MEET THE MAKER

Meet the Maker: Handmade 100% Cotton Facemasks

Lagom Artist Profile: Sarah Follman

When Sarah Follman sets her mind on accomplishing something, it has a way of coming together.

Raised in Tennessee, as a youngster she made summer visits to relatives in Western New York. Her father was born on Newfane, NY, her grandmother lived in Olcott and she thought the region would be a nice place to live one day.

Follman grew up and joined the Air Force. During training in Texas she met her husband Andrew. Andrew turned out to be a Waterport, NY native. Follman’s youthful thoughts of a home in the region came together when the couple married and settled in Clarendon, NY.

These days, Follman and her husband both serve in the Air National Guard and they keep busy raising their 18-month-old daughter, Elayna. Not so long ago, Follman was thinking about making a doll bed for Elayna. Preparing for the project, she bought a sewing machine, but things got busy and she didn’t get around to making that doll bed.

And then the COVID-19 emergency hit. Follman’s monthly drills with the Air National Guard were cancelled and that meant a reduction in income for the couple. Follman began to pray that she could find a way to make money. That’s when things fell into place again. She saw that Brooke Albanese, Lagom’s owner, was looking for someone to sew washable cotton face masks. She had that sewing machine and felt the call to help out.

To make the reusable masks, Albanese already had 100% cotton fabric in whimsical patterns, but at first they couldn’t find the elastic needed to complete the project. Happily, when things are meant to come together, they do. Follman’s mother had 50 yards of elastic that she was happy to donate to the cause.

The reusable masks Follman created are simple and cute, uncomplicated and functional, like all of the other things you’ll find at Lagom in Brockport, NY. When you purchase handmade items like these face masks, you leave the shop with a one of a kind item. But behind that unique purchase, you’re supporting a local business and local craftspeople. And you’re part of the cycle helping to make things come together for your family, your home, and your community.

Recommendations

Home: To Follman, home should be comfortable. A place where everything is familiar, and the atmosphere is what you have decided it should be. She’s still working on settling into her own style, but as she completes each home project, she sees that the reward is her home. Once the work is done, you can sit back with satisfaction and realize “you did that – the atmosphere you created, the projects you’ve done, you did that,” Follman says.

Reading: Follman enjoys reading and her current picks include Dr. James Dobson’s parenting book “The New Dare to Discipline,” Zig Ziglar’s “Courtship after Marriage,” and “Thinner Leaner Stronger” by Michael Matthews.

Listening: Follman and her husband enjoy listening to sermons from the church the attend, River Brockport (https://riverbrockport.com/ )