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Stay-at-home orders will be ending soon for some of us, but many states and businesses may still require the use of protective face coverings when going out in public.
Since this may become the norm for the next several months, I decided to make some fabric face masks for myself and my husband!
There are a lot of resources out there right now to help you make your own face masks, depending on your sewing ability and your needs. I used the free resources on Joann, including mask templates and the video tutorial ‘Shaped Denim Face Mask,’ to create mine.
In this post, I will briefly walk you through how I made my own reversible fabric face mask at home using these resources! The masks I made are not medical grade nor do they have a filter in them, though you can always add that to yours if needed.
These masks are made with cotton fabric, so you will be able to wash and reuse them!
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
100% COTTON FABRIC | MASK PATTERN TEMPLATE | THREAD | SEWING MACHINE | SCISSORS | IRON
HOW TO
To construct the masks you will need to use 100% cotton fabric. This will be used for both the face covering and the ties.
For my masks, I picked out two patterned fabrics and one plain color. I bought a 1/4 yard of each, and this made two masks with enough fabric left over to make about 1-2 more.
For my husband’s, he chose one pattern and one plain fabric. I also bought 1/4 of a yard of each of these, and it was enough to make one bandana and one face mask with no fabric left over.
I used the face mask pattern template from Craft Passion for a normal mask with 1/4″ seam allowance. They have templates for men, women and children, as well as different styles, which you can print off for free!
Cut out the face mask pattern template and trace it onto your fabric using a black or white colored pencil.
You will need several long strips of fabric for the ties, so make sure to place the template near the bottom edge and use your space wisely.
The mask itself will consists of four of these panels. Mirror the template to itself when tracing because you will need the patterns to face each other when you start sewing.
I cut out two panels in this pink fabric and two panels on a patterned fabric.
Face the correct sides of two of the panels together and sew down the front main seam. This seam will be the center of your face mask.
Do this for all four panels, so that you end up with two layers for the body of the mask.
Set these aside for now.
To make the ties, you will need four long pieces of fabric. Cut them into 18 inch long, 1.5 inch wide strips. I added a little more fun to my mask by doing two ties in the pink fabric and two in the patterned!
Iron the strips before starting the next step.
To turn the strips into ties, you are going to fold the sides in to meet in the center. Use an iron to keep the fabric folded and in place.
You will then fold that piece in half and iron over it again.
Sew down the length of each tie.
Fold one end of each tie over twice and sew into place. The other end will be inside the mask, so you do not need to make a finished edge.
Pin your ties onto one layer of fabric that you made earlier for the mask body. You’ll want the correct side of the fabric facing up.
Fold the ties into the center of the fabric.
Bring your other layer of fabric that you also sewed earlier and place it over top, making sure the correct sides of the fabric are facing each other.
Pin the two layers of fabric together. The ties should still be on the inside.
Sew around the entire edge, leaving a small section open to turn it inside out.
Though not necessary, I sewed around the edges a second time and trimmed the excesses fabric.
Turn the mask inside out and iron it. Top stitch around the edges, closing the opening as you go.
You now have a reusable and reversible fabric face mask to wear out and about!
My husband has a pretty thick beard, so I made him a bandana that would better cover his face. I followed the same steps as above, except I only used two pieces of fabric and did not do a center seam.
We weren’t sure if he would be allowed to wear that everywhere, so I also made him a regular face mask. Sadly, I didn’t have any darker thread or this would have looked so much better! But these days you gotta work with what you got!
The bandana and mask are both reversible as well with a plain black fabric on the back side!
PIN IT FOR LATER!
