DIY Face Mask Sewing Tutorial

Posted by Katie Convertino on March 23, 2020

DIY face mask

I’ve been busy sewing up face masks for frontline healthcare workers and immunocompromised people/families. I started with the standard Deaconess mask tutorial that’s been floating around and worked closely with our pediatrician to add a few safety features since many are having to rely fully on these handmade masks. These masks have two full layers of fabric + a pocket opening in the back in case anyone wants to add some sort of filter. They also have moldable wire across the top so it hugs more tightly to the face and elastic across the bottom so it hugs the chin a bit more. Please feel free to use, share, or reach out to me if you’re looking for people in need of masks.

Materials

Cotton, non-stretch fabric

Elastic (cord, 1/8-1/4” braided, or you can use thin hair ties)

Moldable wire (floral or garden wire work great)

Cutting instructions

9” length x 8” high of fabric (x2)
5” length by 8” high of fabric for pocket (x2) (if you do not have a serger, cut these pieces at 5.5”x8”
6 1/2” pieces of elastic (x3 - one for bottom of mask, two for ears)
7” wire (x1 for top of mask)

Kids Size: will add dimensions soon

I personally use my serger to construct the majority of these & use my sewing machine to finish them simply for efficiency. There are a lot of people in need of masks right now so my priority was being able to do these as quickly as possible. For this reason, I avoided using pins and eliminated some other simple steps, but please feel free to pin as you go or come up with your own method using the measurements above.

Construction

Cut all materials per dimensions above.
Serge down one side of both of the 5x8” pieces (on the 8” side). If you do not have a serger, you can do a small hem to keep fabric from fraying.
Line your two 5x8” pieces up with a full 9x8” piece with the finished edges in the middle (right sides both facing up); this will create the pocket on the back.
Start to sew (I serge, but you can straight stitch). At about 1/4”-1/2” in, line up your elastic piece with the end lined up with the edge of the fabric. Continuing sewing until you get 1/4”-1/2” from the next edge and loop your elastic back around to attach the other end of the ear loop.
You now have the back piece of the mask with a pocket and the ear loops attached (loop part is facing inward). Place your other (top) 9x8” piece of fabric on top, with right side facing the pocket. Serge/straight stitch down both short sides
On the first long side, take a piece of the elastic and start stitching/serging from one end. Stretch the elastic as you sew and continue to the end; this will cause the fabric to bunch up a bit allowing it to hug the chin area a bit more.
On the final long side, straight stitch/serge together from both ends, leaving a 2-3” opening (closer to one side rather than the middle as it makes inserting the wire easier)
Turn right side out and push out corners.
Insert wire through the opening. Turn fabric in where the opening was and straight stitch the hole closed.
Push wire up along the top (non-elastic) side and then straight stitch all the way across, hugging the wire to keep it in place.
Pin 3 tucks on each side of the mask, making sure they are the same direction. Sew across the tucks.