'Sewing for Angels' makes and delivers masks beyond Western Pennsylvania

A new Rosie the Riveter is in town.

Today, the cultural icon from the World War II era, symbolizing women stepping up to work in factories and shipyards, has taken a different form: a group of more than 1,000 men, women and children – connected through social media – banded together with the common goal of sewing masks for those who need them.

The group is known on Facebook as “Sewing for Angels.”

Since its formation on March 21, the group has been nicknamed the new Rosie the Riveter and has sewn and delivered nearly 8,000 masks to people in Western Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts. They have requests for 26,000 more.

“Now that the governor said everyone has to wear face masks when out in public, we’re talking to hospital administrators, cleaners, basically anybody and everybody in the hospitals,” said Mary Beth Kratsas, a founding member of the group.

Kratsas, 60, of Penn Hills is a photographer with a studio in Monroeville. When the pandemic began shutting down every facet of the economy, including her MBK Photography, she felt the need to keep busy. She wanted to help.

“I have family on the front lines,” she said. One day, she saw a Facebook post by her friend, Becky Auer.

Auer, 56, of McCandless, told the story of her elderly neighbor whose husband passed away a year ago.

“She’s a bit lonely, so she often visits me and her family. So she’s been a bit distressed,” she said. Auer suggested she make some masks because she’s a sewer.

“I gave her a pattern. She’s not the fastest, but she sewed a few,” Auer said.

When Kratsas, Auer’s friend and former marketing client, saw the post, she called Auer up and said they needed to find a way to sew more masks.

Auer agreed, thinking it would only lead to about 100 masks.

More than a month later, the duo is getting calls from Allegheny Health Network, firefighters, pharmacies, paramedics, nursing homes, hospice care centers, surgical centers and many others with requests for hand-sewn masks.

Auer never expected the effort to “take on a life of its own.”

“It’s just incredible, the women and men who are sewing just to help. It’s cool. Very cool,” she said.

Just recently, the group partnered with Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation as a nonprofit division.

And on May 22, Sewing for Angels will be the beneficiary of funds raised during a virtual awards banquet sponsored by Global Sisterhood and Inspiring Lives International. For details on how to attend, click here.

“We’re hoping to get grants and funding to continue to purchase materials,” Kratsas said. “What happens in September and October moving forward?”

So far, the group has relied on donations of money, fabric, sewing machines and other materials needed. A metal workers union donated 20,000 aluminum nose pieces needed for some masks. Joann Fabrics donated fabric. Commonwealth Press donated various materials.

Among the group’s 1,087 women, men and children who volunteer, the majority cuts fabric used for the masks. Some of them deliver masks. Around 80 of them sew.

Kratsas said the group needs more people to sew masks.

“We’ve been busy,” she said.

Auer said the best way to volunteer is to join the Facebook group, Sewing for Angels. To join, members need to provide an email address and how they would like to help. There are different roles: sewer, pick up and deliverer, fabric launderer, or “cheerleader” – someone who supports the cause monetarily or by praising the efforts.

Once a volunteer joins the group, either Kratsas or Auer will be in touch through email, Auer said.