Face Mask tutorial at bottom of the page.
Thread Boutique YouTube video- 2 minutes in length
Written instructions for face mask are posted below the video.
Instructions for Simple Rectangular Face Masks
Supplies needed:
1 – 50” long drawstring of your choice. (shoelaces are perfect , but now that supply is gone and now using 1” t-shirt strips that work well and plentiful. Cut 1″ strips from bottom of tshirt, pull to stretch out, they roll up onto themselves)
1 – 18” long x 12” wide piece of fabric. (100% cotton is suggested)
1 – 4.5” x .5” piece of aluminum. Cut from an aluminum pan. If it’s a thin aluminum, then double it or triple it. Cut the edges round to eliminate sharp points.
- With rights sides together fold the 18” long side in half. Sew ¼” seam along the 12” width side. Flip inside out, press and crease your seam. Now you have an approx. 9” x 12” rectangle.
- The Fold is your top, the seam is your bottom. Measure 1.5” down from fold, mark with pin and press. Now tuck that under and into your crease you just made and press again. Please see video for this part. Difficult to explain, easier to watch. This is the inside of your mask and the nose pocket for your aluminum.
- Now flip piece over to the outside. Create 2 pleats on each of the sides condensing fabric to approx. 3-3.5”. Pleats sizes do not have to be perfect ( because they are also cinched by the drawstring). Press these pleats in. Now either serge or zigzag these pleats down to keep them in place and give your edges a finish.
- Get your drawstring and line it up approx. .5” to 1” inside of your finished edge. Fold it in and sew it down without catching your drawstring. Encasing as you go. (This eliminates a step, you can always feed the drawstring in later but the pleats tend to get in the way.) Do both sides. The loose ends are at the top and the half circle is at the bottom. Be sure to insert the drawstring this way (see video).
- Almost done. Fold the top of your mask in half to find a center point, mark with a pin. Then from the center measure 2.5” away from your center point. There are 3 layers here, you only want 2 layers. Stitch through the 2 layers at each 2.5” marks. This creates your pocket for the aluminum.
Done. Half circle goes over your head, lift, pull, tie drawstring to your desired fit. The pocket is created so you can take out the aluminum piece when you wash your mask. If desired, you could also wrap it in duct tape to eliminate any sharp edges.
For a child or smaller size just subtract 2” from the width. And 1” from the length.
Optional: Super Simple Face Mask
Eliminate the aluminum pocket. Start with a piece of fabric 15” x 12”. Skip step 2 and 5.
Other options: Use one piece of elastic through the channels. Make it a continuous loop in place of the drawstring.
Or attach elastic or tshirt string to corners to create ear loops. Approximately 4.5”
Filter Pocket Addition: Steps for making a face mask with an insert pocket. Insert filter of your choosing. Cut your fabric to 21″ x 12″.
This replaces Step 1.
Instead of sewing the 12″ edges together, give them both a 1/4″ turned in finished edge on both sides.
Take one 12” side and fold down (on right side of fabric) 3”. This is the top part of your mask. Now bring up the bottom piece which is the other 12” finished side and tuck it under the top piece. Underlapping it by ¾”. Press in your folds on both end.. You can tack this together if needed. Now you have your starting piece, this is the back side(underside)of your mask and can continue onto Step 2.
Apparently some people have been having issues with sewing over the thickness of pleats.
Sewing tips: Use a strong needle, higher in the number size (14-16), or jean needle. Slow down when sewing over the pleats. It’s difficult for the machine to go over and through thicknesses at a higher speed, unless you have a top of the line or industrial machine. Use a longer stitch per inch, this also helps to lessen the number of times the needle has to go through the thicknesses. Lighten some of the presser foot pressure
These masks are for the everyday Covid 19 awareness. *This is not intended for medical professions.* Although the pocket filter addition can be used by healthcare if they use their own filters.
I hope my tutorial was helpful. Feel free to pin, post, tweet and share everywhere. Thank you.
Thread Boutique
Thread Boutique 