Face mask pattern

Make your own reusable face mask that is breathable, comfortable to wear and easy to sew with this simple face mask pattern! An adorable fabric face mask pattern made in the fabric you love!

Face mask pattern

Face mask sewing pattern

Hey, guys! Today I’ll be sharing with you a little project I wasn’t very happy to make: a face mask pattern! This project was inspired by the illness situation we’re all going through right now! It wasn’t a happy project because I would very much rather spend my time sewing other stuff that is fun and enjoyable instead of sewing because there’s no other choice at the moment.

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I’ve been looking for face masks about two weeks ago! I found a few but the price was insane and the drug store wouldn’t sell more than 5 to each person. We obviously needed a lot more than that considering these masks are not reusable and they get wet pretty easily meaning we should change them every couple of hours or so. I made a quick. math and I wasn’t happy with the money I was gonna spend on these low quality masks, even if I could find more to stock up on!

Fabric face mask pattern

And then my husband suggested I should make my own face mask pattern and sew a few for each of us! It was the best suggestion I heard lately! I know doctors don’t recommend wearing a face mask unless we’re sick or around sick people, but I’d rather be safe than sorry so I went ahead and proceeded to my plan.

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I decided to make our masks reusable and to increase our chances of some protection I made them with two layers of fabric and left a gap in between these layers for an extra layer of “air filter” which can be played by a wet tissue that’s been dried up first or just regular tissue paper. Also the inner layer of fabric was interfaced for additional filtering purposes. All these were extra measures which might seem a bit unnecessary because of the outer layer of fabric which is waterproof. But as mentioned above, better safe than sorry!

UPDATE: I just found out some hospitals recommend using a 0.3 micron filter in our masks, such as these air conditioning filters or these vacuum cleaners bags. It’s also recommended to apply adhesive tape to the top, the bottom and the sides of the mask, on the inside, to ensure better contact with your face. 

Reusable face mask

I had almost everything I needed in my stash except for the outer fabric which I had to be waterproof to provide a shield for mouth and nose in case someone sick sneezes or coughs in a close proximity. I figured an inexpensive child size umbrella would do the trick so I bought a cheap one, removed the fabric and traced my pattern over. It worked like a charm and sewing this kind of fabric was a breeze, nothing scary or difficult as I expected!

Features of this face mask

  • Made in waterproof fabric for the outer layer, this handmade face mask won’t get wet from droplets accidentally sprayed towards your face.
  • It doesn’t have a gap on the sides like the regular masks do, thanks to the position of the elastics which help the mask fit your face perfectly.
  • This mask features 3 protective layers, made out of breathable fabrics. Even if you wear the mask for several hours, chances are the inner layer won’t get wet from breathing and will feel comfortable for the entire duration of wearing.
  • The top of the mask is reinforced with a piece of flexible wire which allows you to perfectly shape the mask around your nose so.
  • This pattern comes in four sizes: for toddler, for child, for women and for men.

Ready to make your own? Here is the face mask pattern and below are the step by step instructions (also included in the pattern file)! The proceeds from this pattern are being used for supporting my community with handmade masks. If you are a newsletter subscriber, this pattern is free to download from the sewing library.

Note: my face is pretty small so I used the kiddo size pattern, something you might wanna consider if your face is small too. 

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Face mask sewing pattern

DIY face mask

Materials:

Directions:

  • Cut the outer fabric, the inner fabric and the interfacing as per your pattern size.

Make the layers

  • Get the outer fabric piece and create the 3 pleats by matching the colored marks and pressing the folds down. For example, match mark A with second mark A, press the pleat down with your fingers and clip in place with a quilting clip. Repeat for all marks on one side then repeat the steps for the other side.

  • Bring the outer piece to your sewing machine and sew down the sides with 1/4″ allowance.
  • Press the pleats with your pressing iron on a low setting so the waterproof fabric doesn’t melt.
  • Grab the inner fabric and interface it then repeat the steps for the pleats highlighted above.

Insert the wire

  • Hem both the outer and inner fabric along the top by double folding the fabric in 1/4″ and sewing as close to the edge of the hem as possible.
  • Grab the wire and measure a piece that is about 1/2″ smaller than the top of the outer layer. Cut and insert the wire in the hem casing of the outer layer.

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sewing better, faster!!

In this special FREE series, you'll learn my most powerful SECRETS that will improve your sewing skills and help you sew like a pro! Join 38,210 sewing enthusiasts like you!

 

Cut the elastics

  • Measure the elastics. You will need two pieces of elastic, one longer that will hold the top of the mask and one shorter for the bottom of the mask. The top elastic will go around your head through the back so measure starting from one cheek bone to the other, going around the back of your head, then cut the elastic a little shorter than that measurement. For the bottom elastic, this one will go around your neck so measure starting from one angle of your jaw to the other, going through the back of your head, then cut the elastic a little shorter than that measurement. Make sure your entire head fits through this second elastic. You don’t want the elastics too loose but also not too tight as you need to fit your head through the gaps but also need the elastics to hold the mask tight on your face.

