reusable face mask DIYs
Face masks have become a necessary part of our lives and by now you’ve probably reached the stage where you’re trying to match them better to your outfits or are looking for the most durable kind that can hold up in the wash. I shared some reasons why reusable face masks are better for the general public to choose over the disposable kind on my Instagram. With that in mind, if you’re feeling industrious and own, can borrow, or plan to own a sewing machine in the near future I thought I’d share three tutorials I’ve used. I’ll also include some additional notes and suggestions for what worked best for me.
SEW the BEST Fitting Medical MASK with FILTER, FREE Pattern & FIVE Sizes!!! This is one of the first two mask tutorials I tried! I like the use of t-shirt ties, as I had a number of tees set to donate so I was able to upcycle them to make a batch of masks. I like the curved shape over the nose, but I did find that if I do a lot of talking while wearing this mask style, it tends to slide down my nose and gap. I wear this mask when I’m running errands and don’t anticipate doing a lot of speaking and it still works well! The really great part is that the pattern is free AND has multiple sizes.
DIY FABRIC FACE MASK: PRINTABLE PATTERN IN DESCRIPTION BOX WITH MEASUREMENTS. This is similar to the mask above, but there is a walkthrough on how to draft the tutorial if you don’t have access to a printer. I added a bit of metal across the bridge of the nose to help the mask contour more in that spot, but you don’t have to. This is a really easy to follow tutorial and I like the alternate use of having elastic go around your head versus around your ears.
3D FACE MASK REPLACEABLE FILTER/ MAKE A MASK. This is my current favorite fit and tutorial! It’s very easy to assemble this mask and it has great coverage over the bridge of the nose and along the cheeks. It’s easy to have this one loop over your ears, as seen in the tutorial, or thread a piece of elastic/string/etc through the openings and tie it behind your head. The only tricky part for me was understanding what the seam allowance is supposed to be, so I’ve been sewing mine at ⅜” and fiddling with the inner pocket a bit to get it to fit. I love that this still has the three layers, plus space for an additional filter, and it looks so clean when you’re done.
BONUS: Easy Hook & Loop Face Mask with Filter Pocket. Okay, I know I said I’d share three tutorials, but I wanted to include this one as well. I have not attempted to make this kind, but I like that it has velcro rather than elastic. I plan to make one of these in the coming month, so follow me over on the ‘gram to see how it turns out!
I hope that if you plan to make a reusable mask that this has helped you narrow in on a tutorial to try. There are so many great ones out there. If you have any you really love that are not included above, I’d love to know! Please drop them in the comments below or over on my Instagram because I’d love to try them.
in solidarity,
