by Elizabeth | Mar 25, 2023 | blog
When choosing the best fabric for head scarves for women with cancer, there are a few factors to consider. Ideally, the material should be soft, comfortable, and non-irritating to the scalp. It should also be breathable so that it doesn’t trap heat and cause additional discomfort, especially for women taking medication and undergoing radiation or chemo treatment with side effects like hot flashes. Additionally, the fabric should be easy to care for, as it will likely need to be washed frequently.
Some of the best fabrics for head scarves for women with cancer include:
1. Cotton is a soft, breathable fabric that is comfortable and easy to care for. It is also hypoallergenic, making it less likely to irritate the scalp and less likely to slip off the head.
2. Bamboo is a lightweight, breathable fabric known for its softness and moisture-wicking properties. It is also naturally antibacterial, hypoallergenic, and antimicrobial. It is highly absorbent and easy to wash, the most practical choice for headscarves, making it a good option for women with sensitive skin or undergoing chemotherapy.
3. Modal is a soft, lightweight fabric known for its breath-ability and moisture-wicking properties. It is made from beech tree pulp and is often blended with cotton, silk or other fibers to create a soft and comfortable fabric ideal for head scarves. It is also hypoallergenic and easy to care for.
4. Silk is a luxurious, soft fabric that is gentle on the scalp and easy to wear. Its other qualities are breathable and moisture-wicking, making it a good choice for women who experience hot flashes or night sweats. It is also naturally hypoallergenic, although it can be more challenging to care for than other fabrics.
All of my designs have a silk scarf version. My most popular silk scarves are the Cherry Blossom Silk Habotai or Silk Charmeuse Scarf at 16″ x 72″ and the Blue Medulli Abstract Design Long Silk Habotai or Silk Charmeuse Scarf at 16″ x 72″ shown at left. There are 10″ x 45″ head scarf versions as well on this website.
5. Linen is a lightweight, breathable fabric ideal for warmer weather. It is also hypoallergenic and moisture-wicking, making it a good choice for women who experience hot flashes or night sweats.
Ultimately, the best fabric for head scarves for women with cancer will depend on their individual preferences and needs. Choosing a material that feels comfortable and soothing to the scalp is essential; that is easy to care for and maintain and provides adequate coverage and protection.
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by Liz | Jun 23, 2021 | blog
Fashion is undoubtedly an artistic expression. As an encaustic fine artist who works in sculpture and painting, it’s a joy to translate my creative work into wearable art clothing and accessories! Featuring the encaustic fine art by Elizabeth Hubler-Torrey, reproduced into apparel and accessories that are hand-sewn and digitally printed with new permanent reactive ink technology.
Silk Scarves
I work hard to not compromise the quality of my fine art, and my silk scarves are no different! The scarves were the first design that I brought to the public when I found a partner company that supplied print on demand, hand-made products with attention to artwork reproduction accuracy and quality construction.
These scarves with 100% pure silk, capture the true color and concepts portrayed in my fine artwork, and the touch of the silk on the skin is equal to luxury designer brands. Made from 100% silk habotai, the Blue Abstract Medulli Scarf and Cherry Blossom Pink Scarf is finished with a machine-rolled baby hem for long-lasting durability with an air of delicacy and no tag to get in the way.
The reactive inks mean your scarf colors will always remain as vibrant as the day you buy it. The printed scarves translate my encaustic artwork paintings into a wearable format that makes a one-of-a-kind fashion statement.
Poly Scarves
My custom reflex ink printed scarves are the most versatile way to wear art! Tie it to your handbag, knot it around your hair, wear it as a shawl, or even hang the scarf on your wall as a tapestry work of art but with a unique contemporary touch. These beautiful scarves feature my original artwork, permanently printed and made to last. Both designs are available in 2 elegant fabric options; poly see-thru chiffon or silky knit, they really are the epitome of sleek versatility.
