How to make a washable, reversible fabric mask with removable nose piece and filter pocket. If you can't sew, ask a friend to make one for you. (Show More) Don't mind the ants. It was raining and they were looking for a new home.
Did you see the string dingleberry? I think I'll call it a stringleberry.
Template design:
0:50 Make a template out of a piece of paper.
0:53 Make a horizontal 3" guideline one inch below the top edge for the top of the mask, followed by a mark 1-1/4" below it for the edge of the nose.
1:03 Draw a line 2-3/4" long at a 30° angle for the mouth area, although the length of this can be adjusted based on your face. I got this dimension from the bottom of my nose to the bottom of my chin.
1:15 A 1-1/4" long line at a 30° angle to the mouth line for the chin.
1:20 A 3" long line at a 90° angle to the chin line for the bottom of the mask.
1:25 A line connecting the bottom edge to the top guideline.
1:30 Add a gentle curve outside the mouth line.
1:33 Cut out the template.
Supplies:
1:43 2 pieces 1/4" elastic, 9" long (Adjust as needed; 9-1/2" would've been better for my face to improve comfort.)
1:47 4" long wire. I used 14Ga solid copper wire.
1:50 2 pieces fabric cut to 7" by 11"
Mask Making:
2:05 Iron the fabric in half crosswise, wrong side out.
2:24 Align the template, and cut both pieces of fabric 1" away from the template.
2:48 Tack the elastic in place: open the fabric, align the template, align the elastic to the edge of the fabric inside the template's bottom edge and top guideline, and stitch.
3:11 Sew the chin and mouth: fold the fabric wrong side out again, and align the template. Straight stitch along the template to the bottom of the fabric, and zigzag back up outside the straight stitch to prevent the fabric from fraying apart. Then trim the excess fabric outside the zigzag stitch.
4:12 Attach the two pieces together: open them and lay one on top of the other, with wrong sides facing out.
4:20 Straight stitch with a 1" seam allowance, starting with a short 1/2" length along the bottom, then up the side, and ending 1/2" along the top. Backstitch. Skip over 1/2" to leave an access hole to insert the nose piece. Sew along the top with a 1" seam allowance. Skip over 1/2" on the other side for a second access hole. Then stitch down the other side with a 1" seam allowance and stop 1/2" into sewing the bottom edge. The gap in the bottom is for the filter pocket.
5:18 Reinforce the bottom edge to prevent it from fraying. Fold open the pocket and zigzag stitch along the bottom edge with a 1/4" seam allowance. Repeat for the other piece.
5:38 Reinforce the sides and top. Zigzag up the side near the straight stitch, zigzag across the top with a 3/8" seam allowance, and down the other side. The top zigzag needs space from the straight stitch to provide room for the nose piece.
6:06 Trim the excess fabric near the zigzag stitches.
6:22 Flip the mask right side out.
6:32 Fold the bottom edges in with a 1" margin. Then iron a crease into the fabric. Repeat for both front and back.
6:50 Roll out the seams and iron them to make them sharp.
7:08 Open the pocket and topstitch one piece with a 3/8" seam allowance. Repeat for the other side.
7:32 Topstitch along the sides and top with a 3/8" seam allowance. Starting with a 1" seam overlapping the bottom stitches, sew around the mask, ending with another 1" seam at the bottom of the other side.
Using the mask:
8:23 The top acts as a pocket for the nose piece. Tuck the nose piece into the gap you left in the top of the mask. Bend it to the shape of your nose and cheeks.
8:43 Add a filter. Measure 4" by 6" of filter material. Roll it up, stuff it into the pocket, then unravel it to fill the pocket.
9:09 Try it on. It should form a snug fit.
9:17 It's reversible. The nose piece doesn't need to be bent again, because it rotates inside the top of the mask.
9:22 If the mask is washed, choose a side that fits your mood.
9:34 Without the nose piece, when you exhale, air blasts into your eyes. Also, it creeps down your chin when you move your mouth. This is why the nose piece is necessary.
10:00 To wash the mask, wiggle the nose piece out throw away the filter, and and toss the mask in the wash. Disinfect your hands and the nose clip to prevent contamination after handling the mask.
A note on filters:
10:15 You don't want want a filter with fiberglass, as prolonged exposure causes respiratory damage as the fibers break loose.
10:26 Instead use a melt blown polypropylene filter. I used the filter out of a "fine" filtration ShopVac type J vacuum bag.
10:35 Melt-blown polypropylene filters are slightly stretchy, and their fibers pull apart sort of like cotton candy.
10:50 By contrast, the glass fibers in fiberglass filters are brittle, so when you tug on them they break without stretching.
11:02 For reference, the filter in a surgical mask is slightly stretchy and the fibers pull apart like cotton candy.
Music:
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