Mask Masking Page - Art, Action & the Environment

Mask-Making

Materials

 Cotton fabric, tightly woven

 1/8” elastic (7” length), or fabric ties, shoe laces, or ribbons (18” length)

Tools

 Sewing machine and thread

 Scissors

 Ruler

 Sewing pins or clips

If you would like to download to full instructions and examples click here.

Instructions

1. Cut the fabric. For an adult sized mask, cut 1 fabric rectangle 16” long and 8.5” wide. Cut two pieces of elastic, each 7” long or cut 4 fabric ties/ribbons 18” long. For a child’s mask, cut 1 fabric rectangle 14” long and 6.5” wide then cut two pieces elastic, 6” long.

2. Sew the topside,with pocket opening. Fold the fabric in half, with the right side facing. Sew along the 8.5width edge using a 5/8” seam allowance. Leave a 3” opening in the center of the seam for a filter. Press the seam open. Topstitch or zigzag stitch along the sides of the seam for a neater edge.

3. Pin one piece of elastic or fabric ties to each side of the mask, one end to the top corner and one end to the bottom corner. If using fabric ties or ribbons, pin one to each corner keeping the rest of the tie sandwiched inside the two layers of fabric.

4. Sew the sides of the face mask. Backstitch over the elastic or fabric ties to secure them. Clip the corners and turn the mask right side out. Press with a warm iron.

5. Sew the Pleats. Create three evenly spaced 1/2” pleats. Pin folds in place making sure all pleats are facing the same direction. Sew down each side to secure the pleats. When the mask is worn the pleats should face downward to prevent particles from collecting in pleat pockets.