Homemade protective mask project/Instructions

Derived from Deaconess Health's instructions and clarified.

What you will need

• Cotton fabric, printed or solid-color
• Two 7-inch lengths of rope Elastic (beading cord elastic will work), or 1/8” flat elastic

Assembly

Cut two 9-by-6 pieces (or one 9-by-12 piece, and fold it over) for an adult mask, or two 7.5-by-5 pieces (or one 7.5-by-10) for a child mask.

Note for printed fabrics: The longer (9-inch or 7.5-inch) dimension is the horizontal dimension. Keep this in mind when choosing a portion of your fabric to cut out.

1. Put right sides of cotton fabric together.
2. Starting at the center of the bottom edge, sew to the first corner, stop. Sew the elastic into the corner with the end sticking out. A few stitches forward and back will hold this.
3. Sew to the next corner, stop, and bring the other end of the same elastic to the corner and sew a few stitches forward and back. The elastic between the ends should be on the inside, between the right sides of the fabric.
4. Now sew across that top of the mask to the next corner. Again put an elastic with the edge out.
5. Sew to the next corner and sew in the other end of the same elastic.
6. Sew across the bottom leaving about 1.5” to 2” open. Stop, cut the thread. Turn inside out.
7. Pin 3 tucks (pleats) on each side of the mask. Make sure the tucks are the same direction. Each should be 3/8-inch below the one above it.
8. Sew around the edge of the mask twice. It is so easy to make this.