The great thing about making a mask without sewing is that you can make it out of materials that you probably already have at home. This means that you won’t need to buy any special supplies, and it also saves you the time of going to the store to get them.
The first step is to gather the materials you need. You’ll need the following:
A solid patterned fabric (ideally a cotton one) of a suitable size and width, to fit your face and neck.
Trace the free face mask pattern onto the fabric. Use chalk or a pen to mark along the edges of the paper pattern piece and cut out the pieces. The larger piece will be the ‘front’ of your mask and the smaller piece will be the ‘back’.
Next, pin both the ‘front’ and ‘back’ together, with right sides facing (the ‘good’ fabric side faces in). Stitch along the long edge of each piece, 1cm ( 3/8 in) from the edges. Repeat with the ‘front’ and ‘back’ again, using the same stitch length.
If you have a spare piece of t-shirt material, you can make a no-sew face mask with it.
Start with a square of t-shirt fabric that’s about 20″ x 20″. You can either use an old piece of cotton or a jersey fabric if you have some in your stash.
Roll the end of the t-shirt material around a hair tie so it sticks up and doesn’t end up on the wrong side of the mask. Leave the extra fabric as a tie string on the inside of the mask to help hold it in place when you’re wearing it.
Once you’ve created the strap, pin both ends of the elastic to the center crease on the front of the fabric. This is where the mask will sit on your face, so make sure it’s centered.
If you’re a seasoned sewer, you can sew the two halves of your mask at once. However, if you’re not very experienced with your sewing machine, it’s best to fold both the top and bottom layers of your face mask in half first.
After doing this, you can then hem each of the layers with a needle or scissors and thread your elastic or hair ties through the hems before sewing.
This method works especially well for people who aren’t able to sew. You’ll still need a needle and scissors to do this, but it’s much easier than sewing the entire face mask at once.
The rolled-up t-shirt fabric works well for a wide range of faces, but it’s not the most comfortable option for extended periods of wear.
Another way to make a no-sew mask is to start with a bandana or scarf that you don’t mind cutting up.
Once you have this, take it and fold the bottom edge inward, about 4 to 6 times. If you’re using a coffee filter, insert it into the middle of the mask.
