Anna McNamara
When TDS’ Ryan McNamara and his wife Anna received a request from their church group that local nursing and rest homes needed cloth face masks, the two quickly swung into action.
“I love sewing,” said Anna. “And this was such a great way to use my skills and to help others in need.”
“In her free time, she has been doing nothing but sewing face masks,” said Ryan, a systems technician for TDS. “I’m so proud of how she’s helping the community.”
Ryan McNamara
Anna has already made more than 100 face masks and has orders for 150 more. Ryan helps Anna by cutting and prepping the materials for her.
“I usually make about 20 at a time,” Anna said. “It takes me around four hours to make that many.”
The St. George couple donate the masks to the rest homes, and charge for the orders they receive on Instagram and Etsy.
The two purchased most of the fabric; however, Anna said she had a “sweet friend” who donated some patterned fabric.
Anna publishes a DIY crafting blog called Practical and Pretty, which has a few thousand followers. Some of her creations have been featured on the Darice Blog. Darice is a national manufacturer of art and craft supplies. Anna has also been a guest on a Utah television show KSL’s Studio 5.
Anna says she’s been inspired by her fellow bloggers, who have helped her find the two patterns she uses to make the face masks. “We are all in this together and working hard,” she said.
In order to slow the spread of COVID-19, earlier this month Utah Gov. Gary Herbert encouraged Utahns to show their support by wearing a personal protective mask or face covering whenever entering stores.
Ryan said the mask he uses while working at TDS throughout the day are made by Anna.
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