How to sew a face mask – Step by Step

1 2 3

4 5 6

You need to cutout 1. x 14x8 inch, and 2. x 5.5x2 inchPieces of cottonfabric.

You also need 2 pieces of elesticand some wire, preferrably coatedin plastic.

Fold the larger piece inHalf and mark the middle. I did it by cutting a tiny corner out.

Here we are folding the fabricto make the front of the mask.The measurements are as shown.

You don‘t have to be completelyexact but as make it straight and asEven as possible.

7 8 9

10 11 12

This ishow itlooksfrombehind.

And fromthe front.

Pin the ends down and sew a hem at the top and bottomof the fabric.

Then fold one sidedown to the bottomEnd of the folds in theMiddle as shown.

Next you need yourpiece of wire as seenright.

13 14 15

16 17 18

This wire is placedinto that top foldand pinned in place.

You see seft howone pin holds it rightup against the foldand in the center ofthe fabric.

Sew very close tothe edge and goaround the wire tohold it in place at thetop center of thefold. This is the onlybit on non straightstitching.

Next take theopposite side andfold it over to thefurthest middle foldas shown left.

Sew a straight tightseem to hold thefold.

This is the basicmask. See pictures.

Now for thesides.

19 20 21

22 23 24

When sewn, theback of the maskhas a pocket forthe disposablefilter.

And the front looks like this.

For the sidesplace the 2 smaller fabricpieces at eachend of the maskand pin.

Sew right thefabric onto themask as close tothe edge aspossible and all the way along.

25 26 27

28 29 30

Next fold thesides into themask and turn themask over. Foldthe material overthe end andsecure with pinsas shown.

One fold. And two folds.

There should beroom each sideto draw elasticthrough.

31 32 33

34 35 36

Sew straightdown as closeto the edge asyou can. Do not close theends. Just onestraight liinedown.

Take your elastic anduse something tothread it througheach side of themask.

I always use a safetypin.

It looks like this.

Almost done.

37 38 39

40 41 42

If the elasticis small youcan just knotit.

Otherwise, handsew theelastictogether.

Then pull theelasticaround so that the endsare insidethe mask.

Take your filterand put it in the pocket in the back of themask

Finished.

The end

Hi – I am a surgical nurse with many years of experience in hospitals and clinics. With surgical masks becoming scarce I wanted to find a way to make one which can be reused. Normal cotton masks are not effective because the material is woven and will let particles through easily. A filter needs to be made from non-woven material which will trap particle and moisture. It will then need to be disposed of and replaced.

I hope I have found a really easy and useful solution to this problem. I have made a pattern for a surgical mask requiring minimal sewing. It is a simple pattern. The mask is built with a pocket in the back for the filter which will be exchanged when moist. (Surgical masks must be discarded when moist in the same way).

The filter is the key but it is not a problem to solve. It consists of something we all have at home. It is a facial tissue! And just like it stops a sneeze, it will provide a barrier to moisture and particles and it can be exchanged easily and as often as needed. At the end of work the mask can then be washed, the ‘filter’ replaced and it’s ready for re-use.

I would really love for as many people as possible to find out about this. So many people need protective masks. I think this can help. Of course, it can’t replace proper PPE masks but desperate times call for desperate measures.

How the face mask works – short explanation