Making a Face Mask Without Ear Ties

 

Recently my oldest brought home from school a face mask that someone had given her that day. Apparently, one of the moms had made a whole bunch for the kids and sent them to school, and everyone got to pick one to keep. They were just like the ones you see everywhere, probably like the ones you yourself are using, and, in a moment of sweetness, she picked a Minnie Mouse one because she knows that her little sister is nuts about Minnie Mouse. But as soon as I picked the kids up that day, the first thing they all said was, "Mommy, can you please fix it?"

See, I don't make face masks like the ones you see everywhere and probably have at home. And honestly, I seriously did not see the need before now to tell you all about it because goodness knows, there are dozens of blogs, YouTube tutorials, patterns and even DIY kits for everyone to make their own nowadays, and I seriously didn't think ya'll needed another one. But as I said, I don't make them the same way everyone else does, and my family and I are agreed that the ones I make are superior in comfort to the style that is so prevalent right now. Mine don't tie around your ears; they tie around your head.

That's right--no sore or chafing ears, no slipping off if it doesn't fit just right--just a measured to-your-head elastic that slips on and off easily, stays in place without fuss, and even can ride around your neck easily when not needed so you don't have to worry about keeping up with it when you're not wearing it on your face. 

I do need to say that the pattern for the mask itself is not mine; I got it from this blog, and what I love about it is its versatility. There's a pattern for men, women & teenagers, kids age 7-12, and kids age 3-6; so no matter your face size, the mask will fit you. There's also tips on how to sew on a sleeve for a nosepiece (very handy if you have glasses like me) and how to sew the front and back pieces into a sleeve for a filter if you feel the need for extra protection. And it's all free! Seriously, I can't recommend this pattern enough--it's awesome! Check it out!

But the one caveat of the pattern is that it calls for elastic around the ears, and that just wasn't satisfactory for me or my husband. So, after a little experimenting, this is what I came up with:

Nice, huh? And much easier to do than you think. If you decide you want to retrofit your current masks to this style, I have the tutorial for you to do just that!

To start with, I pulled out my trusty seam ripper and took the Minnie Mouse mask apart. Once it was completely disassembled, opened up and ironed to get rid of all the creases, I found I had enough material for the front piece of the mask, but not for the inside. No big deal--I have plenty of fabric lying around; I just picked a coordinating fabric and cut out the inside pieces from that. 

(Let's say that you're fine with your mask the way it is and you'd just like to have it tie around the head like I'm gonna show you here; no problem--just skip the next couple paragraphs and jump down to the end where I talk about that--I won't judge. The rest of you, stay with me. 😊)

Once I had my front and back pieces cut out, I pinned the top and bottom of each side together, sewed a 1/4" seam along the curve, opened it out, and carefully topstitched along the seam. Topstitching simply means you sew along the outside of the seam very close to the seam; this presents a neater, more finished appearance and keeps the seam allowance in place. It should look like this at this point. 

Next, you pin the front and back together, right sides facing each other, lining up the seams at the top and bottom. Sew a 1/4" seam allowance along the top and the bottom, then turn it right side out. 

Once the mask is right side out, it's a good idea to iron it flat so that the seams are flush and tight. Then topstitch along the top and bottom of the mask. This will help the mask retain its shape even in the wash.

I'm sure you've noticed by now that the inside of the mask is slightly shorter on both ends than the outside of the mask; this is where you will make the pocket for the elastic. 

On each side, fold over a very thin hem on the outside edge of the mask and then fold it over again to the inside of the mask and pin it in place. Sew as close to the edge as you can in order to leave plenty of room for your elastic and make sure you go back and forth over the beginning and end of your seam as this area will endure a lot of wear and friction.

Now your mask is done! Time to add the elastic.

To find the measurement for each person's head, I generally will thread the elastic through the first mask ('cause I never make just one at a time, oh no!), hold it in place on the person's head to get the length, cut it where my finger was marking it, then measure the piece I cut with the measuring tape and cut all the other pieces to the same length. Once you know the person's measurement needed, it's just a matter of cutting the elastic the appropriate lengths and attaching it to the mask. Incidentally, my children all need somewhere between 20-24", I need 27", and my husband needs 34" (he has a big head 😋). So it will vary from person to person. 

To thread the elastic through the mask, attach a safety pin to one end and use it to pull the elastic through first one side, then the other.

Use a straight pin to connect the two ends and then sew the ends together on the sewing machine, using a zigzag stitch. And you're done! Start to finish, this mask takes between 15-20 minutes to make, depending on your sewing speed.

If you have a mask you are wanting to retrofit, simply cut the old elastic off, thread new elastic through that is the right length for your head, and sew it together. As my daughter says, "Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!" 😄