Kimonos in Silk
Translate the everyday luxury of designer fine art, then add some extravagance to your wardrobe with 100% silk kimonos? These silk kimonos are hand-sewn, effortlessly beautiful, and feel great on the skin.
Available in 2 unique styles; regular belted and draped kimono, both with 100% silk twill fabric. The silk kimono is the epitome of luxurious lounge wear, ideal for the home, date night, wedding gifts, and so much more!
Leggings and Capris
Art, much like fashion, is an outward statement of the style in your soul. Wearable fine art clothing perfectly blends both expressive forms, and these digitally printed yoga leggings are active clothing that’s both functional and stylish! Using super stretchy performance knit fabric that’s hand-sewn for softness and durability, you’ll love the way these leggings hugs and supports your body and feel like a second skin.
They’re finished with a high-rise elastic waistband that holds you just right no matter how you choose to move and available in both full and Capri length.
Yoga Clothing Perfect for Your Studio Practice
An essential component of yoga is mindfulness, and there’s nothing like being uncomfortable during a yoga class to throw off your centering practice. Made from super stretchy performance knit fabric with hand sewing, these digitally printed yoga leggings caress your body like a glove, and know that your yoga pant won’t distract your practice.
Finished with an elastic high-rise waistband and available in full and Capri length, these specially designed yoga leggings will allow you to move your body with confidence.
Busy person’s best go-to pants
While you’re busy running around with errands the last thing you want is uncomfortable clothing! These custom printed yoga leggings let you get things done while staying both cute and comfortable.
Custom designed athletic wear
Wearing something you feel good in while working out is more enjoyable, so say goodbye to generic athletic wear and slip on something that you will want to work out in!
Active and lifestyle wear
Have a busy day but still want to get a workout in? Custom printed yoga leggings let you glide seamlessly from the gym to a meeting with friends for coffee and then to the grocery store.
Origami Tote Handbags
Simplicity and multi-tasking are beautiful. Our origami tote in two designs combines an idea that is centuries old with a contemporary twist on materials and the best quality in fabric printing. Even though we call it the Origami tote, you can fold the origami cloth into a tote bag and loop it secure with the double rings on the 18″ or 33″ strap. Or use it a scarf, impromptu picnic or baby blanket, or the most beautiful present wrapping with a ribbon tie to match.
Custom Printed and Sewn Tote Bags
Going basic or looking to level up? I have designed totes in both a basic unlined Tote and a lined and fashionista-friendly Urban tote. Either way, my totes feature vibrant, long-lasting artwork printed designs on strong poly-canvas, so your tote will always looks great when you go about your workday, school, or play.
As a Roomy Handbag
Your lined urban tote takes space inside to a new level with convenient inner pockets and magnetic closure at the top to use as an oversized hand bag!
Use as a School Bag
Take your urban tote to school or college with you, it has room for notebooks and a laptop and store your pens, highlighters, and phone in the handy inner pockets!
Sample Sales Materials or Art Supplies Bag for Educators
Take your urban tote bag or basic tote as a great way to transport clumsy sales samples or art materials to bring all your supplies to meetings with suppliers or while teaching students. Use your tote to wow them as well and show them you have style and creativity. And works great as a conversation starter for sales meetings as well.
Makeup Bags
When you’re out and about, keep all your faves with you. Whether your tools of the trade are rulers, scissors, cosmetics, camera gear, or art supplies, these bags are perfect for keeping your essentials ready for action and all in one place.
All makeup bags are reverse-denim lined with an inner pocket and feature vibrant, color-fast printing on durable poly-canvas. Choose from a long vegan leather handle or short contained zipper for ease of use.
Travel Besties
Get everything organized for your next trip! Our cosmetic bags fit your shower supplies, toiletries, or travel-sized liquids.
Find your Gear with Ease
Want to find your things quickly? Order multiple bags that are specific for your specific tools of the trade so you can find your items quickly and when you need them.
