Keep creative at home with our DIY face mask tutorial

 

I don’t know about you but in the first week of the lockdown I was in full on declutter mode, the tasks that I'd always say I'll do next weekend were actually getting done. As a result, I have a pile of clothes destined for the charity shop, but whilst they wait patiently for this lockdown to be lifted I’ve been able to give some of the pieces a new lease of life- in the form of face masks. 

Here's a quick step by step guide on how to make a cloth face mask at home. 

First of all you’ll need some 100% cotton fabric, ribbon or elastic, pins, needle and thread or a sewing machine, scissors and paper for the mask template.

STEP 1

Make your pattern.

You can use our downloadable pattern which you can find here.  To adjust the measurements to suit your face you can extend the length and breadth according to your own face. 

Step 2.

Cut out your fabric. Lay your paper pattern on a folded piece of fabric. You’ll have 4 separate pieces, two for the outer shell and two for the lining.

 

STEP 3

Sew up the centre seam on both the outer and inner shell.  Then snip around the seam allowance, this will help the seam to lie flat when you iron it.  *A tip for any sewing project is to have an iron handy. After each seam sewn you’ll want to either press it flat or press it open.*

 

 

STEP 4

Pin the two sides together with the right sides facing each other.  Make sure to line up the centre seams.

 

STEP 5

Sew along the top and bottom edges.

STEP 6

Turn your mask inside out so you can now see the right side and iron along all the edges so they are lying flat. You can topstitch around the top and bottom if you want at this point. The mask should now be starting to resemble the final thing.

 

STEP 7

Fold the outer side edges of the mask 0.5cm then again 1cm and iron this flat. This is going to create the channel for your elastic or ribbon. You want the channel to be at least 1cm to accommodate your elastic. 

STEP 8

Sew down the channel.

STEP 9

Thread your elastic or ribbon through the channel’s on each side of the mask. I used 19cm of elastic.  *A tip is to attach a small safety pin to the end of the elastic and thread that through the channel.*

 

STEP 10

Attach the two ends of the elastic with a reinforced stitch and then spin the elastic around so that the stitched end is hidden within the channel in the mask. Voila! you're done. 

Whilst masks are not mandatory here, if you have the time and want to get creative it's a fun thing to do and it might give you a little peace of mind when you're out picking up essentials. 

 

Stay happy and healthy, 

The Paulin Team.