Mask fashions - Show and tell?

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Janet H

Janet H

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Seems like lots of us are making masks. Anyone interested in some show and tell? Show em off in all their unfetching glory!

I've tried a few patterns. The local healthcare folks are asking for a pleated rectangle and I am obliging but have found that a mask with a curved profile is a little more comfortable to wear. I've had several challenges.

  1. I HATE to sew.
  2. I have a 40 year old sewing machine with no manual - google helped me learn how to wind the bobbin.
  3. Sourcing appropriate fabric (from my house)

I've made a bunch now and donated them; here's the late night fashion show - queue the runway music:

  • This tri-pleated mask features navy blue Lithuanian flax linen, an unbleached muslin lining and a pocket built in to receive a replaceable filter sourced from the hall closets stash of kirby vacuum hepa filter bags. The handspun navy flax-linen enjoyed a former life as a hand towel in the guest bathroom. Each hand towel was re-engineered to form 10 new masks for donation and one for home use. Rich navy pairs well with business attire, professional or evening settings. This collection includes turquoise masks as well for day wear needs and the set of 6 hand towels (3 or each color) makes this a limited collection.
  • Next up we have a cheaky little covering sporting the Pop Art of Alexander Henry. This all cotton mask includes an organic muslin interior and a comic strip vibe. Molded to fit your curves, the interior pocket can be used to store spare cash, a mag key for your late night return to the Ritz or a layer of Hepa 11 filter fabric to keep those unwanted suitors at bay.
mask_1.jpg Mask_2.jpg
 
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I got this...full facial protection. And the ladies will dig it too... :D
 

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I have no mask, no sewing machine, and no skills at sewing things.

That's OK; we are told to stay inside and not even go to a grocery store or pharmacy for two weeks, PPE or not. There isn't any reason for me to have a mask.
 
Janet H said:
Seems like lots of us are making masks. Anyone interested in some show and tell? Show em off in all their unfetching glory!

I've tried a few patterns. The local healthcare folks are asking for a pleated rectangle and I am obliging but have found that a mask with a curved profile is a little more comfortable to wear. I've had several challenges.

  1. I HATE to sew.
  2. I have a 40 year old sewing machine with no manual - google helped me learn how to wind the bobbin.
  3. Sourcing appropriate fabric (from my house)

I've made a bunch now and donated them; here's the late night fashion show - queue the runway music:

  • This tri-pleated mask features navy blue Lithuanian flax linen, an unbleached muslin lining and a pocked built in to receive a replaceable filter sourced from the hall closets stash of kirby vacuum hepa filter bags. The handspun navy flax-linen enjoyed a former life as a hand towel in the guest bathroom. Each hand towel was re-engineered to form 10 new masks for donation and one for home use. Rich navy pairs well with business attire, professional or evening settings. This collection includes turquoise masks as well for day wear needs and the set of 6 hand towels (3 or each color) makes this a limited collection.
  • Next up we have a cheaky little covering sporting the Pop Art of Alexander Henry. This all cotton mask includes an organic muslin interior and a comic strip vibe. Molded to fit your curves, the interior pocket can be used to store spare cash, a mag key for your late night return to the Ritz or a layer of Hepa 11 fabric to keep those unwanted suitors at bay.
View attachment 34517 View attachment 34518
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What pattern did you use for the fitted mask? I’m working on a couple of prototypes and I like the look of that one.
 
This is what I've been using for dog walks. It's the no sew, hairband model. Only downside is when I walk first thing in the morning I stream up my glassesIMG_20200406_151929.jpeg
 
DW made this one in about 30 seconds using a pair of my (clean) silk Jockey's.
 

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Our local news made a story about a local company that started making a S hooks from about 1/8" clear acrylic. It is used behind the head to hold the elastic straps on masks. Eases pain on the ears.
This picture gives an idea but it's not exact.
 

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Implausibly, we found we had N95 masks on hand..little box of them. Blue.

Draw a smile on it, ready to go!
 
This is my homemade mask. The hat is to protect others... from my bad haircut.

The mask is cut to fit tightly around the lower part of my face. I added a metal wire in the upper hem to pinch the mask around the nose. The mask is held in place with strings attached behind the head rather than elastics hooked up behind the ears, which I find more comfortable. It has 3 layers of fabric (2 cotton, one polyester).
 

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W2R said:
I have no mask, no sewing machine, and no skills at sewing things.