As a Fashion Clutch
Add the zipper pull to your 10″ or 12″ makeup bag order, and it becomes a purse! Instead of taking a shoulder bag out dancing, a clutch gives you more freedom to dance the night away.
by Liz | May 26, 2020 | blog
Face shapes can vary significantly from person to person, so it’s important that your face covering fits as snug as possible to your face. Take some time to do the following measurements below before you place your order. Don’t assume that your face size is similar to your clothing size!
• Measure from under your nose to the bottom of your chin.
• Measure from the beginning of one ear, over the tip of your nose, to the start of your other ear.
| Size |
Ear-to-ear over nose |
| Adult X-Large |
12-inches |
| Adult Large |
11.4-inches |
| Adult Medium |
10.82-inches |
| Adult Small |
10.25-inches |
| Youth Large |
9.84-inches |
| Youth Medium |
9.25-inches |
| Youth Small |
8.66-inches |
by Liz | May 8, 2020 | blog
COVID-19 pandemic is a unique situation affecting countries worldwide. Now, one of the measures that WHO advised is wearing face masks. Well, face masks were not among the initial COVID-19 prevention strategies. However, experts are now convinced that they could help reduce the spread of this disease by discouraging people from touching their faces, preventing asymptomatic carriers from spreading this disease, and reminding individuals about practicing hand hygiene as well as social distancing.
But, there has been a lot of confusion about which masks or fabrics offer excellent protection and which ones to avoid. However, as the number of infections and deaths continue to increase, public health officers in the U.S are now urging individuals to wear fabric face coverings when in public.
Those who don’t have a fabric face mask can use a scarf or a bandana. However, there are some guidelines you should follow. Keep reading this guide to learn how best you can use your scarf as a homemade face mask.
Double Up Thin Fabric for a Better Face Covering
By now, most people know that COVID-19 is spread when droplets of an infected person find their way into a non-infected person’s lungs via nose, mouth, or eyes. Now, masks prevent the entry of this virus through the mouth and nose. But, if the mask one is wearing is light, the virus might still be able to penetrate and use these passages to enter into your lungs. Therefore, you’d want to ensure that your fabric has 2 or more layers for better prevention. Natural fabrics work better like silk or cotton, but a thin chiffon works as well if its folded in to two layers. And with any face covering, you can always add a filter layer, or cotton panel inside the folded scarf or bandana.
Fortunately, there are several things you can do to add thickness to your thin bandana or scarf. For instance, one can cut an old t-shirt and use it as the first covering layer then place your bandana or scarf on top. What’s important is to ensure that there are at least two fabric layers. Or your could use a thin natural fabric such as cotton or silk, fold it into two or more layers, and have a more fashionable option as a face covering. Just like the new silk Cherry Blossom scarves available now at the link here https://encausticstudios.com/product/new-blue-medulli-long-silk-scarf-16-x-72/
Make Sure That Your Homemade Mask Covers Your Nose and Mouth
One of the most common mistakes people make is wearing their masks halfway. Remember that the idea here is to completely block the virus from entering your lungs via your mouth and nose. Therefore, you should ensure that the fabric you’re using doesn’t leave gaps between your face and fabric.
After tying your bandana or scarf make sure it stays in place until you return home. But remember, even though you don’t want to leave any gaps, don’t make it too tight otherwise it’ll be uncomfortable. Additionally, one should also ensure that they can remove their masks without touching their face. Also, ensure that you practice proper hygiene and wash your scarf daily after use.
How Effective Are Scarfs and Bandanas for Protecting Against Coronavirus?
There’s been a lot of debate on whether homemade face masks offer excellent protection against this COVID-19 virus. Provided they’re used correctly, along with other prevention measures, they’re just as effective as other masks. So if you’re using a scarf or bandana as a face covering ensure that you still wash your hands regularly, practice social distancing and avoid touching your face. Also, do not use these cloth masks on children below 2 years, people with trouble breathing, unconscious, incapacitated, or those who cannot remove them without assistance.
If a person is infected, especially asymptomatic, these masks can prevent large droplets from sneezes or coughs from dropping on surfaces or other people. And for those who’re not infected, using these masks along with other prevention measures will protect one from large droplets.
