Company That Turns T-Shirts Into Quilts Now Makes Coronavirus Masks

FALL RIVER (CBS) - A company known for giving new life to old T-shirts is now working to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Project Repat got started back in 2012 as a way to keep T-shirts out of landfills. Now they are using their sewing skills to make masks.

"You can't find masks in a lot of places right now. We're trying to step up where we can," Project Repat co-founder Ross Lohr told WBZ-TV.

Project Repat works with three factories, one of them in Fall River. The company takes old tees with sentimental value and sews them into a quilt. Their employees have also been sewing cotton masks, which are machine washable and dryer friendly. So far, 100,000 masks have been purchased on Project Repat's website.

Lohr, a Massachusetts native and BU graduate, says adjusting their factories not only helps with the need for personal protective equipment, but it also allows them to keep their workers employed.

"We're all about American jobs. It seems like there was a huge shortage, and I think supply chains have obviously gone overseas in the past 20-to-30 years. We felt really good about adjusting and keeping people working."

Project Repat is still making t-shirt quilts during the pandemic and says they have actually seen a big uptick in orders due to people cleaning out their closets. Lohr says the quilts are a unique gift for high school or college seniors who have had to miss so much this year.

"People have missed out on graduations and that really special time in their lives. We know we have a product that we can give people that makes them feel really good. It's a way to preserve your memories."

If you're interested in ordering a mask or t-shirt quilt from Project Repat, visit their website.

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• Coronavirus