How's
everyone doing? Lockdown has been relaxed with certain limitations here in my
city since yesterday. We're in the green zone as of now, and I hope & pray it
will remain that way.
Anyway, in
between mask making, I am tidying up my fabric stocks. Since my fabric shop is
closed temporarily due to lockdown, might as well do some care and love for
them :D.
And when I
saw these pretty fabrics, I know I
wanted to make a face mask but then the fabric is quite lightweight. So I decided
to make three layers mask. Super quick and easy. You only need 1 piece of
fabric and 2 pieces of binding fabrics.
(More about binding later on).
And as I progress making three layers masks, I made a slim pleated mask!! I kinda love how slim this mask turns out that you can literally slip it in your pocket or even wallet.
Here is what you need :
1 rectangle fabric 7.5" W x 19.5" H (6.5" x 16.5" for kids) - use fun fabric with border if you have.
2 binding pieces 2" W x 3.5" H
Let's get sewing :
1. Place the fabric right side down. If you're using fabric with a border like I did, fold the border side first by 6.5" like the picture below.
 |
| 3. Clip or pin to secure it and topstitch (on the 7.5" sides) using 1/4" seam allowance (mark with yellow line) |
| 4. Turn the mask inside out on the pieces where the right side is facing. Press the seam and topstitch using 1/8" allowance (yellow line). Then make a marked line 1.75" from the top and bottom edges. (red line). |
5. Fold on the red line
and then fold
it back again to line up with the bottom edge. (I hope I make sense here).
Repeat with the other side, pin it and sew the short edges with 1/8" seam allowance.
6. Place the mask with a pleated side down on the right side of the binding.
Wrap the sides and pin as shown in the picture below and sew the binding using 1/4" seam allowance.
7. Open the binding and fold the raw edge.
8. Now wrap it around the raw edge. Topstitch using scant 1/8" seam allowance. Repeat with the other side and you're done. Now insert the elastic and using fabric ties.
It's super
duper easy, right?
So which one
is your fave?
The regular
pleats, the box pleats, or this slim pleated one? This slim pleated mask is
finished at 2" x 7,5". If you wish yo make broader, you can use
21" x 7.5" fabric panel.
This is how it looks when worn. Basically, it will cover the same way since the face mask is made from a flat fabric panel. If you want a mask that has breathable space, you can try the 3D Face Mask with Filter Pocket or the new TRIO 3D Face Mask which has more specious breathing space.
Now, why three layers? Well, they said the more layer the better. Add another extra layer of cotton fabric still make the mask breathable and comfortable to wear especially during Indian summer.
I personally prefer using binding to create a casing for the ties or elastic, instead of sewing the elastic or ties on the mask. That way, when the elastic becomes loose, I can always change it. Also if you notice my (mug) photo above, the elastic can minimize the gap on the cheeks. Which I believe is important.
I've been making three layers mask in the past few days using Indian fabrics for hubby's staff at the office. Indian soft cotton fabric is very soft and breathable. I used to make to wear it during springtime, but now with COVID-19 Pandemic going on, it's better to have an extra layer.
By the way, I don't add nose wire when I use soft fabric, because the fabric is lightweight, the twist and tie that I am using for nose wire tends to pierce out of the fabric. (I tried :D)
I hope this tutorial will be helpful to you. I will try to make a Pdf version or a video tutorial next time when I sew. Here's the video tutorial to make this 3 layers face mask.
Thank you for stopping by!
Stay safe, everyone!
- Elvira-
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