I know many here are accomplished mask makers already, but am posting what looked like some pretty good instructions for anyone still looking for a pattern.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/04...ness-trnd/index.html

6” x 9” works fine for me, but is a little short on Mr. AM. So my next batch will be 6.75” x 9.75” per a friend who is making hers that size.

Wait! The 9.75” makes this too loose. But we do want the extra vertical, so now I’m going for 6.75” tall x 9” wide.

These instructions are a little fussy on making the ties, and I’d put the ties on from the inside, but otherwise good!

This is so cool.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?...HbU&feature=youtu.be

I just ordered an inexpensive sewing machine, and am looking forward to making some masks.

What did you order?

quote:

Originally posted by wtg:
This is so cool.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?...HbU&feature=youtu.be

What an excellent and timely video. I just spent a very humorous 10 minutes trying to come up or with a way to do this on my own. It was not going well…

Mrs. Miller is making masks at a furious pace. What she discovered is that the fitted sheet she is using for fabric has lots of the most perfect elastic as part of its design.

Lots of sewing workers furloughed in E. LA over the last few weeks. Despite what you may have heard, these are really good jobs. They’re super fast and on piece rate they can easily clear $60K.

So now they sit at home, and you know what they’re doing? Sewing. Sewing masks. Thousands of them. They’re being sold on street corners and entrepreneurs are buying them by the gross and putting them on Amazon.

Bravo!

Just jumping in here to say that I changed my measurements from what I said above.

6.75” tall x 9” wide fits well on both Mr. AM and me. So that’s the current batch.

I borrowed my mom’s sewing machine yesterday because mine needs service and I can’t get it done right now.

This is so much easier when my thread isn’t breaking every 5 minutes!

AM< I passed along your suggestions for dimensions to a friend who is sewing masks. She says thanks!

Some other no sew versions, including one for Steve's t-shirts. Second no sew is the same as the folded bandana I posted above, plus the addition of a paper towel or coffee filter.

https://www.theguardian.com/us...ace-mask-coronavirus

Here is my version. It's a variation on this one https://buttoncounter.com/2018...-a-picture-tutorial/ but with a single tie instead of elastic loops.

NOTE: Use a contrasting color for the bottom thread that will go on the back of the mask, or when you are done, mark the back "BACK". You do not want to wear it, take it off, then put it back on wrong-side-out. That would completely defeat the purpose!


01
9 x 42" fabric makes two masks: Two pieces 9 x 16", four pieces 6 x 3". You can get eight out of a yard. (Yes, this is different fabric from the rest of the pictures.)


(Not shown, fold in half right side in and sew the edge opposite the fold with a 1/4" margin to make a 9 x 7 1/2" tube. Turn right side out and press seam flat. The seam is now the bottom edge.)

02
Here is the ruler I made for marking the pleats. The top of the mask goes at the double-line, not the edge of the paper. Mark one side of the mask as the front (black lines), the other side as the back (red lines). If I make an extra tall one, the line marked "CENTER" goes at the center rather than aligning at the top. Fold along all the lines and pin.


03
Sew along each side edge


04
Obtain approximately 15" of 22 ga wire (telephone wire, dismantle an old CAT5 cable, or whatever you can rip out of the walls). Or you can use a plastic coated bread tie or anything that can hold a bend but also survive laundering. I just got my hands on some 18 ga and some 14 ga solid wire I'm going try next.


05
Twist it, making sure the cut end is a little short of the folded over end.


06
Sew one line about 1/8" from the top.


07
Slide the wire in and work it to the middle.


08
Fold and press the two side pieces. Fold in half lengthwise, then fold about 1/2" over on each edge using the main piece as a guide. Fold each one to its side in case your sides didn't come out exactly the same length.


09
Fold and press the sides in to the middle, and wrap a side piece around each side of the main piece.


10
A couple of pins to hold it in place.


11
Sew about 1/2" from the edge. I double-stitch this: Start in the middle, sew to one edge, turn, sew to the other edge, turn, then back to the middle, plus an inch of overlap. In the future, I might make the edge pieces a little narrower and sew closer to the edge.



12
Get 48" of whatever you want to use for a tie. I'm using light sash cord and whipped the ends. Maybe use 1/4" grosgrain ribbon. Or thick yarn. Note, this mask is about an inch taller to wrap under my chin and cover my beard.
Viola!


I find this much more comfortable than elastic around the ears. Only one knot. And infinitely adjustable.

YMMV
(Your Mask May Vary)


For a faster, easier variant, I am thinking about starting with about 11" instead of 9, and just folding the sides over into a loose hem to make the pocket.

I made my first one last night on my new to me 1979 Kenmore!

I decided to go for the fitted type mask. I made it with tight, high quality fabric and then used fusable interfacing on each layer both to help hold the shape but also to add a non-woven layer.

I have one long piece of elastic threaded through that wraps around the back of the head instead of the ears. It fits very snugly over the face and still breathable. I also added a wire over the nose bridge as well.

My second version has more robust wire and the 'wings' just a tad longer to accommodate the casing needed for the elastic a bit better.

I would take a photo of me wearing it, but you do not want to see me with my horrible case of conjunctivitis (I used TelDoc for the first time!). So here it is on its own..


I still had my old machine by the back door to take to donate. Someone on Nextdoor ask if anyone had one to sell as she figured she wanted to learn to sew. She came on Sat (in full mask, gloves!) to pick it up from my porch.

quote:

Originally posted by jodi:

quote:

Originally posted by wtg:
What did you order?

https://www.sewingmachinesplus...A1Z7TRRoC9I4QAvD_BwE

That looks like a screamin' deal.