Hi Creative Mamas, Grandmas, Aunties, Teachers! I am super excited to show you a new way to make a fabric face mask in ten minutes! A few weeks ago I posted a DIY tutorial on how to make a fabric face mask using materials you have at home.
The motivation for that post was to make DIY face masks that the kids would want to wear. It has been amazingly popular and I have received a lot of lovely feedback. I am super pleased that I have been able to help during these tricky times of Covid 19.
However, a lot of readers from La Creative Mama community have reached out because they didn’t have a printer at home so they couldn’t print out the free pattern that I provided with the mask tutorial.
Also, a lot of my readers have been sewing non stop to make face masks not only for their families but also to donate to people who need them and they don’t know how to sew. So, in this post I am going to show you how to make a fabric mask in ten minutes without any patterns to print.
Hopefully this mask will speed up the making process and it will be as easy and as non scary for kids as the previous mask tutorial 🙂
This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using this link. Please see my disclosure for more details
This fabric face mask is:
- Easy to wear
- Machine washable
- Reusable after washed
- Fits different sizes
- You can make this fabric face mask in ten minutes
All you will need for this mask is a good working sewing machine 🙂, some fabric from your stash (or some already cut fabric) and a lot of love.
You may also be interested in these other fabric face masks tutorials:
DIY fabric face mask using materials you have at home
How to make a great fitted face mask for glasses
How To Make The Best Fabric Face Mask For Your Kids
What you need to know before making your face mask:
What is the best fabric to make face masks?
The best fabric to use for the face mask is 100 % cotton. If you can’t shop for 100% cotton, check out this study which explores the best materials from home for making DIY masks.
To make sure that your fabric is 100 % cotton can do a fabric classification test.
Be sure to wash your fabric well before making the face masks.
How to use a fabric face mask?
There are a few things to consider in terms of using a fabric face mask. Here are a few suggestions:
- Make sure that you wear a clean fresh mask every time you go out.
- If you have kids get them to take off their masks when you get home and get them to wash their hands immediately. Wash the masks straight away!
- When removing the mask be sure to untie the bottom ribbons first, so that the masks doesn’t fall on your chest.
How to make a fabric face mask in ten minutes tutorial
Materials & Equipment:
You need a good working sewing machine 🙂
- Fabric. I like these pre cuts because they are good cotton quality and I can get many masks out of them.
- Bias binding tape
- Scissors
- Sewing thread
- Download your free PDF Cutting Instructions (available in my free resource library — get the password for free by filling out the form below)
Download your PDF face mask tutorial! Don’t forget to read the full tutorial first 🙂
Step 1:
- Cut 2 pieces of fabric 9 inches (23 cms) by 6 1/2 inches (16 cms)
- Cut one piece of fabric 9 inches (23 cms) by 6 1/2 inches (16 cms)
- Prepare your binding tape. You will need 2 strips of 48 inches each
I have used fabric from my left over quilting projects and some left over binding tape from my stash. I am matching the colors freely which for me is a playful element and makes me focus on the fun part of this project rather than on the down side of it.
Pin the sides of your rectangle and sew the three layers with a straight stitch. From this point onward it will hopefully only take you ten minutes to make your mask 🙂
Step 2:
Iron the side seams by pressing them towards the darker fabric.
Step 3:
This is the fun part! You need to create three pleats on each side. Make sure that the pleats are folding down. To create the pleats you have 2 options:
- Measure 3/4 inch from the top edge and allow for 1/2 inch for the under fold. Repeat this from the new folded line with the remaining two pleats.
- Eye ball the pleats making sure that the fold is going down. Also make sure that the placement of the pleats is even on both sides 🙂
Step 4:
Sew the pleats on both sides making sure they are all placed in a straight line before sewing.
This is how the mask will look after sewing the pleats
Step 5:
To prepare the binding tape, you will need to press it while folding it as shown in illustration below. After the binding tape is folded and pressed, place it on the top and bottom edges of the mask.
Step 6:
Sew the binding tape in place by starting at the end of the tape and working your way to the mask. Keep sewing until you reach the other end of the tape.
Voila, your fabric mask is done and hopefully it has only taken 10 minutes!
Download your FREE PDF cutting instructions and get started with your face mask!
This creative Mama made 500 masks in 2 weeks to help her community!
This is Fanny ( amazing creative mama). Fanny and her friends were able to quickly make 500 face masks when Auckland went into lockdown and face masks became mandatory in public transport.
Having this super straight forward pattern made it super easy and I was so happy to be a little part of this amazing community effort.
Want to remember this? Save this tutorial to your favorite Pinterest Board!
