Face mask pattern

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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

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.

Other similar projects you will love:

• No elastic face mask pattern
• Fitted fabric face mask pattern
• DIY ear savers for face mask
• Headband with buttons for face mask
• Reversible scrub cap pattern
• DIY drawstring laundry bag for medical workers
• Halloween 3D face mask pattern

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!

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.

More quick scrap projects: 

• DIY knot knit headband
• Bunny hair clip tutorial
• Butterfly hair bows
• DIY fabric covered buttons
• DIY fabric key chains

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. 

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. 

 

Face mask sewing pattern

Materials:

• face mask pattern
• thin waterproof fabric for the outer layer (use an umbrella)
• thin cotton fabric for the inner layer
• lightweight interfacing for the inner layer
• elastic
• thin flexible wire (I used garden twist ties)
• fabric scissors
• craft scissors or pliers
• quilting clips
• sewing machine
• pressing iron
• serger (optional)
• tool for pushing corners
• for the filter – these air conditioning filters or these vacuum cleaners bags.
• adhesive tape to apply to the top, bottom and sides of the mask.

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.

 

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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