Homemade cloth face masks are in high demand

Surgical face masks such as the N 95 are in short supply and hospitals and heath care workers are asking those who know how to sew to help make masks to help fill the need during this emergency. With just two fat quarters of cotton cloth you can make five masks for your loved ones to use or to donate.

With two fat quarters of 100% cotton fabric you can make up to 5 masks. Fat quarters are the little squares of fabric you can find at the craft store or in the sewing section of Walmart. They are typically a non-stretch fabric that comes in all sorts of colors and patterns and a mostly used for quilting and other projects.

I am going to be donating all the masks I make aside from the ones I am keeping for my family to use for personal use. I encourage you to do the same.

The pattern I created is my intellectual property but you are free to use it to make masks to donate or to use yourself. Just don’t sell them. Don’t be that guy.

Get access to the free template below:

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Check out the full video tutorial here

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Supply alternatives

I realize that not all of these supplies will be available to everyone right now, especially if you can’t get out of the house or stores are closed. Here are some alternatives:

If you don’t have craft wire you can try using other kinds of wire. Pipe cleaners, floral wire, even twist ties could work. Try out different things if you don’t have access to craft or jewelry making wire.

Elastic may also be hard to come by. Thin elastic hairbands from the dollar store work well, just cut them in half. You can get 7 for a dollar. Spare shoelaces or ribbon can also work- just use what you have on hand (as long as it’s new and clean)

The best fabric to use for DIY fabric face masks

100% cotton is best but you can also use denim or linen. Non-stretchy fabric is preferred. I used fat quarters from Walmart since there was no one working at the fabric counter and I wasn’t able to get fabric cut.

Two fat quarters will make about 5 masks and will cost about $2.

How to wash your homemade cloth mask

Simply toss it in the laundry with the rest of your clothes and tumble dry. Consider adding a little bit of bleach to the wash cycle. Tumble dry. Place masks in a mesh laundry bag if you have one available.

Yield: 1 mask

Easy Homemade Fabric Mask

Print

Learn how to make a homemade fabric face mask with this easy tutorial that is appropriate for beginners.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Active Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 5 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Difficulty Intermediate

Estimated Cost $10

Materials

• 2 cotton “fat quarters” of 100% cotton, non-stretchy fabric
• Coordinating thread
• ¼ inch elastic cut into 7 inch long pieces
• 3 inch long 20 gauge wire
• Printed out template

Tools

• Wire cutters and pliers
• Sewing machine
• Iron and ironing board
• Scissors
• Straight pins
• Tape measure

Instructions

1. Watch the video embedded in the blog post to get an idea of the instructions. Then do the following steps to make your own.
2. First, print out the template and cut it out. It should measure 9x7 inches long.
3. Wash and dry your fabric. Iron if needed.
4. Place two different colors or patterns of fabric right sides together and set the template and trace it. Cut out the fabric pattern.
5. Sew 1/4 inch hem along the top 9 inch long side of the rectangle.
6. Sew another line 1/4 below the first line creating a little tunnel between the fabric.
7. Then, take a 3 inch piece of wire and curl the ends.
8. Next, push the wire down the little tunnel you created and center it.
9. Sew a small line on either side of the wire to keep it in place.
10. Cut two, 7 inch pieces of elastic.
11. Pin them in place and sew a all the way around the perimeter except for a small gap so that you can turn the fabric inside out.
12. Turn it inside out and iron if necessary.
13. At the bottom of the mask place a pin every inch for 4 inches.
14. Take the bottom pin and pinch it up to the pin on top of it.
15. Hold it in place with your finger, remove the pins and place a new one to hold the pleat.
16. Repeat with the top two pins.
17. Sew a line on each side of the mask to keep the pleats in place.
18. Now your mask is ready to wear.

Notes

Wash the mask after every use. Always place the same side against your face inbetween washings.

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• How to make homemade baby wipes
• DIY hand sanitizer recipe
• DIY disinfecting wipes
• How to make reusable cloth unpaper towels