It seems this pandemic and the requirement to wear face coverings in public is going to be around for a while. I made over a hundred of the pleated kind for myself and my husband, close (read: nearby) friends and family, and donated to our local vet, all able to drop by for a porch pick-up. And then my friend and sewing fairy godmother made a couple fitted masks with a filter pocket for me…and I like these better! So I hit the machine again to give my household a bit of variety…
Of course I need to disclaim that I am not a medical professional, master seamstress, or a wizard. For official guidance, particularly in this case, do adhere to CDC guidelines https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/index.html and local government mandates.
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Aside from the snug fit of this new pattern, I like that there’s a pocket for filters. We have a few N-95 filters for emergencies, but we also have a stack of homemade better-than-nothing filters made from blue shop towels. I cut mine into 3.5″ x 5.5″ rectangles.
[Shop: Kimberly-Clark 75130 Scott Shop Towel Roll]
My masks with pattern printed 85% My husband’s masks with pattern printed 100%
I used the Olson Mask Pattern (version 2) from the Million Mask Challenge Facebook page. The PDF can also be found here at UnityPoint Health. The PDF is scalable, so for men I print the pattern at 100%, and for women I print the pattern at 85%. This is general, so I’d recommend playing with the sizing to fit your face best. After I assembled the first mask per the instructions in the Olson pattern, my brain went “AH-HA!” so now I sew/assemble my masks a little out of order…my way. My method notes are below in the pictures.
Contrasting/coordinating fabrics for inside and outside of masks. Turn in edges, sew. Sew mouth/face curves with right sides together. Press all. Stitch mouth where overlap on cheeks (hilighted in blue). Underside of mouth/cheeks stitched. Stitch face to mouth/cheeks with right sides together all the way around. Clip corners. Turn right side out through a mouth opening. Press. Optional: top stitch all the way around. Turn in sides over hair band, don’t sew through elastic.
I bought a 200 pack of black hair ties for the ear loops and tell people they can cut them out and replace with elastic or t-shirt strips to best fit them. Elastic might be easier to find now than it was a few months ago. I also ordered a 4 pack of silicone ear savers for long term wear.
[Shop: Black Hair Ties, Shynek 200Pcs Bulk Hair Ties Elastics Hair Bands Small Hair Ties (3mm)]
85% 85% 85% 100% 85% 85% 85% 100%
I’ve had a lot of fun with fabric prints and have been buying fat quarters and fabric swapping with friends. I’m not selling masks, but I did poll my friends for trusted shops where you could purchase cute and quirky fitted face masks for less than what I would charge (because I’m slow and not that good):
The Two Masketeers on Facebook