Overview
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended on April 3 that people wear fabric face masks when in public, such as grocery shopping, while continuing to practice physical distancing. They emphasized that medical-grade face masks should be saved for medical personnel. Cotton fabric masks protect other people if the wearer has Covid-19, including unknowingly, but does not protect the wearer from the virus.
My masks are for friends and neighbors. If they offer to pay, I ask them to donate to the Oregon Food Bank or some other organization that needs extra funds to help people who are hit hard by this crisis.
The pattern I’m using was adapted from several patterns I’ve seen online, primarily to be easier for me to sew. If you’re sewing masks you might like a different pattern better. Some I borrowed from:
Using a fabric face mask
- Launder it frequently, and iron. If you get one from me, wash before using.
- Don’t touch the inside or outside of the mask itself.
- The latest recommendations I’ve seen are for three layers of fabric, so insert a piece inside via the back opening. Even better is one of the blue shop towels listed in https://www.businessinsider.com/homemade-mask-using-hydro-knit-shop-towel-filters-better-2020-4 which are currently sold out at Home Depot and Harbor Freight.
- Continue to practice social distancing!
Supplies and tools for making masks
My sewing machine has a lightning bolt zig zag I’m using for the bias-cut ties, but for everything else I’m using a straight stitch with default length.
A large cutting mat, long straight edge, and rotary cutter with a new blade are extremely useful for this project.
The tubes I use for turning ties are from Fasturn.net, a small family business in Medford, Oregon. These tools are really nifty and fun. I’m using the #3 tube for ties. See a demo at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4Qz06pVcMY .
A bodkin is much easier to use than a safety pin to insert ties through the casings.
The Mill End Store in Milwaukie, Oregon has a small number of employees inside who will place phone orders and either ship them or let you pick them up. They’re extremely helpful, and their fabric and other supplies are all very good quality.
My pattern
Use good-quality cotton quilting fabric and polyester thread for the mask and slightly-lighter cotton muslin for the ties. Pre-wash all fabric using hot water and a hot dryer setting.
If you’re planning to sew a lot of masks, cut out just a few out a time in case you find a better patterns and want to use that instead.
For a mask for medical personnel to use over an N95 mask use a single inner piece, since it doesn’t need a pocket. The inner and outer pieces are each 9.5″ wide by 7.5″ high; everything else is the same.
Cut five pieces, using one fabric for the front and casings and a different one for the back:
- front 8″ wide by 7.5″ high
- back top 8″ wide by 4″ high
- back bottom 8″ wide by 5″ high
- 2 side casings, each 4.5″ wide by 4″ high
Make or purchase two 36″ ties; I make ties of muslin cut on the bias, sewn, and turned using my amazing Fasturn #3 tube. You could also cut bias strips and fold them inward and sew, or sew shut come 1/2″ double fold bias tape. You could also use loops of elastic to go around the ears. There are lots of tutorials online for cutting bias strips.
Ties
Use fabric 25″ wide to get bias strips that are 36″ long.
- Cut strips that are 1.25″ wide.
- Fold a strip in half lengthwise and sew with a lightning-bolt zig-zag with a narrow seam
- Turn inside out.
- Sew across each end; don’t try turning the edges or they won’t go through the casings.
Side casings
- Press down .25″ on top and bottom.
- Sew with .25″ seams, with the folds on the top and bottom.
- Turn inside out and press, with the seam about .25″ from fold and seam allowances toward the center so they’re not in the way.
- Sew the tubes shut with a stitch close to the top and bottom, to make it easier to insert the ties.
Main body
- Press down .25″ on one long side of the back top and back bottom pieces.
- Sew along the pressed-down fold.
- Right sides together, pin the back top and bottom to the front, with the bottom overlapping the top. Sew all the way around with a .25″ seam allowance.
- Clip corners.
- Turn right-side out, adjust the corners, and press.
- To mark the outside of pleats, press the mask body in half lengthwise, then fold in the top and bottom to the middle and press into fourths. Press the half-marker again, if needed.
- Make pleats, about .5″ deep each, with the outside pressed edge along each of the three creases.
- Adjust so that the height of the mask matches the side casings.
- Sew a bit less than .25″ from each edge.
Putting it all together
- On each side, fold a side casing in half and place over the side of the main body so the casing overlaps the body a bit more than .25″.
- Sew about .25″ from the inner edge of a casing, with generous back stitching on each end. Stitch again between that seam and the inner edge of the casing.
- Insert a tie into each casing.
Pattern variations
- Attach a nose shaping piece at the inside top. I’ve seen floral wire with the ends bend inwards and some clips from Office Depot. I don’t know what happens to these after multiple washings, so it’s probably a good idea to make it easy to replace them.
- Use a single piece for the body, 8″ wide and 15.5″ high. Press and sew .25″ across the short ends, fold with the right side inside so that what will be the back top goes halfway down and the bottom back overlaps it, then sew the side seams nd turn right-side out. I haven’t actually tried this and guessed about dimensions.
- Use a single layer of fabric for the side casings.