More Fabric Face Masks

 I LOVE this!  For all of you who don't sew, Matthew McConaughey teaches how to make a no-sew face mask from a bandana, coffee filter, and a couple of rubber bands.  It's infinitely more watchable than the Surgeon General's functional demo.

2 more of the Olson Mask from Unity Point in Iowa.  This the best fitting mask IMHO.
It's a few extra steps to make these, but I think it's worth it.  Here they are in their "resting" flat pose.
These 2 are bound for Idaho.

Since the previous post about DIY Fabric Face Masks last week, family and friends (who don't sew) put in their requests.  So I made a few more, testing out several more tutorials.  Mailed the new masks off today to Idaho and Japan.  The lady at the post office was wearing a rather stylish mask herself, donated by a customer.  While I was filling out the customs form for Japan, the people behind me asked where we got our stylish face masks -- Home made!  Though I'm sure you can buy them on Esty now, too.   More people are wearing them in public spaces since the CDC made the recommendation.

Here's the note I included with the masks:
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Your New Fabric Face Masks from

Sweet Leaf Productions

Features of your new fabric masks:

1. all cotton
2. washable (Probably hand washing is best due to the nose wire.)
3. includes an extra white cotton layer sewn in for extra filtration
4. a slot where you can add an optional re-usable/changeable filter (ex: coffee filter)
5. nose wire for a better fit
6. 2 sides so you can easily tell the front from the back (Pick one to be the outside and be consistent.)
7. Elastic ear loops
8. All one size, so they may need some adjusting for the perfect fit.

How to care for your reusable fabric face mask in the age of Coronavirus:

• Treat it like your underwear and keep it clean after use.
• Throw it in with your regular laundry, though washing by hand is probably best due to the nose wire.
• Use hot water and soap.   Some recommend a TINY amount of bleach to sanitize.
  *  Rinse, ring out and let dry.  

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A closer look at the new Olson Masks.

This pattern features a filter pocket.  Here I've  added coffee filter folded in half.

It also has a nose wire to improve the fit.

I love this bird fabric.

Lovely batiks.

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Here is my review of some "new" DIY face mask tutorials.  I am so impressed with the DIY attitude and inventiveness out there.  A few weeks ago, most of the tutorials I saw were straight forward no-nonsense get-er-done patterns.  Once people realized having a filter pocket would be useful, the patterns altered in ways to accommodate that improvement in design. 



Since I was making multiple masks this time, I looked at a new tutorial that explained how to make masks in production, assembly line style.  Billette's Baubles How to Make a Face Mask Quick and Easy is very similar to Erica Arndt's quick tutorial for sewing a medical face mask.    She starts with a large piece of fabric for the front, and then she sews an extra piece of fabric inside for the extra filter.   You can see the line of stitching down the front of the mask if you look closely.   It's only down the middle of the mask where you'd be breathing.  This makes it easier to create the pleats, since the bulk of the extra layer is not at the side seams.

Billette's Bauble's Face Mask with 2 pleats.
I still love this fabric, left over from another project a few years ago. 

I added a nose wire to improve the fit.

This pattern has a nice spread when the mask is open. 

Some of the first surgical masks, seemed a little too narrow.

Here's the back side, open. 

I had to take in in slightly, by turning up the lower corners to improve the fit on my face.  

This one was cut to the recommended size of 9x7 inches.   No biggie.

I also spent some time with this one to add some finished seams and an opening for a filter pocket.   I think I made it harder than it needed to be ...  The filter pockets  can be added in a number of ways.  I left an opening at the lower edge of the mask -- the opening could have been wider -- like this one from Sewing Seeds of Love   where the opening spans the entire length of the mask.

• I did not wind up using this pattern.  She uses 1 large piece of fabric, folded to make the front and back, which give you some flexibility in rolling the tube to place the filter pocket opening where you want it.  I wanted a separate / different piece of fabric for the back side, so that it's easier to tell which side is the front vs. the back.  They are reversible, but you still want to keep track of which side you use for the outside vs. inside, just for sanitation purposes.
• She also shows how to tie an adjustable fisherman's not -- which might come in handy!

I think Billette's Baubles pattern one is going to be my standard go-to surgical mask type.
One note:  I think I cut these slightly smaller (9x6 inches rather than 9x7 in.) than her pattern shows.
That seemed to work out just fine.



Billette's Baubles also has a good video on how to wash and sanitize fabric masks.  This is an important consideration to keep them clean in the age of Coronavirus, and to prevent getting sick from a dirty mask.  She hand washes them using a small amount of bleach to sanitize and Meyer's Soap.

Bound for Japan.

Bound for Idaho.

The back side of a Billette's Bauble's mask. 

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Speaking of filter pockets, I tried the Flamingo Surgical Mask from last week's post.  Same fabric as the Billette's Bauble surgical mask above, but different treatment on the sides, and 3 pleats instead of two.

On the original demo, it shows the piece of fabric for the front being larger than the back linings.  This allows the extra fabric on the sides to be folded over to finish the edge seams and to create a casing for the elastic.    I had trouble with this part because there was extra fabric from before it was pleated.  I wound up just cutting that off, and adding a separate binding fabric to finish the seams and create the channel for the elastic.  I made it work. 

Open position.   

 Here's the back side showing the slit for the filter pocket.

It took me a little while to figure out whereto put the pleats so they didn't adversely affect / compete with the pleats.  

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With this raft of masks, I used up my stash of 1/4-inch elastic, and it seems it's very difficult to get any now with everyone making masks.  So I found this video by Jan Howell that explains how to make the ties out of t-shirt fabric.  She gives them a neat treatment to make them curl onto itself to make a sort of cord without stitching it into a cord: 

I haven't made any of these yet, but maybe ...      Her version includes a filter pocket.

I discovered a forgotten box of rug-weaving supplies that included 3 reels of t-shirt fabric cut to a nice size for rug warp.   Turns out these might also work well for mask ties.





This one shows an ingenious way to add the filter pocket--easy and cleanly.  The sides are just gathered along the clothesline ties. You could use the same idea for the filter pocket on the surgical face makes with pleats.  I think this one might be good for someone with a beard.

She works in healthcare, so it matters to her.  She recommends some supplies (synthetic clothesline and gardening wire) you can find in a hardware store, since the craft stores are closed during the pandemic.

I need to use something else for the cording.  You need something strong for the cording to gather up the fabric as needed at your cheeks.  

I thought I was done making masks, but a dear friend gave me a pile of elastic from her own stash.
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And finally, the Darwin Award goes to:

 BAD IDEA

I am also starting to see knit and crochet tutorials for face masks--especially with animal faces for kids.  Ugh -- I knew it was coming.  Please don't take offense: I knit and crochet myself, I just know when it's appropriate and when it's not.   Although the maker may feel good creating them,  infused with love and time, these are not going to be CDC approved in a time of Coronavirus.  Here's why knit and crocheted face masks are not a good idea to prevent:

1. The holes in knit or crochet fabric are wide enough to let a mack truck through, let alone a tiny virus particle. It does not make a suitable barrier for droplets hurled forth when someone coughs or sneezes, or even talks.
2. The extra surface area (all the ins and outs) of the knit / crochet structure with yarn makes it nearly impossible to keep clean.
3. What does this mean?  It's a recipe to get sick.  Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.  Plain and simple.

These might be appropriate in another time and place (winter hikes?).  Save your knit and crochet talents for keeping people warm and snuggly.