Assemble the pieces together

  • Place the outer layer wrong side up and top with the inner layer right side up.
  • Sandwich the ends of the top and bottom elastics between the sides of the fabrics.

  • Clip with quilting clips and sew down the sides and the bottom with a seam allowance that is a little over 1/4″, pivoting at corners.
  •  Serge the raw edges or do a zig zag stitch (or pick your favorite way of finishing seams from this tutorial)

Finish the mask

  • Turn the fabrics right side out and push the corners out with a blunt tool.
  • Edge stitch along the bottom seam.
  • Give the mask a last press then you can add an extra layer of tissue paper between the outer and inner layer. This is optional and if you think your mask is thick enough and provides enough protection you can skip this step and sew the 2 layers together along the top too, keeping the wire away from the sewing machine needle.

Note on the filter

As mentioned above it came to my attention that some hospitals recommend using a 0.3 micron filter in our masks. Such as these air conditioning filters or these vacuum cleaners bags. They also recommended us using adhesive tape to the top, the bottom and the sides of the mask, on the inside, to ensure better contact of the mask with our faces. 

I hope you liked this tutorial and found it useful! I would love to know your feedback so please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below. Thanks and happy sewing!

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Face mask pattern

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about petro

ABOUT PETRO

Hi, I’m Petro, author and founder of Easy Peasy Creative Ideas. Sewist, crafter, avid DIY-er, foodie, photographer, homemaker and mommy to one. I’m an expert at coming up with quick, clever sewing tips, recycling crafts and simple, easy recipes! You can find my ideas featured in reputable publications such as Country Living, Good House Keeping, Yahoo News, WikiHow, Shutterfly, Parade, Brit & Co and more. Thanks for stopping by and hope you’ll stay for a while, get to know me better and come back another time. Stick around for real fun projects! Read more…

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63 Comments

  1. Kelly Bannister says:

    I just paid for a pattern on Etsy as it was only 2.00 all it was was a simple rectangle which she just could of said to cut a rectangle and some not so easy instructions wasn’t worth the money at all and yours is free as easy to understand instructions thank you yours would be definitely worth the money
    Thank – you

  2. Thanks for the pattern. When I download the women mask patter, there are two A marks but only one B marks. How do i match the marks?

    1. Diane, you need to print at 100% & make sure your printer doesn’t add margins. That’s what erases parts of the pattern.

  3. Margaret Le Guerrier says:

    Cannot find patterns to download 3 pleat and duck nose

  4. Barbara Bann says:

    Thankyou so much for the free pattern for face masks . Your instructions were very easy to follow. I Literally had brain fog from all the different kind of masks to make ,and decided yours was the best . Thankyou again and stay safe x

    1. Thanks so much, Barbara! Your comment made my day :) Stay safe & happy sewing!

  5. Joanne Jackson says:

    Download the pattern, only got how to sew, not pattern.
    Joanne

    1. Hi Joanne. The folds on the pattern are color marked, you need to use a color printer.

  6. Amina Cassim says:

    I like the classic way in which this mask was made. The tutorial is clear and explains each step in detail. However, I do not own a sewing machine and find it costly to make the purchase right now. I would therefore appreciate advice / tips on how I could accomplish this or a similar task using hand sewing/stitching.

    1. Hi Amina. Thanks for your lovely feedback on the pattern! I’m not an expert at hand sewing but I think you can easily do this mask by hand, using a back stitch. The steps would be the same as with a sewing machine.

  7. Diana Mow says:

    I tried to download the pattern twice but although the instructions download there is no pattern.
    Please advise

    1. Diana, the pleats are colored mark. If you printed black and white those come up as blank.

  8. Thank you so much for this. I look forward to making some masks.

    1. Thank you, Kay! Happy sewing!

  9. I like your pattern the only thing I didn’t get in the directions above are the various pattern sizes for toddler children , women and men nor did I see the measurements for spacing the pleats

    1. Hi Joan. The pleats are marked on the pattern so no need to measure them.

  10. Could you made your patterns and directions Printable? We don’t have our computers directly beside our sewing machine. This would help so we could have the pattern/directions beside the machine.
    Thanks so much/

    1. That is a great suggestion, thanks Mildred! Unfortunately this will involve a great deal of time & work and for this reason we’ll have to charge a small fee for these printables, not sure my audience is ready for this step. We’ll consider this step as soon as we get more requests & are sure people are ready to embrace the idea.

  11. Made some of these reusable masks for our family. turned out well. Added a small dart on the bottom of the mask to make it fit closer under the chin. Enhances the fit but also makes it easier to quickly tell top of the mask fitting over the nose.

    1. Hi, Sandy! Thanks so much for the feedback. The dart addition is a great suggestion!

    2. Virginia Phillips says:

      I just put a tuck in the bottom of mine and it works great.