. . . Tracy's secrets for fabric mask making
The Covid-19 pandemic has meant that we've been wearing masks when visiting the doctor and doing essential shopping for many months now. We can only leave the house for one of four lawful reasons and masks are now mandatory when we leave the house. The Stage 4 Lockdown introduced even stricter restrictions. We're not permitted to go further than 5km from our home and we have an 8pm to 5am curfew. Police and armed forces have checkpoints to ensure movement is limited between suburbs, between the Stage 4 to Stage 3 Lockdown zones and within the curfew hours.
The mandatory mask requirement has been expanded to include regional areas now, so we have even more family needing to mask up. You might be needing to make masks too, so I thought I would share some tips I have learnt along the way.
I hope they help.
Here is one of my first masks, custom fitted for my husband.
Needless to say, I did a lot of homework before starting my mask adventures.
The design I decided on can be found HERE - scroll down to the 5th link, the personal fitted mask template. It is a FREE design that has been generously shared with the world, along with video tutorials and handy tips. The design comes in twenty-four, yes, that's right, 24, different sizes, so you are sure to find the perfect fit, or, if like I found, there are instructions on how to make adjustments to the pattern for a perfect fit for any dimensions that are not included.
I washed and ironed the 100% cotton fabric and washed the
non-woven polyester interfacing that would become the mask filters.
I printed and cut out the pattern.
Each mask has three layers and requires six pattern pieces,
two outer fabric, two filter and two inner panels.
~~~*~~~*~~~
The first challenge was pins.
Pins should be avoided when making masks, as the holes they cause could damage the integrity of the filter layers and undermine any protection intended. I'm not a quilter, so I don't have any of those nifty holding clips, so I raided my crafty stash and used repositionable glue dots to the back of the pattern. They worked perfectly, holding the fabric securely while I cut each panel.
I started using my favourite fabric scissors but they need sharpening, so I pulled out my precious Fiskateer scissors from Fiskars. Apart from cutting perfectly, they brought back bundles of wonderful memories too. Can you see my number engraved on the blade?
~~~*~~~*~~~
The next challenge was fogging glasses.
We wear glasses and all the purchased masks we tried caused them to fog up with each breath. The answer was another item from my crafty stash. Not long before the pandemic I purchased a We R Memory Keepers Happy Jig. With all the distractions I had not given it a workout but the wire is perfect for making no-fog nose wires. I cut 4" lengths of wire and curled the ends to ensure no sharp ends, along with the added bonus of tiny "handles" to help adjust the wire around the nose for a perfect fit.
~~~*~~~*~~~
The last challenge was elastic.
Not long after the world-famous toilet paper shortage, we faced an elastic shortage too.
No elastic, no worries!
My crafty stash came to the rescue again, this time in the form of grosgrain ribbon and pony beads. I cut the lengths of ribbon and threaded two beads on to each, the end bead to hold while pulling the other bead, tightening the mask to fit the head comfortably and securely. Having straps is more comfortable than ear loops, so the elastic shortage was a surprise bonus.
~~~*~~~*~~~
Here are some more photos showing the fitted shape of the mask.
Here are some that were custom made for family members
in the mandatory mask-wearing Stage 3 Lockdown Zone,
two masks each to see how they fit before I make more.
Happy Sewing!
The Covid-19 pandemic has meant that we've been wearing masks when visiting the doctor and doing essential shopping for many months now. We can only leave the house for one of four lawful reasons and masks are now mandatory when we leave the house. The Stage 4 Lockdown introduced even stricter restrictions. We're not permitted to go further than 5km from our home and we have an 8pm to 5am curfew. Police and armed forces have checkpoints to ensure movement is limited between suburbs, between the Stage 4 to Stage 3 Lockdown zones and within the curfew hours.
The mandatory mask requirement has been expanded to include regional areas now, so we have even more family needing to mask up. You might be needing to make masks too, so I thought I would share some tips I have learnt along the way.
I hope they help.
Here is one of my first masks, custom fitted for my husband.
Needless to say, I did a lot of homework before starting my mask adventures.
The design I decided on can be found HERE - scroll down to the 5th link, the personal fitted mask template. It is a FREE design that has been generously shared with the world, along with video tutorials and handy tips. The design comes in twenty-four, yes, that's right, 24, different sizes, so you are sure to find the perfect fit, or, if like I found, there are instructions on how to make adjustments to the pattern for a perfect fit for any dimensions that are not included.
I washed and ironed the 100% cotton fabric and washed the
non-woven polyester interfacing that would become the mask filters.
I printed and cut out the pattern.
Each mask has three layers and requires six pattern pieces,
two outer fabric, two filter and two inner panels.
~~~*~~~*~~~
The first challenge was pins.
Pins should be avoided when making masks, as the holes they cause could damage the integrity of the filter layers and undermine any protection intended. I'm not a quilter, so I don't have any of those nifty holding clips, so I raided my crafty stash and used repositionable glue dots to the back of the pattern. They worked perfectly, holding the fabric securely while I cut each panel.
I started using my favourite fabric scissors but they need sharpening, so I pulled out my precious Fiskateer scissors from Fiskars. Apart from cutting perfectly, they brought back bundles of wonderful memories too. Can you see my number engraved on the blade?
~~~*~~~*~~~
The next challenge was fogging glasses.
We wear glasses and all the purchased masks we tried caused them to fog up with each breath. The answer was another item from my crafty stash. Not long before the pandemic I purchased a We R Memory Keepers Happy Jig. With all the distractions I had not given it a workout but the wire is perfect for making no-fog nose wires. I cut 4" lengths of wire and curled the ends to ensure no sharp ends, along with the added bonus of tiny "handles" to help adjust the wire around the nose for a perfect fit.
I made a little pocket for each wire, hand stitched the curled ends so that they would stay securely in place, not rolling or twisting around. I machine stitched the nose wire (inside the pocket) to the inside of the filter-backing layers.
~~~*~~~*~~~
The last challenge was elastic.
Not long after the world-famous toilet paper shortage, we faced an elastic shortage too.
No elastic, no worries!
My crafty stash came to the rescue again, this time in the form of grosgrain ribbon and pony beads. I cut the lengths of ribbon and threaded two beads on to each, the end bead to hold while pulling the other bead, tightening the mask to fit the head comfortably and securely. Having straps is more comfortable than ear loops, so the elastic shortage was a surprise bonus.
~~~*~~~*~~~
Here are some more photos showing the fitted shape of the mask.
Here are some that were custom made for family members
in the mandatory mask-wearing Stage 3 Lockdown Zone,
two masks each to see how they fit before I make more.
Happy Sewing!
Keep safe during these troubling times and don't forget to wear your mask.
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