Thanks to Attorney Dolores “Lorry” Schiesel, Resident Partner in the firm’s Kent office, Cramer & Anderson attorneys and staff have expertly sewn and stylish coronavirus protection masks made with vintage fabrics from her quilting collection.
Attorney Schiesel, sewing on a 1940’s Singer Featherweight machine, has made 35 to 40 masks to date, and has another 34 in progress.
Nearly finished with the masks for attorneys and staff in the Cramer & Anderson’s six regional offices, Attorney Schiesel is now donating masks for distribution by the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) formed in Kent.
“I go through my collection and look for the fabrics that are most tightly woven because they have the least transmission,” explained Attorney Schiesel. Some of the fabrics she mines for masks are 40 to 50 years old and were made at a time when cottons were very tightly woven.
See the In the Community Page for the Firm’s Other Recent Donations
Attorney Schiesel initially made masks with elastic ear supports on each side, and then innovated with a variety of ties after running out of elastic. Now she’s going to try strips of T-shirts as ear loops.
“The one I’m wearing at work is tied behind my head. I can slip it up and get really nice coverage,” said Attorney Schiesel, who remains able to work in the office.
“They’re all different,” she added of the designs, though she has favored a few variations on the axe-head design. Each mask has a pocket for a HEPA filter, or an alternative like a coffee filter.
While she is making and donating masks on her own, Attorney Schiesel is also a member of Kent Quilters, whose members are involved in multiple mask donation efforts, including working with CERT. (Anyone interested in helping may email CERT@townofkentct.org.)
Kent Quilters has also launched a group called the CT 5th District Face Mask Task Force 2020, which is making cotton face masks for area health care workers, first responders, and others during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a story in The News-Times.
The Face Mask Task Force has a GoFundMe page, showing it has raised more than $2,000 of its $10,000 goal. The volunteer corps of 175 made more than 2,000 masks in two weeks.
About Attorney Schiesel
A former five-term First Selectmen of the Town of Kent, Attorney Schiesel’s areas of focus include Municipal Law, Real Estate Law and Land Use & Environmental Law, Business Law and Elder Law & Special Needs.
Estate Planning and Elder Law—which are in-demand amid the coronavirus pandemic—are important areas for Attorney Schiesel, who compassionately addresses the needs of aging residents, and families with often complex situations.
Attorney Schiesel’s Real Estate Law practice, including purchases, sales, refinances, and reverse mortgages, is concentrated in the northwestern Connecticut towns she knows best, including Kent, Warren, Cornwall, Salisbury, Sharon and Sherman.
Among her land use and environmental work, Attorney Schiesel represents land trusts on land preservation efforts, as well as guiding conservation easements for private donors.
Contact Attorney Schiesel by phone from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 860-927-3568, or email her at drs@crameranderson.com.
Working With Cramer & Anderson Amid the Coronavirus
Cramer & Anderson’s attorneys continue to work remotely amid the coronavirus pandemic, or are working in offices that have only one attorney. They are accessible by phone or email and working with clients via Zoom, Facetime and other digital tools. Calls to our offices in New Milford, Litchfield, Danbury, Kent, Washington Depot, and Ridgefield are being answered as usual.
Our attorneys are highly experienced in nearly 20 practice areas, including Personal Injury, Workers’ Compensation, Business, Corporate & Commercial Law, Estate Planning, Elder Law, Social Security Disability, and Immigration Law.
See the Practice Areas and Our Team pages on the Cramer & Anderson website to connect, or call the New Milford office at (860) 355-2631.
