New Fabrics for Fall

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We have new fabric arriving today to celebrate Halloween, Dia de los Muertos, and the arrival of fall and sweater weather! If we have fabric leftover after making masks we’ll whip up some bow ties for cats too, so they can join in the fun.

New prints!

We have two styles of masks and many prints to choose from. Jennifer’s mom sends masks that have cotton string ties for each ear loop. Jennifer’s masks have elastic ear loops with silicone stoppers to make them adjustable. Most of the prints are cat-related (of course!) but we do have a few in other prints from fabric that was donated to us.

Made-to-order cat-themed masks with elastic

Ready-to-buy masks with elastic

Ready-to-buy cat-themed masks with string ties

Ready-to-buy masks with string ties

Ready-to-buy masks for children

Mask Improvements!

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Constantly tinkering, I know, but I like where the masks have landed recently. They have adjustable elastic ear loops now and a new piece to help them fit better over the nose. Essentially, they are like the plastic-coated metal coffee bag closures! They measure about 4″ long and 1/4″ wide so they are less bulky than the pipe cleaners (which I still think work pretty well!).

So now in our masks we can offer child, medium, and large sizes, and each style is still adjustable for a good fit.

Here are a few photos to show how a medium mask fits me. You can see there is extra elastic on each side to fit me properly that could be let out if you have a slightly wider face. My glasses still fog a little now and then but generally the masks work pretty well for me. I hope they will for you, too!

And if you’ve made it this far, you’ll see that I also like birds. Especially chubby birds. 🙂

Adding New Mask Sizes and Adjustable Ear Loops

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In an effort to make masks both fun and functional I’ve been sewing up prototypes of three different sizes, and my mom has been sending masks for children in addition to the adult-sized masks she’d been making. Both masks will be adjustable at the ears as well. My mom’s use cotton string ties so all you have to do is tie them off where it feels best for you. I’ve ordered some silicon stoppers that should slide over the 1/4 ” elastic I use so that you can make the loops bigger or smaller.

To give you a sense of the size differences I made up one of each and marked them up with approximate measurements. Take a look:

Child, Medium, and Large Masks

Measuring from the edge to the center seam they measure about 4 5/8″, 5 1/8″, and 5 3/8″. Measuring from the nose to the chin they measure about 5 3/8″, 6″, and 6 3/8″.

You can see their relative sizes when stacked up here:

As soon as the silicon stoppers arrive I can get some finished masks into the shop. I’ll be offering an assortment of prints, some cats, some not. Cassie’s Cats got a donation of fabric and I have masks cut out and ready to be sewn.

I’m considering putting pictures of the new cat prints in the shop, letting people order the size they want, and then sewing to order. I can only get about four masks from each cut of fabric but hopefully this way supporters can get the sizes they think will fit best!

Changes in the Shop

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We have been moving things around a little bit and tweaking the shipping model. Now, if you live locally in Ventura you will have an option for $1 local delivery or $4 flat shipping. Otherwise, shipping will be $4. Donation prices have been adjusted to reflect this change.

The other change is with some of the toys. Now, we are offering grab bags of 10 toys for $10, consisting of cotton mice, small felt toys, and larger felt toys. Mini kickers and kickers will still be offered individually or in groups of three.

Once we open the lounge we imagine that we will have fewer goods like this for sale but for now, this is a way for us to fundraise and build a solid financial foundation. Check out the earrings, masks, and note cards, too.

Cat Masks Have Been Restocked

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Our first batch of 10 cat-themed masks sold out very quickly. We’ve added 13 more to the shop so if you missed out the first time around now’s your chance to grab one! If you live in Ventura (93001, 93003, or 93004) we can deliver to you for a $10 donation; otherwise, we will mail anywhere in the U.S. for a $13 donation. https://www.cassiescatsandkittens.org/product/cotton-masks/

Thank you to Jennifer’s mom for donating her time, materials, and sewing expertise to this fundraiser!