made a tutorial on how to sew some face masks, since i’ve been doing it for the past few days - i tried to keep it as simple as possible so beginners can follow along, but feel free to pm me if you have any questions!!
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DIY Handsewn Face Mask (time: approx 45 minutes-1 hour, cost: not terribly much)
hello friends, and welcome to whatever this is. i make masks for fun and profit (you can visit our nerdy etsy at Totally Not Cursed to see/potentially buy our nonsense if you want). however, it appears that while there are many no-sew mask tutorials kicking around, there are VERY few “i can sew kind of a straight line but i don’t have a sewing machine, BUT i have a needle and thread and some fabric” tutorials.
please feel free to share/circulate!
this is where i come in. welcome to jana’s school of half-assed sewing. today, we’re making this:
you’re welcome, enjoy my face and the fact that it’s bright af and washes everything out. ANYWAY.
materials needed:
2x pieces of 8″ish by 10″ish 100% cotton fabric. you can also use t-shirts, old pants, whatever. i bought fabric at joann’s because any excuse to buy fabric.
2x pieces of 7″ish 1/4″ elastic. you can also use cut-up stretchy headbands (you know the ones), or more pieces from t-shirts, but keep in mind you might have to cut them longer/shorter depending on stretch. i also have a small face, so 7″ works for me. i cut 9″ elastic for men’s/larger faces.)
a hand-sewing needle!
scissors
measuring tape/ruler
thread (i like gutermann, but any cotton/poly thread will do. do NOT get sulky thread, bc that stuff snaps in a stiff breeze and you’ll hate working with it.)
pins (you can use binder clips, paper clips or the other needles in the pack if you don’t have pins, it’s fine. you can also just kind of wing it and hold the fabric together while you sew.)
tutorial continues under the cut!
step 1: cut out your fabric. i used two distinct fabrics so i don’t have to think about which is the printed/graphic side when wearing the mask. (there’s no need to have a “right” side, so use the same fabric if you want, it’s all good).
step 2: measure and cut your elastic
step 3: place your fabrics front/right/graphic sides together, and pin the elastic along the short edges, sandwiching it between the two fabrics (you’ll pin one end to the top corner, and then pin the other end to the bottom corner, leaving the rest unpinned.) MAKE SURE THE ELASTIC DOESN’T TWIST ON ITSELF AND IS LAYING FLAT. THIS IS V. IMPORTANT. ASK ME HOW I KNOW.)
step 4: then pin around the sides, leaving a 2-3″ gap at the center top. i used like... seven pins total, you’re not going for pinner of the year award here or anything. it’ll also look distorted when you’re done pinning because of the elastic pulling at the corners, but when you sew it together, it’ll be fine.
step 5: thread your needle, doubling your thread and tying at the end. starting on one side of the gap, about 1/4″ down from the edge of the fabric, start sewing. you’ll be using just a running/straight stitch. you can use a running back-stitch if you want to be really fancy, but you don’t have to. for faster sewing, you can do what i did in the photo below, which is basically just stitching 4-5 stitches without pulling the needle all the way through. make sure you catch both pieces of fabric.
when you get to the elastic in each corner, stitch back and forth a few times to secure the elastic into place. it gets a lot of abuse, don’t skimp.
make sure you don’t sew through the unpinned elastic and that it stays pushed toward the middle of the fabric sandwich.
keep sewing until you get to the other side of the gap. knot off the thread, trim.
your stitching will absolutely look like a march of drunken ants but it’s fine. you can also use a pencil to mark a straight line if you want a guide, which will wash off the first time you chuck it in the laundry.
step 6: turn the mask right-sides-out by reaching into the gap, grabbing the right side of the fabric, and pulling through.
step 7: sewing closed the opening. this is optional; you can leave it open for a filter, if you want. if not, use an invisible stitch or just a straight stitch to close it.
7a: for the invisible stitch, put your needle through one side of the fabric, starting on the INSIDE of the mask.