That's OK; we are told to stay inside and not even go to a grocery store or pharmacy for two weeks, PPE or not. There isn't any reason for me to have a mask.
Click to expand...

Frank found lots of youtubes with great instructions for no sew masks. He brought a bandana over here, with a shoelace and a couple of rubber bands and made a mask that looked very adequate. It was very much like what this youtube shows,


but he used a shoelace to go around behind his head I think. It looked great, and once he put it on and adjusted it properly it firmly covered his nose and mouth. I asked him what would happen if the rubber bands break? He says elastic is hard to find, but he has some other ideas for ways to go around that weak point in the design. Give an engineer velcro and paracord, and he can conquer the world (or at least make a mask). He has lots of both, and several nice large bandanas. And, if all else fails I have some elastic hair ties to offer for this project.

The idea is that he has two weeks to perfect the design, while we stay at home following the strong urging to do so by TPTB. Eventually we will go out (whether in two weeks or two months or who knows?) and when we do, it looks like we will be able to wear a mask.

Meanwhile he has a fun project to keep himself from going nuts while we are stuck at home.
 
W2R said:
Frank found lots of youtubes with great instructions for no sew masks. He brought a bandana over here, with a shoelace and a couple of rubber bands and made a mask that looked very adequate. It was very much like what this youtube shows,
Click to expand...

This is the method I used (see picture above). Only difference is I put the folds to the inside because it looked "neater" IMO. Same number of layers - just folds facing my face, rather than the world.

Added bonus - it was drizzling this morning when I went on my dog walk... it kept my face dry. :LOL:
 
DW & me off for our morning stroll:

 
rodi said:
This is the method I used (see picture above). Only difference is I put the folds to the inside because it looked "neater" IMO. Same number of layers - just folds facing my face, rather than the world.

Added bonus - it was drizzling this morning when I went on my dog walk... it kept my face dry. :LOL:
Click to expand...

Thanks! Good idea. And, I'm glad to read that this is working out nicely for your dog walks. It looks great. :)
 
Thanks for posting the patterns...we need to make some reusable ones...like it or not it's back to the grocery store tomorrow (when they open, here at least that means the fewest customers)
 
CardsFan said:
Thanks for the intermittent comic relief. Not just here, but on a lot of threads.:dance:
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Thank you....during my short exposure to schooling I might well have been the kid who was dumb enough to blurt out what some others were thinking but were too smart to say. :)
 
Mask design with ties:


https://masksnow.org

They’re a bit of work but they fit well. I modified mine with a little tube to fit in a pipe cleaner for the nose piece. I’m trying the pocket mask tomorrow. It should be easier on my 70 year old sewing machine. I also found an old high thread count bed sheet and pillow case, which makes ideal material for a mask. I’ll insert a piece of HEPA filter vacuum bags into the pocket.
 
Hard to believe nobody passed out from trying to suck air from a poorly made mask. Out of all the diabetics, people who overexert themselves, etc. Just wait until it gets hot, then you will hear reports of it.
 
Janet H said:
I made this one: https://www.craftpassion.com/face-mask-sewing-pattern/
(Variant 1) and tweaked the pattern just a little to make the inside part just a little narrower than the outside cover (makes the elastic casing easier to sew).
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Janet
I had modified that pattern: (note: don't have sewing machine so had to hand stitch, it requires wider edge seam and does take longer to sew)
-- I use regular 600/800 cnt for exterior, but have an interior very fine inner mesh for both sections
-- for inner section, use pattern size (with extra width for seam) and top stitch in fine mesh
-- for exterior section (side facing out) add about 3 - 3 1/2 " to both "wings" (side of mask) Cut inner mesh to regular size (plus seam) and place / using pins on top of exterior and then top stitch to that section. For the extra "wings", top stitch edges then fold over itself (but not on main mask) and sew those edges together. Then fold the wing over onto the main mask section and only sew the inner edge so as to leave a nice channel for elastic or cord.
-- I have been using an elastic band (a larger width which I had to cut in half, since the proper size is nowhere to be found) and then used parachute clips for easy on/off and which allows for behind-the-head cord placement.
--- You can also add the nose piece mentioned, which can be sewed onto the completed piece

The advantage is that the cord/elastic can be removed prior to washing (for longer life) and survives better in the dryer

(attached is final product; it has four layers of fabric. Excuse the sewing as I hand stitched it all)
 

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