Any DIYers here making masks?

[Taskr]

Well, the jury is still out on the elastic. I put it in one of my masks just in time for my biweekly grocery-shopping trip. I'm not sure if I like it or not. It's a bit more comfortable than the wire, because I don't have it gripping all the way down both sides of my nose so there's less pressure (and, I have found wearing a mask makes my nose want to run but at least the elastic does slightly less, for that same reason). But, that extra space on either side of the nose where the fabric is not fitting close also allows more air to escape and fog my glasses (but, it's not completely horrible). I feel like I possibly could have sewn it tighter-- I initially stretched and sewed just the ends of the elastic and then tried it on, and it seemed more tight then than it did once I was done. But, I can only do so much; it's hard to stretch the elastic while also hand-sewing it and I think I got it pretty well stretched. (Or maybe I needed a longer piece of elastic; the one I used was roughly 2.25".)

Someone who doesn't wear glasses, or possibly someone with a small nose (unfortunately, my father was generous enough to gift me with his large-nose genes), would have no problem with this method.

The issue with elastic is that it pulls in a straight line and with a mask we are trying to get the cloth to take a shape. I've used four wire types, all about 6" in length with the ends bent back and crimped:
electrical - being copper and coated, the individual wire is less likely to oxidize with washing, but its too thick
pipe cleaner - very comfortable, but will it rust?
jewelry wire - shapes light cotton nicely, but very thin and a bit of a job to fix it in place
aluminum craft wire - not thin, but extremely pliable. holding shape and comfortable... longevity?

[Katia]

The issue with elastic is that it pulls in a straight line and with a mask we are trying to get the cloth to take a shape. I've used four wire types, all about 6" in length with the ends bent back and crimped:
electrical - being copper and coated, the individual wire is less likely to oxidize with washing, but its too thick
pipe cleaner - very comfortable, but will it rust?
jewelry wire - shapes light cotton nicely, but very thin and a bit of a job to fix it in place
aluminum craft wire - not thin, but extremely pliable. holding shape and comfortable... longevity?

Yes, this was my worry with the elastic as well. However, as I said, I had at least one instance in which the wire left a mark on my nose-- which turned out to actually be a scrape, which explains why it remained for more than a week. Mind you, my wire is a florist's type that is covered in soft plastic and this still happened. Wire also makes my nose run more while I'm wearing the mask (I think the pressure irritates it; the elastic only putting pressure across the top made it not so bad). Hence why I was hoping elastic might be a better alternative.

[Father Bill]

'Nuff said!



Mother Bill is a wonderful seamstress and much appreciated!

[Tobus]

Well done, Mother Bill!

[ShaunMaxwell]

While I'm impressed with the efforts of the DIYers in this thread, I DO NOT possess any particular skill with needle and thread, so I found another route:



I happened across as site selling custom-printed masks, so I uploaded my art (Maxwell hunting tartan, on the bias) and was off to the races. I replaced the elastic strips that fit around the ears with longer strips that fit around the head/neck, similar to the SportKilt version — which is about the limit of my sewing skills!

Cheers,

SM

[Tobus]

I thought I would update this thread, now that a couple of months have passed.

When I started making these masks, I was working from home. My department was called back to full-time office duty at the beginning of June. So I've been wearing my homemade masks (and making more) for two months. Our rules at work are that masks must be worn in common areas and if there is more than one person in a room. I don't wear a mask while I'm at my desk, alone in my office. But any time I leave my office or if someone comes in, I've got to don my mask. I'm putting it on and taking it off all day. I've learned several things along the way.

First, my wool tartan masks are fairly comfortable and breathable but they don't last terribly long with regular washing. I've had to toss a couple of them in the rubbish bin as they started fraying and shrinking (my wife insists on using hot water to launder anything I wear in public, which is of course death to wool). For this reason, I've stopped making masks from wool tartan scraps and am now just using cotton.

Second, I abandoned hand-stitching and started using my antique treadle sewing machine and my wife's modern electronic sewing machine. I hadn't used a sewing machine for a few decades, so there was a learning curve. But I've gotten the hang of it and can now whip out several masks within a few hours. I like to have at least a dozen masks so I can coordinate with my work attire, as well as coordinate with the laundry schedule. There's no way I could keep up with that making masks with hand-stitching.

Third, I have moved away from wanting my masks to be soft and pliable. I now prefer them to be more on the stiff side. This keeps the material from flexing between my nose and chin so that it stays off my mouth and maintains a bit of an air gap. So instead of using thin interfacing for the middle layer (all my masks are three layers), I've started using a heavy, stiff nonwoven interfacing that is typically used for stiff collars and such. It is still breathable, and actually feels very similar to the material used on N95-type masks. I couldn't say whether the heavy interfacing filters near N95 levels, but it certainly holds shape like one and has about the same level of resistance when breathing through it. With that as a middle layer and heavier cotton (quilting weight) for the other layers, it should be about as good as a cloth homemade mask can get in terms of protection.

Fourth, fit over the nose is critical. While the two main patterns I've been using are fairly well fitted to my face, the gap on either side of the bridge of my nose was not acceptable. So I've started adding a nose wire to all my recent masks. This is quite easily done during the construction process. When I'm sewing the layers together, before turning the mask inside out to bring the seam allowances inside, I stitch a narrow channel within the seam allowance. Then I snip a few inches of copper wire, bend their ends over to a tight loop so there are no sharp edges, and slip the wire into the channel. A short closing stitch on each end after the wire is installed keeps it captive in the channel. Once that wire is in there, I turn the mask out, press the seams with an iron, and finish the ear loop pieces. So each time I put on the mask, I can simply press on that wire over my nose and it keeps that shape all day. Much better for eliminating the gap, and it reduces fogging of glasses as well. Some people prefer their masks to barely cover their nose (or they pull it down under their nose which renders it useless), but I prefer my mask to cover the bridge of my nose and come down just below my eyes.

Fifth, ear loops. I was using boot laces or 1/4" flat elastic band. The boot laces had to be looped around my neck from the bottom and then tied behind my head over my ears, which is a pain to put on and take off every time. The flat elastic is simpler, but it's uncomfortable over my ears and will bend the tops of my ears down. So I've gone to a 1/8" round braided elastic. It's very soft and stretchy and fits nicely over and behind my ears. I size the ear loops on my mask so that they hold my mask snug but not tight when they're looped behind my ears. If I need a tighter fit (like if I'm going to be in a meeting room with several other people for a couple of hours), I use an "ear saver" strap as I described earlier in the thread. This stretches the loops tighter since they have to reach further around my head, and draws the mask tighter all around. I figure this is a decent system for making my masks somewhat adjustable in tightness as needed.

This is what my masks are looking like these days with cotton inner/outer layers, stiffer interfacing, nose wire, and thinner ear loops.

[Brian Rose]

[QUOTE=Tobus;1386902]
First, my wool tartan masks are fairly comfortable and breathable but they don't last terribly long with regular washing. I've had to toss a couple of them in the rubbish bin as they started fraying and shrinking (my wife insists on using hot water to launder anything I wear in public, which is of course death to wool). For this reason, I've stopped making masks from wool tartan scraps and am now just using cotton.

I'd think that after the first one had to be binned, I would do the laundry myself. I do wash anything wool myself and she'd happily let me. Cone to think of it, I do most of the laundry.