Like many of you I’ve been making face masks for hospitals.  The majority of the time I’ve been making the free downloadable pattern put out by SweetRedPoppy.com, Bias Tape Pleated Face Mask with filter pocket as that is what my area hospitals want, and they had filtration materials to put into the masks. 

I’m grateful to Sweet Red Poppy’s generosity to share their pattern with the world so that we all can be the hands that help our healthcare workers in desperate need at this crazy time. I ask you to please be respectful and honor them and their copyrights, and my adaptations.  These patterns are not to be used for your personal profit

But now that we are all being asked to wear face masks to keep our germs to our selves I thought it was time for this tutorial.

This tutorial is the adaptations I have made based upon the supplies I’ve had on hand, and then further adaptations for us “civilians”. I am not a face mask expert, but I’ve been researching a lot, and learning as best as I can to keep current about what works and the materials to use. Reminder: When I make for healthcare workers, I provide the style they are asking for.

In recent days I have made face masks for friends and family.

The best materials to make face masks out of are tightly woven, like high thread count quilter’s cottons (batiks, hand-dyes), sheets, poly-cotton t-shirts, etc.

Pre-wash all fabrics before making. .Wash mask again once completed and before wearing.

Upon research I’ve discovered that nonwoven interfacing, which is washable in hot water and provides added filtration, so I’ve been sewing it right into the masks. If you don’t have interfacing, many re-useable shopping totes are non-woven polypropylene material which is also a “good” filtration layer. Nonwoven polypropylene feels like material, compared to those bags that are coated and feel more like plastic. Remember you do need to be able to breathe through it. Nonwoven Polypropylene is washable on hot water and provides added filtration. Please wash before you begin.

Of course you can make the original filter pocket face mask for yourself, but it is faster to not make the pocket style. I also include a picture of the template I created, with dimensions, for creating a filter to fit the pocket style face mask. It’s easy enough to draw it out yourself. See the picture above and to the right, depending on the device you are viewing this tutorial on.

Create your own Tape:

I do so much quilting these days and almost no clothes sewing that I found I didn’t have any elastic on hand any more, nor very little pre-packaged bias tape. So I’ve created my own “tape” drawing upon my years of sewing and quilting.

Tape for Ties

Cut 2 - 1 ¼” x width of fabric (WOF) strips. These 2 strips are enough for one face mask.

Using your 1/4” sewing machine foot, sew ¼” from the raw edge on both sides of each strip.  Go to your ironing board and lay strips right side down.  Using the stitch line as a guide, fold along the stitch line of one side and iron. Set aside until you are ready to sew in.

Adult mask. (Child mask dimensions in parenthesis)

Cut 2 - 7” x 9” (5” x 7”) rectangles of fabric

Cut 1 - 7” x 9” (5” x 7”) rectangle of interfacing/ polypropylene bag

Cut 2 - 1 ¼” x WOF strips for ties. (see above)

Cut 1 floral wire 12” (8”) fold in half, twist, fold raw end, and crimp ends with needle nose pliers so no sharp ends.

General sewing directions: Sew with right sides together. Sew with a ¼” seam allowance. Sew with a tight stitch length 2mm +/- unless specified otherwise.

Place interfacing on wrong side of one fabric rectangle. Staystitch along top and bottom if you like to keep from shifting.

Sew your two fabric rectangles together on the short sides.

Turn right side out. Iron.

Fold in half. Iron center crease.

Fold raw edges towards center crease and iron. These creases become the center of your pleats.

Once it’s cooled down enough to handle without burning your fingers, unfold and re-fold into your pleats, pinning as you go. Each pleat is roughly 3/8”-1/2”, so that the pleated side is approximately 3”-3 ½” for the adult mask and 2 ½”- 2 ¾” for the child mask. Iron. Top stitch with a normal stitch length.

Fold face mask to find the middle of the top and bottom. Mark with a pin. Fold tape to find middle. Mark with a pin. Pin middles of tape and mask top and bottom together aligning raw edges. Sew tape to the front of the mask. You can pin or not. That’s up to you. Normally I don’t except for the center pin, but I did for the purpose of taking pictures.

Go to ironing board and iron tape flat with front of mask being careful not to open the original ¼” fold.

Flip over to back of the mask and fold tape over to stitch line and iron.

I now switch to my open-toed presser foot as it gives me greater visibility, but you can continue sewing with a ¼” foot. Keeping folded tape edge aligned with stitch line, and sew close to edge to encase the raw edges top and bottom.

Why a Nose bridge wire?

The advantage of the wire, as it was explained to me by a nurse, is that you can conform the mask to your face. Therefore you won’t be fiddling with your hands near your face as much, and it sends your exhalation sideways, which is important if you wear glasses, minimizing your breath fogging them up. I used Floral wire, but I also tested using a paperclip opened up if you don’t have any floral wire.  It worked pretty well.  Paper clips are smaller, so just center it in when sewing.

If you are adding a wire on the nose bridge: after sewing about 1” in, tuck the wire into the tape, and behind the seam allowance. Fold tape back to stitch line, and sew being careful to not catch the wire. (see picture above)

Sewing the tie ends:

Using a zig-zag stitch, I start stitching where the tie overlaps the face mask so there’s some added stitching for security where there’s going to be more stress.

Sew with needle down. One side of my tape is already ironed under, and the other side has a stitch line.  I fold under at the stitch line and line it up with the ironed side, add a little tension and sew with a zig-zag set at 3. mm+/- covering the ties. 

Because I cut a full WOF strip to the selvage, I can sew straight to the end and backstitch.  Do for all four ties.

I usually go back and sew a tighter pocket around the nose wire, by sewing perpendicular to the ends and down the middle of the tape.  This keeps it from getting too gnarled when it is washed.

Don’t forget to wash the face mask,now that it’s all sewed, before wearing it.

Taking face masks OFF and care, based upon what I understand:

1. Take off without touching the mask front. Untie and take off by ties and corners.  Fold in towards front.

2. Wear once and then wash.

3. Ideally, wash right away in hot water and soap.  If you can’t wash right away, place in a bag until you can wash. Wash your hands immediately before touching anything else.

4. Do Not share masks.