Public health officials are recommending that those going outside should wear a facemask. But inventor has been sold out for weeks, especially medical-grade facemasks designed to filter out microbes. Therefore, many of us will have to roll up our DIY sleeves and make our own facemask. These aren't as effective as factory-made masks, but data does show that DIY and homemade masks are effective at capturing viruses.
We don't design this item at Gosun, but we do celebrate the maker spirit of creating what you need when it isn't readily available. Scroll down for curated resources on how to make your own facemask.
The Best Material for Making a Homemade DIY Mask
The good folks at Smart Air Filters.com surveyed the best materials for making a homemade DIY mask. Here's what they found: Pillowcases and 100% cotton t-shirts are the best materials for DIY masks. Why?
The reason is breathability. How easy it is to breathe through your mask is an important factor that will affect how comfortable it is.
The best filtering materials were the tea towel and the vacuum bag, but they were the hardest to breathe through. With two layers, the tea towel was over twice as hard to breathe through as the surgical mask.
T-shirts and pillowcases are good enough. These materials filter out approximately 50% of 0.2-micron particles, similar in size to the coronavirus. They are also as easy to breathe through as surgical masks, which makes them comfortable enough to wear for several hours. Blue shop towels are also an excellent material to use.
Facemask Sewing Patterns
OK - so you know which material you should use. But how do you actually make a facemask?
Below are free patterns from The Spruce Crafts. They are easy enough that even the worst sewers can make their own protective gear.
You can make a face mask for a 3-6 year old, 7-12 year old, or teenage and adult with this free pattern. This pattern is made specifically so the elastic puts less stress on the ears than other masks. If you own an electronic cutting machine, you'll find the masks even easier to make because there are template files for both the Cricut and the Silhouette available that you can use to cut out your pieces.
This free face mask pattern features a removable filter pocket so you can change the filter and wash the mask. There are also adjustable ties made out of ribbon, so the mask can fit any adult and can be more comfortable than tight elastic ties. An SVG file is also included so you can cut the pattern out with a Cricut Maker/< Fu Face Mask
The Fu Face Mask can be sewn together quickly and includes directions on how to sew it effectively, with the option of making one that looks better, or simply getting it quickly done so you can make a bunch. There are 3 sizes available and it attaches with ribbon. A PDF template is provided as well as diagrams and written instructions.
These face masks look a lot like surgical masks and are a lot of fun to make. They use pleating on the sides of the mask for a comfort factor and even if you've never done this technique before, the directions are very straight forward on how to do it. Since the mask is sewn together a little differently than the others, there are no templates, you simply cut to size. Both adult and child sizes are included.
If you own a Cricut Maker electronic cutting machine, you can make fast work out of cutting out your mask. A mask template is provided and all you need to do is place some fabric on your mat and then have the Cricut cut it. It will even mark your sewing lines for you. After you've cut out all your pieces, just follow the tutorial to sew the mask.
If you're looking to make these masks in bulk, this quick DIY face mask tutorial is a great choice. No fancy templates, it's just a cut and sew pattern that takes you quickly through the process of making a mask.
For those of you who are visual learners, this face mask tutorial has a ton of photos to help you learn how to make them. It makes a surgical style mask with elastic. Binding is added to the short edges to make the sewing on the mask look neat and tidy.