There’s no doubt that masks play a huge role in reducing the rate of COVID-19 infection. Think about it. If everyone covered their face, it’ll help those infected to keep the droplets in and those who’re not infected to keep the infected droplets out. This will ultimately, reduce the number of infections. Experts, in fact, say that masks are a completely equitable intervention method.
However, medical and surgical masks should be left for doctors, nurses, and other people who’re frontline in battling COVID-19 in the hospitals. Bear in mind that there’s a shortage of these masks. Therefore, anyone who’s not a health worker should avoid wearing N95 or surgical masks.
With the new demand for face masks online, sometimes it would be faster to order a fashionable scarf instead as a backup or until a mask is made available. Masks and other face coverings should be single use for each shopping or outing session and washed afterwards. Therefore, it would be best to have more than one option at home such as silk or chiffon scarves available to buy now at the link here https://encausticstudios.com/product/cherry-blossom-silk-scarf-long-16-x-72/
by Liz | Apr 30, 2020 | blog
One of the most important strategies in place to stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2 is the wearing of a face mask covering. However, not all masks are the same, and there are only certain types and fabrics that are actually successfully in preventing the penetration of tiny droplets from sneezes and coughs that carry and transmit the Covid-19 virus.
CDC Recommendation
It is currently recommended by the CDC to wear a face mask in public in places where it is difficult to maintain social distancing such as in grocery outlets and the pharmacy. It is especially important to wear a mask in areas that are still registering significant levels of community-based transmission. Advice from the CDC goes on to say that the wearing of a simple cloth mask will help slow down the spread of the virus and will ensure that people who are asymptomatic will not spread the virus to others unknowingly. As a voluntary measure you may like to make a simple cloth face covering scarf out of common materials or household items you have to hand.
Face masks should not be used on infants under the age of 2, nor should they be used on those who suffer from breathing difficulties, who are incapacitated, who cannot remove their mask themselves, or on the unconscious.
Recommendations from the CDC are saying that N95 and surgical masks should be prioritized for frontline workers and medical personnel, meaning that if you need or want a mask, you should either purchase one or make a cloth one at home.
Silk, Chiffon and Cotton are the Best Materials for Making Face Covering at Home
If you are considering a cloth mask at home, you will be interested to learn which materials are the best for keeping other people’s germ out and you own germs in. In order to determine which materials work best, either on their own, or in combination with other, researchers carried out trials to establish the average number and size of particles in the air. Once this data was established, a fan was then used to blow aerosols across the different fabrics to see which materials were the most successful in blocking out particles.
Researchers from the U.S based University of Chicago and from the Argonne National Laboratory took and tested under laboratory conditions a variety of the most commonly found materials, investigating their electrostatic and mechanical filtration properties. Results of the study by the team that the best results for filtering particles were found when multiple layers of mixed fabrics were used; improper fitting of the mask however can run everything.
“We carried out these studies using several of the most common fabrics including chiffon, silk, flannel, cotton, and various synthetics, as well as their combinations,” the research team explains in their paper. “Overall, we found that using a combination of different fabrics that are commonly available in cloth face coverings provides the potential to significantly protect against aerosol particle transmission.” (Konda et al. ACS Nano 2020).
Our scarves are made from the best material to use for making a comfortable home made face covering. Available to purchase now! See our NEW Cherry Blossom scarf made from habutai silk link here at https://encausticstudios.com/product/cherry-blossom-silk-scarf-long-16-x-72/
Only Use the Best-Tested Fabrics
The winners in the testing of homemade face masks were cotton sheets that were tightly woven, used in combination with 2 layers of spandex-polyester chiffon, a sheer fabric that is commonly used in dressing and evening gowns. This particular combination of materials blocked between 80 and 99% of the droplets, the results varying depending on the size of the droplets. We have a beautiful blue chiffon scarf available for you to buy now at link https://encausticstudios.com/product/blue-medulli-long-scarf/ to use as a face covering scarf.
