don’t the doctors need masks/shields first?
A: Our mask and shield prototypes were not approved for use at hospitals, and we are waiting for an approved model. We have enough materials for thousands of products that could be reducing the spread, but these materials are accomplishing nothing waiting for approval. Waiting a few days will waste the supplies and time we currently have to distribute these and reduce spread of COVID19. More materials are on the way, so we will be able to provide products to hospitals once a design is approved.
For the face shields, we have a 3D printed model going through trials right now that is the top candidate and available for printing (details here). If you have a 3D printer, you can print as many as you can (using PLA or PET) and bring them to the makerspace. As soon as they are approved, we will be laser cutting mylar shields for them and donating them to hospitals.
This 3D printed model with a visor is expected to meet sufficient approval for use (not FDA approval, but acceptable for emergencies). We are waiting for letters from hospitals saying 3 things:
- These face shields are something we really need.
- This design meets CDC requirements and our clinic’s requirements
- Given the nature of the emergency, we are not able to get FDA approval, and we want them anyway.
Once we get that notice, we will have a large quantity of approved 3D printed face shields, and hand-sewn masks to provide to doctors.