The purpose of these instructions is to provide an easy way to make a fabric mask at home. This is an easy project that was made with only fabric and can be simple enough for beginner sewers. The use of a fabric face mask is to prevent the spread of COVID-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), wearing a face mask will help protect you and others around you. The face mask can help prevent respiratory droplets from traveling when people are talking, coughing, or sneezing.

The CDC has details on how to wear cloth face coverings correctly:

Wash your hands before putting on your face covering
Put it over your nose and mouth and secure it under your chin
Try to fit it snugly against the sides of your face
Make sure you can breathe easily

My hope is that by making a DIY mask, it will be used by the general public and will help increase the supply of surgical masks and N95 masks for the healthcare workers.

Supplies

Sewing machine

Thread

Scissors

Ruler

Pins

Iron

2- 6-inch x 9-inch rectangle of fabric

2- strips of 22-inch x 1-inch of fabric (or your head circumference length)

Step 1: Base of the Mask

Place both of the 9-inch x 6-inch pieces of fabric together. Stitch around the edges with a 1/8 – 1/4 seam allowance leaving a 2-inch opening in the middle. (Optional the 2-inch opening can be used to add a filter.)

Step 2: Preparing the Make the Pleats

Turn the base of the mask right side out. Iron the fabric flat. (Optional: You can use a pin to pull the corners out).

Step 3: Making the Pleats

Make 2 pleats on each end. Pin. Make a visual judgement on the placement and make sure the pleats are going in the same direction on each side. Stitch across the edge of the pleats.

Step 4: Applying the Strings

Take the 22-inch x 1-inch piece of fabric and fold it in half. Sew. Apply the strings to the mask across the pleats. Make sure the strings are even. Sew. All done!