Not Exactly Quilting... Mask-Making

Here in Australia we've been wrestling with the COVID-19 virus, as everyone has around the world.  We'd been doing pretty well until suddenly a couple of weeks ago, the number of new cases here in the Melbourne area suddenly started to spike upward.  So the authorities stepped in and we're back in Stage 3 lockdown, as we were just a few weeks ago.  One difference this time, however, is that starting at midnight tonight, wearing a mask when outside your home is now mandatory.  Failure to comply will attract a $200 on-the-spot fine.

Although nobody really wants to wear a mask, including me, I'm glad that they've taken this step.  It's something that is simple to do and doesn't have to be expensive - and there's loads of evidence that it helps.  So bring it on!

Of course... as the announcement was only made 3 days ago, there's now a mad scramble and face-masks are the new "toilet paper". 

I made masks for myself and hubby a while back using the "accordian" style which looks much like the disposable masks being sold here.  They worked OK, well, sort of.  But reusable cloth masks made with that design just don't look all that great.  I wanted something different - something with a bit more structure.

I found this YouTube video tutorial showing a very "structured" design that looked simple and fairly easy to do.  Just what I wanted - something that looks crisp and tidy!

So I gave it a go.  I had some success, but found some aspects of the instructions to be a bit problematic, starting with the fact that, when sewing, I don't use metric measurements.  Also, I don't have the cord elastic shown; mine is 1/4" "flat" elastic.  So I came up with a few changes to what's shown in the tutorial, and found my adjustments result in a mask that I can make very quickly with consistently good results.

So here's what I changed (you'll need to watch the video for this to make sense...)

First, I'm using rectangles of fabric which are 7" x 11" (original design is 7" x 10").  I added that extra inch so that I'd have an extra half inch on each side of the mast to give me a deeper fold over the elastic (which you'll see near the end of my instructions below).

Next, I opted for a more narrow seam allowance - my seams are 1/4" wide.

When it came to figuring out where the diagonal lines need to be - I went with 2".  In the image below, you can see where I've measured.  I start 1/4" from the edge, then measured 2 inches in.  The original instructions specified 4cm, which is, of course, shorter than mine.  But 2" worked out for me.

 

Also - the video shows the stitching starting right on the corner of the open side (see the red arrows in the photo below).  I opted to come in a bit more toward the center (green arrows).  This leaves me with a good size open area so that turning it all inside-out will be easy.  With the straight lines as I'm showing here, once I've turned the fabric to right-sides outward, getting the edges on the gap to fold inward neatly was a LOT easier.

In the photo, I've turned the mask to right-sides-out, stitched all around the edges, and ironed the folds just as shown in the video.  Then I stitched along the folds, again, just as shown in the video.

But when I fold the flaps open, you'll notice that I have more space between the top of the flaps and the edge of the mask.  (drawn in red below)

That's because I want a wider fold there, with an opening I can slide the elastic into AFTER I've sewn down the fold (image below):

Now, hopefully, the method to my madness will make sense.  In the photo below, you can see I'm sliding the elastic into that fold.  I've cut 7" of elastic, and slide in one end just 1/2" into the fold (photo below). 

Then all I have to do is stitch down across that opening (starting where the red arrow is pointing and moving across the elastic).

The elastic is now secured into the side of the mask's bottom.  I repeat this on the mask's top.

And here it is... all stitched together:

DONE!

As I mentioned, I found I can make masks with this design very quickly.  The first one I did took a while - but the second one ... fast!  How fast?  I didn't exactly time myself, but I fixed myself an instant hot chocolate and set it aside to cool just as I started working on the next one.  I ironed the fabric, cut the rectangles, and sewed it all together - and when I was done, my hot chocolate was still fairly warm.  Maybe 10 minutes?

My final tip is this:  If you think you'll want to make a few of these, cut out one rectangle with fabric and use that as your pattern.  You can just lay that fabric rectangle over the fabric you want for your next mask and ZIP!  No pinning needed, no measuring.  Just cut.