George Washington University Athletics
Colonial of the Week Presented by Capgemini: Olivia Cantrell
5/5/2020 9:30:00 AM | General, Women's Rowing
GW coxswain has been busy sewing masks to help health care workers
A capable seamstress since sixth grade, Olivia Cantrell's specialties are household items like pillows, curtains and tote bags. When the need for cloth masks became clear to help combat the spread of COVID-19, the junior from Pennsylvania was eager to add to her repertoire on the sewing machine.
"It's a useful skill that I have," said Cantrell, who was the coxswain for the GW women's rowing 2V8 to a runner-up finish at last spring's Atlantic 10 Championship. "I'm not a doctor, but I can sew. I'm just glad I can help in some way."
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Since returning home in mid-March, Cantrell has stayed busy sewing hundreds of masks to send to workers on the frontlines fighting the global pandemic.
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The Civil Engineering major dropped off her first batch at Doylestown Hospital to aid her local community and then sent more to a family friend who works at a lab assembling testing kits in Virginia.Â
She has plans to mail her next shipment to the Navajo Nation after hearing of the growing need in that community, and she's also arranging to send some to former teammate Emily Olson ('19), who is a health care worker in Wisconsin.
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Cantrell had never made a cloth mask before, but the plans were just a few clicks away online.
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A member of GW SAAC's Community Service Committee, she dove right in during spring break, learning as she went.
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"I made a lot then," Cantrell said. "I was like 'Well, I have extra time right now due to the quarantine,' so I just kept going."
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Cantrell started out making masks for the hospital with a wire to make the more form-fitting around the nose before experimenting with other designs for more general use. She picks up tips and design ideas via a Facebook group called Sew Face Masks Philadelphia.
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Cantrell has continued to make time daily, spending her study breaks at her sewing machine. After so much practice, she can make a mask in about 20 minutes from start to finish.
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Along the way, Cantrell has thinned out a huge collection of fabric collected over the years. She's yet to have to purchase cloth for the project. It's still more like spring cleaning, at this point.
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"It's all the random scraps from projects that I've never thrown out," Cantrell said. "My mom is happy that they're going to good use."
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More than 200 masks later, Cantrell said her fabric stash remains strong, boosted by a donation from a neighbor, and she's about to have more time on her hands as finals wind down.
Â
While social distancing and staying home, she's proud to continue her work to contribute to the cause in her community and beyond.
Â
"I just want to do my part," Cantrell said. "If we can all play our small part, we can get through this together."
"It's a useful skill that I have," said Cantrell, who was the coxswain for the GW women's rowing 2V8 to a runner-up finish at last spring's Atlantic 10 Championship. "I'm not a doctor, but I can sew. I'm just glad I can help in some way."
Â
Since returning home in mid-March, Cantrell has stayed busy sewing hundreds of masks to send to workers on the frontlines fighting the global pandemic.
Â
The Civil Engineering major dropped off her first batch at Doylestown Hospital to aid her local community and then sent more to a family friend who works at a lab assembling testing kits in Virginia.Â
She has plans to mail her next shipment to the Navajo Nation after hearing of the growing need in that community, and she's also arranging to send some to former teammate Emily Olson ('19), who is a health care worker in Wisconsin.
Â
Cantrell had never made a cloth mask before, but the plans were just a few clicks away online.
Â
A member of GW SAAC's Community Service Committee, she dove right in during spring break, learning as she went.
Â
"I made a lot then," Cantrell said. "I was like 'Well, I have extra time right now due to the quarantine,' so I just kept going."
Â
Cantrell started out making masks for the hospital with a wire to make the more form-fitting around the nose before experimenting with other designs for more general use. She picks up tips and design ideas via a Facebook group called Sew Face Masks Philadelphia.
Â
Cantrell has continued to make time daily, spending her study breaks at her sewing machine. After so much practice, she can make a mask in about 20 minutes from start to finish.
Â
Along the way, Cantrell has thinned out a huge collection of fabric collected over the years. She's yet to have to purchase cloth for the project. It's still more like spring cleaning, at this point.
Â
"It's all the random scraps from projects that I've never thrown out," Cantrell said. "My mom is happy that they're going to good use."
Â
More than 200 masks later, Cantrell said her fabric stash remains strong, boosted by a donation from a neighbor, and she's about to have more time on her hands as finals wind down.
Â
While social distancing and staying home, she's proud to continue her work to contribute to the cause in her community and beyond.
Â
"I just want to do my part," Cantrell said. "If we can all play our small part, we can get through this together."
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
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