DIY Mask Making

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Gosh, the sheer number of masks that have been made for family, friends, medical staff, grocery workers, and others has been truly amazing!

Sewers have always been so amazing with their talents, their incredible will to help everyone, and also using their own fabrics, notions, and even ordering more, just to help those in need but I have never seen the overwhelming response to the Call To Action by communities!

All of my regular sewing was put aside for mask making these past few weeks. That was not my plan but when the requests started coming in, I could not say no.

Some of my neighbors are also doctors and they needed N95 covers. I was happy to oblige. I used the N95 Mask Cover Pattern A.B. Mask - for a Nurse by a Nurse featured on Instructables. 

It is really simple to make. As will all of the mask patterns, it does take time. The folding falls into place perfectly and the finished product looks well made. The ties provide a better fit accomodating for more face shapes and sizes. 

This one received a double thumbs up from the people using them.


The information I had been reading stated that of the better fabrics to use, batiks are one of the better ones. When I saw Kate Spain's post about her masks on Instagram, I could not resist her bundle of lovely batiks in her shop. She has two bundles available. The Blue Seas Batik bundle (shown below) and the Jewel Batik Bundle with pinks added in for those that may like pinks!

When I finally got my mask making groove on, I decided that white would be the only color I would use for the binding and tie strips.  Making the strips took longer than any part of the process. I was shocked at how long it took to iron, cut, iron, iron some more, and then stitch on these blasted strips!

The thread I am using for the masks is Aurifil 40wt/ 3ply. I had a cone of it on the shelf in my studio. the 40wt with 3 plies is a stronger thread that will hold up to high use and multiple washes.  The cone has a whopping 3280 yards of thread!  Mine is almost empty now!

My daily workouts have included hours of standing at the sewing machine (I do stand to sew) or pressing.

During this time, I have also been binge-watching shows like Burn Notice on Amazon Prime that is available for $1.99 if you don't have Prime. I seriously cannot stop watching!

For the personal masks, we (the in house people) and I decided that we like the Craft Passion pattern. It has loads of options that help make it a remarkably great fit for all faces.

These masks had very good reviews by doctors, teenagers, and grocery workers. The jury is still out for the over 80 crowd. I will report back when I have that review

None of the masks I have made for others have used the elastic, after trying a few times, the elastic masks never passed the fit and comfort tests.

I have used a variety of different things for the ties ribbon, vintage 1/4" bis tape, but my favorite, hands down, is 1/4"twill tape.

It is easy to use, easy to fit, and easy to tie!

As much as I have been trying to help others with mask making, I am also trying to keep things upbeat and whimsical.

I found this fabric in my stash (that is now covering half of my house) and knew it would be perfect for my mother-in-law. The print is "Lingerie on the line" by Alexander Henry. Pretty certain my friend Pat Sloan sent it to me a few years ago. Thank you Pat!

And the clover clips(shown in the photo below) have been a lifesaver for me!  All that fine motor skill stuff is not a friend to my fingers! The Clover Clips are a MUST HAVE!

If you need more recommendations for PPE patterns, hop over to 9 Free Personal Protection Pattern Links!