Fabric Face Mask Tutorial Using Ties

When schools shut down in mid-March for my kids’ school, I knew something big was happening. In addition to US news, I follow a lot of news out of Asia and the outlook was pretty bleak for us in the states. So when the government, along with a multitude of healthcare organizations said we short on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE,) I was shocked. But then came the pleading of all sewists to start making fabric masks…and I was just like you…How can a FABRIC mask do anything against an airborne VIRUS???

But I fell in line like a good soldier and just started making masks with the guidance given by the CDC and a host of other online resources. Initially, I tried out this Fu Mask version that was more contoured to the face, but it left a lot of room around my cheeks and even my husband’s (which is more full with a beard.) The fit was not the greatest and I ended up folding a dart in to take out the excess room. However, I knew if I was going to make and donate masks, I needed to make a version that was going to fit the largest range of faces AND be conducive to production sewing…aka…sewing a TON of them at a time.

The standard pleated surgical style was it. The rectangle shape makes it a quick sew and the pleats allow a roomy fit for all different face shapes. But instead of over-the-ear elastic, I chose to use fabric ties help accommodate for different head sizes and for medical sterilization purposes. Early on, we just didn’t know how elastic would hold under continuous high temperature washings at medical facilities. Also, elastic was hard to come by with everyone making masks for the lack of national PPE supplies. My first 200 donations went to private practice doctors, police officers and workers at a mental health facility. So I wanted to make sure these could all be cleaned in industrial washing machines without compromising the integrity of the elastic. With all of this, I also had to choose a style that I could personally make the quickest way. So this is the technique I used.

Click into my video below to watch the entire mask-making progress. You will need:

(2) 9″ x 7″ rectangles of fabric – one for lining and one for exterior. I used fleece for the lining when it was still cooler outside, but then switched to quilt cotton for both layers once weather began to warm up.
(4) 18″ Ties – These can be make from bias strips as shown in the video but can be swapped out with twill tape, ribbon, shoelaces, and even piping rope.

Although, the first few months of the pandemic were quite frantic with home-schooling and then making masks, I’m still so thankful to have the gift of sewing in my life. I felt my heart swell with every mask made and delivered to those working on the front lines. <3