7b: put your needle through the OTHER side of the fabric, sewing through the fold. then back to the side you started on. by sewing inside the hem, you won’t see visible stitching on the outside.
closed mask below.
step 8: pleat the short sides and pin in place. 3 pleats on each side, approximately 1/4-1/2″ wide. you can kind of just eyeball it. make sure they’re roughly even.
step 9: sew down the short sides, about 1/4″ in. i used a running backstitch (link to tutorial) for extra durability. make sure you get both sides of the pleats sewn down. knot thread, trim.
congratulations, you made a mask!
bonus steps, if you want them: press the pleats in place for a fancy finished look. you can also sew around the whole of the outside edge, about 1/8″ away from the edge of the mask.
you can ABSOLUTELY make this with a sewing machine. steps are the same, it just cuts the time down to like 10-15 minutes.
thanks for reading! feel free to tag me in masks you’ve made with this! you can also drop a tip in my ko-fi if you want, it’s all good.
Face Masks are about to be all the rage, and there are all kinds of patterns out there. I'm an experienced seamstress with multiple awards for costuming and quilting, and *I* was having trouble decoding some of those patterns, even the simple ones. They were NOT written by pattern makers, that's certain. So when a number of lesser-experienced people were struggling with them, I knew it was time to help out.
So here's my photo tutorial on how to make a simple mask, which will increase your chances of not spreading germs to others and possibly keep you from touching your face and bringing other people's germs to yourself. This is the pattern from The New York Times.
🖤🌸 ✨DIY Face Masks! I got the pattern from https://www.craftpassion.com/face-mask-sewing-pattern/. You’ll find different sizes and a version with adjustable nose wire, also has a great video tutorial. ✨ 🌸 🖤
Alright, so theres a lot of tutorials out there teaching you how to make homemade facemasks, so I'm going to add my own to the mix. It's fairly easy and can be done with or without a sewing machine.
So first, I use stretchy headbands cut in half, cut in the way that it would still work as a headband but just in half. The idea is that the cloth is still in two layers. Stretchy headbands like this work best, but tshirts and stretcher fabrics also work. You just want something not stiff that will conform to your face.
So you have this:
If the edges roll up you can easily iron them down and if you dont have an iron just pin down the edges.
Sew down the edges so they dont fray or roll up. It also makes the next steps easier.
Take one sewed edge, fold it up about 2/3's of the way and then take that folded flap and fold it down in half so that the sewn edge is now in line with the folded edge.
Do that to both sides and you should now have this. This is an easy way to get a psuedo accordion fold so that it stretches from your nose to your chin like medical masks do, but in a way that is slightly easier to do and stretches tighter to your face, effectively sealing everything in.
For the straps I folds that cut strips of an old tshirt work best bc they're stretchy and are the easiest to tie but you can also use ribbon, shoelaces, another fabric alternative ect. Take the strip and fold the edge in half. Slip the edge in the first fold of the mask, the one on top that you just lift the sewn edge to open. Put it about an inch or two from the edge and pin it in place. Do this to all four edges to make the straps.
Sew down the edge, and for extra security, swe down one edge and then sew back up about half an inch away from where you already stitched. This will just make it more secure.
This isnt how I imagined revealing my face on tumblr but whatever. This is how it fits. The folds allow you to secure it around your nose and bring it down underneath your chin, completely sealing your germs away from the world and preventing you from directly touching most of your face, which is a big concern.
Notice as well that it's better to tie your masks, whether it's this one or another, in a crisscross fashion. The top straps should be secured at the nape of your neck while the bottoms should be tied at the top of your head. This way the mask gets stretched completely over your face and is tightly formed to your face shape.
And there you go, your homemade mask is complete. This can be run through the washing machine and is completely reusable. I dont know how well I translated the steps I take into words, so if anyone wants to add on a more concise translation please do, or message me and I'll gladly edit this accordingly.
Stay safe, practice social distancing and remember to wash your hands. I hope this is helpful to some degree.
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