Protective mask manufacture has turned into a cottage industry for one woman and her sewing machine.

Kendra-Lee Pearman, an educational psychologist, learnt how to sew at the Berkeley Institute and is from a long line of seamstresses.

Now she has turned her skills to protect people over the Covid-19 crisis.

Dr Pearman, from St George’s, said the work was her “mask ministry”, and that she aimed to “do as many of them as I can to help”.

She was speaking as she worked on a batch of 30 masks for One Communications staff.

Her mission started just before the shelter-in-place restrictions were imposed when she tried to buy masks for her mother but found that “nobody had them”.

She explained: “My mother, Yvonne Pearman, is in the vulnerable category and has to attend King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.”

Dr Pearman was able to give her mother a spare paper mask from home, but decided to swing into action as a mini-manufacturer.

She researched online for tips for snug-fitting cotton masks and read advice from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr Pearman said she first crafted masks for herself and her husband, Troy Burrows, and that they were a perfect fit.

Friends and other family members began to ask about the masks, made from quilted cotton and in a range of designs from Cup Match colours to leopard prints.

Dr Pearman said others also needed protective gear including her youngest daughter, Samaela Darrell, who works at the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute.

She added she was “ahead of the game” and stocked up on materials before health restrictions kicked in.

She said she had plenty of spare cloth suitable for masks.

Dr Pearman said her “faithful” Janome sewing machine, which was more than 20 years old, was still up to the job — and a friend had donated another to help.

She has also been donated extra cotton to keep on sewing the masks, which are reversible and washable.

She said: “I’ve just been having fun, doing my thing. People have been grateful, and commenting on how the fabric is so fashionable.”

Dr Pearman said the masks were sometimes made to match the colours of essential workers’ uniforms.

Fellow volunteers at the St David’s Seventh-day Adventist Church feeding programme for the disadvantaged have also been given masks.

She said Facebook was the best place to message her to inquire about masks.

Dr Pearman added that people donated anything from $5 to $10 to cover the cost of the elastic hair ties used to secure the masks to people’s faces.

She said: “It’s a labour of love. I wanted my family to be safe, especially my mother. Now I’m happy I can share it with others.

“Sewing has been all around me — it’s just very natural for me to sew and it’s a great hobby. Now it has come in really handy to help.”