Earlier this year we received a message from our customer Beth Crain that touched our hearts. Beth said:

"Just wanted to drop you a note to let you know that your headbands are making a difference in the lives of children fighting some pretty big battles. 

My daughter was diagnosed with cancer last summer. She received high dose chemotherapies and a bone marrow transplant this winter. Wearing a protective mask to shield her from germs has been a must for almost half of her life now.

The elastic straps that came on the masks were very uncomfortable so I created something more pleasant (and fashionable) for her to wear. It wasn't long before families and staff at the hospital were asking about them. I have made and donated close to 50 straps to date. Nothing beats the joy you see in the eyes of the children and parents when they receive something (although a small something) that will help bring comfort and confidence to these little champions." 

We knew Beth wanted to share these with as many people as she could, so we asked her if she would like to share her instructions for making mask straps here on the blog. Here are her instructions. She used our crochet headbands and clips from Kam Snaps to make the straps. 

Supplies:

1 crochet head band (available here at The Hair Bow Company)

2 pacifier clips (available here at Kam Snaps)

Approximately 30" of thread

scissors

Step 1: 

Cut headband in half, next to the seam.

Step 2: 

Push one side through the opening in the pacifier clip and roll it under.

Step 3: 

Prep a needle and thread with about 30 inches of thread and tie a sturdy knot at the end. Push the needle through the headband near the pacifier clip. With a looping stitch, wrap the entire edge.

Step 4: 

When you have wrapped the entire folded over edge, turn and secure the section across with a basic running stitch. Finish off the last side as you did in step 3 by wrapping the edge with a looping stitch.

Step 5: 

Tie off end and cut remaining thread away. Repeats steps 1-5 on the other side to complete headband.

Finished product! Great for using with air filtration masks, breathing masks and nebulizers, just to name a few.

Resources:

Instructions & Photos by Beth Crain

Get the crochet headband here at The Hair Bow Company

Get the clips here at Kam Snaps