Similar results were found by the team when they used a cotton quilt with polyester batting, or substituted flannel or natural silk for chiffon. However, they warned that the mask must fit snuggly, and even a very small gap between the mask and face can reduce the efficiency of the filtering by up to half, if not more.
Examine the Science
To sample the number of aerosols present in the air, the team used an aerosol mixing chamber. They then went on to pass the particles through each of the fabrics they tested (which were secured tightly on to the end of a PVC tube) and sampled air that made it all the way through the material. The y carried out tests for a large range of particle size, from 10 nanometres to 10 micrometres. To give you some perspective here, a human hair averages a diameter of 50 micrometres, and in every micrometre there are 1000 nanometres. Particles of coronavirus are somewhere between eighty and one hundred and one hundred and twenty nanometers in diameter.
What this means is the particles that were tested were tiny, and there is still debate on if or not these tiny aerosolized particles can actually cause an infection, but if you are getting the smaller particles then you are definitely getting the larger ones. So, if you make sure that the mask you make filters out the smallest of particles, then it’s a good indication that it is also blocking out the larger ones.
The team also found that hybrid particles such as those that layer multiple types of materials were also good at filtering out the majority of particles. For example, a hybrid made up of cotton and silk, or cotton and flannel or cotton and chiffon has a filtration efficiency of more than 80% (for particles ninety percent (for particles greater than 300 nanometres)” The researchers speculared that the better performance of hybrid materials is likely to be due to the combined effect of electrostatic and mechanical-based filtration.
Mechanical filtration is the process by which the fabric catches the particles- the team observed that with materials such as cotton, a higher thread count worked better. Logically, the smaller the holes in the materials, the less large particles are capable of escaping.
The process of electrostatic-based filtration works a little differently. Imagine a material that is really static-y like polyester. Instead of being able to zap a friend with the static electricity you were able to save up, the filter works to keep the aerosols kept inside the static environment.
But as we said before, and cannot stress enough, none of this matters if you fail to wear your mask correctly. In the 2nd part of the experiment carried out by the team, small holes were poked into the tested fabrics, the results being pretty ugly. “Our studies also show that gaps caused by the ill-fitting of your mask can result in a decrease of filtration efficient of over 60%. So, regardless of the material that you choose for your mask, ensure that you wear it correctly.
If you are interested in the process of making a mask out of a hybrid material, there are plenty of tutorials you can check out online. If you need a simpler way to make a mask, from simple fabrics that you have at home, follow this CDC link for advice.
Sources:
Supratik Guha et al, “Aerosol Filtration Efficiency of Common Fabrics Used in Respiratory Cloth Masks,” ACS Nano, April 24, 2020.
CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html
by Liz | Jul 16, 2019 | blog
Oblong scarves are a versatile accessory and works great to add variety to your wardrobe. You can have fun tying a neck scarf in many different ways. Below are five ways to wear your favorite neck scarf and as a head scarf.
Simple Loop
Hold the scarf with both hands by the long end, then fold the scarf in half so you have a loop at one end. Place the scarf around your neck, hold the loop end open and pull the loose end through the loop. And adjust to desired length.
Infinity Loop
Place the scarf around your neck and tie together two corners in one loose knot. Open the knot, create a loop and place it around your neck to create the look of a large twisted loop.
Preppy Neck Tie
Drape the scarf around your neck so that one end is longer than the other. Loop the long end twice around your neck. Create a side half-knot with the ends. If the ends are too long, loop it around three times instead and then finish with the half-knot.
The Long Head Wrap
To create a head scarf, start by folding the oblong scarf in half. Place it over your head, with the center at your forehead. Tie a half knot in the back to secure at the base of the back of the head and top of the neck area.
Head Bun
Start with the last step for the Long Head Wrap, then take the two ends one in each hand behind your head and crisscross as you bring both ends up, then take both ends down and tie around the new bun you just created wrapping as many times as you need to complete the bun and tuck the ends under the bun.
