MASK YOUR FACE: DIY face masks

When these first started popping up last month, I was heavily skeptical. I'm a surgical/clinical pathology Veterinary Nurse. What will cotton do?
Joann Fabrics (my local craft chain), posted a how-to video on Instagram, stating they will offer the necessary supplies and will distribute donated masks. At the same time, about a week ago, my state veterinary association sent out an email wanting all the state's vet clinics to submit an inventory of their PPE, in the event our state follows the way NY has gone. There will be no question: vet PPE has to go to the human clinicians. My clinic has already begun to donate ours.
There is a very real deficit of PPE for those who will be truly face to face with Covid-19. I did research, watched several videos. The rules are changing as hospitals use them. First, they were required to have three layers. Some instructionals used fusible webbing in between two fabric outer layers. Then they required duck cloth, which is a very heavy duty fabric that quickly sold out.
They learned that the elastic loops people initially sewed for ear loops were abrasive, and also didn't hold up in the autoclaves. They began experimenting with coffee filters and vacuum filters placed inside, and decided these worked better than nothing at all. So, DIYers began sewing masks with pockets. It is incredibly aggravating and heartbreaking that this is what is happening: Coffee filters to protect our entire population of working doctors and nurses in the face of a pandemic. It's unconscionable.
Hospitals began making their own cloth mask covers to place over their non-reusable but reused masks out of a single layer of surgical instrument wrap. It turns out, these are rated as N98- even better than standard N95 masks (which means they effectively block 98%, or 95%, of 0.3 micron particulates). So, now they can insert actual medical-grade things that are autoclavable into our handmade masks as a filter. Because of this, my area is now accepting all cotton masks.
Read this article by the FDA to better understand how face masks and N95s differ.
After watching several videos and looking at pictures of other people's masks, I combined the best components and modeled my pattern after a mask I have on hand. I wanted simple and fast. No fancy edges. No complicated patterns. If you have a sewing machine, you have all the skills you need for this.
For the ties, I used single fold, double wide bias tape as I seemed to have collected a lot over the years. It is now difficult to find. My fabric stores are out- or completely closed. Online shipping is twice the cost of the tape. I did find a couple more at Walmart the other day, but shopping there made me feel all sorts of wrong. Too many people. You can use strips of leftover fabric, folded, ironed, and stitched the same way.
1. I used my thickest cotton fabrics, and washed them (regardless of if I'd previously washed them, way back when) to allow them to shrink now rather than later. Being cotton, they came out wrinkled, so iron them up! After that, I cut them into 8" x 12.5" rectangles.

Once cut, fold them in half, iron, and then stitch close to the edge.
I originally started with a little shorter, measuring them from my ear to a comfortable length to tie into a bow on top of my head. But, they're made out of 45% polyester, and they shrunk by an inch when I first ironed them. If you can make them longer, like 17", do that.

2.5 I'd made several masks before I figured out that my ties shrunk. So, I cut strips of my cloth and a strip of the bias tape after it was ironed and shrunk, and ran them in my autoclave at work at a standard instrument setting, which is what the hospitals will do. No, you won't be worrying about this! But I have access, so I did it before I went any further. The strips didn't shrink any further. (phew. Proceed!)




3. Now we pin our ties to our rectangles. Place your cloth right side up, and pin a tie at either end, 1/2" down from the edge.
Next, pin a tie at either side, at the 6.5" mark. Lay your ties up the center, and fold your rectangle up.



This is going to allow you to turn the mask right-side out. It will also become the entry by which filters can be placed. The entire mask is essentially a big pocket.
5. Clip off your corners close to the stitching to allow for easy turning. Turn right-side out
Iron flat.



On to our pleats! (I hate pleats, but these aren't bad). This allows for the mask to open like a half circle around the person's face, from nose to under the chin.
Starting with the lower tie, measure from its top to an inch above, and bring those two marks together. Pin.
Do that two more times, so that you have a total of three pleats between the upper and lower ties. Repeat on the other side, then iron flat to make sewing easier.
Refer to picture for the direction the pleats should run. Remembering that your pocket is the bottom of the mask, your pleats should run DOWN.


7. Stitch along the edge, reinforcing over pleats, and NOT closing the pocket opening.
I began at the beginning of one pocket edge, then went all the way around to the other.

I cut a 4" strip from extra wide double fold bias tape I also had on hand.
Flip your mask over to the back. The back is found by noting how the pleats run. On the front, they run DOWN. On the back, they run UP. Center the strip over the center of the mask, pin in place, and then stitch first the upper long edge, the short edge, and the other long edge, leaving a short edge open.
Honestly, I don't know what they're using. Some say paper clips, others any craft metal. This will have to be up to them, but at least we provided a way for them to have it. If nothing else, the strips provide extra cushion and mark the back of the mask- which is important to prevent contamination if the mask is removed and needs to be replaced.




I did everything in batches. Sewed all my bias tape. Cut all my fabric. Pinned all my ties, sewed all my rectangles, etc, rather than one mask at a time. I felt it went quicker and was more efficient. Each portion only takes a few minutes.
Please donate, as well as making some for yourselves and family. Health care personnel, nursing homes, birthing centers, they are struggling to get PPE as well. I did a simple Google search and found a local hospital (in lieu of my closed fabric store) that is taking donated cloth masks. I also found a Facebook Group for my area that keeps up to date with the changes and takes in requests from health care providers. The last time I checked, earlier in the week, they had 5000 requests from local clinics, hospitals, and nursing homes. For yourselves: always be mindful of the front and backs of your masks. Do not ever touch the side that will lay against your mouth. Do not lay this down upon anything, either, or you have rendered your mask contaminated and therefore useless. Store them in a baggie when you don't wear them, and label those bags as 'top' and 'bottom', so the mask always gets put in the same way, and doesn't contaminate itself.
For yourselves, wash them often and keep a few to switch between. Adjust widths for children if needed.
Stay safe, and stay well. Look out for each other.
-L
Published on April 04, 2020 17:21
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