ADDING A NOSE WIRE TO THE MASK

In some cases, a nose wire is helpful -- people who wear glasses sometimes have problems with fogging lenses if the mask isn't snug around the bridge of their nose. 

I've found that the closure strips from coffee bags make great nose wires (specifically Peet's Coffee, although others might be similar). The strips are 5" long and 1/4" wide; I pulled the glue off the strip before using it in the mask.

 
These instructions are for a flat mask that is shaped by pleats. I don't know if this method would work on a mask with a curved center seam. You may be able to affix a bias strip at the bridge of a curved mask and insert one of these strips into it, but I have not tried that.

First, the outside of the finished mask showing the curve of the nose wire at the top of the mask:

 

Next, a photo of the inside, showing the placement and stitching of the strip:

After you've turned the mask inside right and pressed it (step 6 in the original tutorial), edge stitch across the top of the mask, about 1/8" in from the edge. Lock your stitch line at either end. Then slide the bag closure strip inside the mask through the opening at the bottom of the mask. It can be a little difficult to get the strip in place, but it should be centered at the top of the mask as much as possible, and on the outer side of the seam allowances to give a little extra cushioning for the nose.

When you have the strip in place, put a pin at either end to keep it from shifting and also put pins along the length of it to keep it against the upper edge of the mask. You'll need to remove the pins as you sew around the strip, so be sure to insert them so you can pull them out as you go along. Switch to the zipper foot for your machine and do an outline stitch to keep the strip in place. Backstitch across both ends of the strip to make sure it won't shift out of place.

After you have the nose strip sewn in place, proceed to step 7 of the original tutorial -- making the side pleats. From here on, follow the original tutorial, with the exception of the final edge stitching. Because you edge stitched across the top edge before inserting the nose strip, there's no need to re-stitch along that edge. Instead, start your final edge stitch at the top left corner, stitch down the side, then across the bottom and the center pleat, and up the other side. Be sure to reinforce all the corners with backstitching and to triple stitch the pleat, as shown in the original tutorial. 

I've had no problem with the strips getting damaged or permanently distorted in the wash. I put the masks in a lingerie bag and put them in the wash machine with a small load of laundry that I wash on gentle cycle. They go in the dryer loose and get tumbled along with the rest of the laundry load. They are a bit rumpled when they finish drying, but they smooth out easily.

MAKING A FABRIC MASK

We are staying home as much as possible to help flatten the curve of the pandemic. But if we need to go out for essential items like groceries or pharmacy items, we are wearing masks to help prevent the transmission of the virus. Because commercial masks are in very short supply, I've been making fabric masks. After researching a number of styles, I decided to use a simple pleated rectangle, but I designed my own pattern and also added a small box pleat under the chin to make it fit more securely. I put a nose wire in the first mask, but found they fit quite well without the hassle of adding that feature, so I left it out of the pattern. Here are my instructions, including photos. 

I am publishing this as a free pattern for anyone who wants to make a mask for personal use. Please do not use these instructions for commercial purposes.

A simple mask that fits both men and women

(Instructions for a child's size mask included)

First, make t-shirt ties: cut the hem off an old t-shirt, then cut 3/4” or 1” strips across the shirt. Cut away any seams and pull on the ends to make the strip curl. For plain colors, cut across the t-shirt. If you have a print you want on the outside of the ties, cut the fabric on the length of the fabric and it will curl in when you pull on the ends. The ends of the strips don’t curl, so just cut them off to make your ties nice and even. You can check out this brief video to see how it's done: Making t-shirt ties
 
You’ll need four 16"-18” ties for each mask.

Be sure to pre-wash all fabrics in hot water and dry them in a hot dryer so they won't shrink after you've sewn your mask.

Cut two pieces of fabric for each mask.
Adult size: 9” wide x 7.75” high
(Child's size: 7.5" wide x 6.75" high) 

Quilt cottons are fine for the outside, but you’ll get better filtering if you can use a piece of high thread count fabric from an old pillowcase or sheet for the inside. (Getting fussy: If you don’t want the lining to show at the edge of the finished mask, cut the lining fabric about 1/8” smaller in length and in width than the piece of outside fabric. You’ll have to stretch it just a little bit when sewing to keep edges aligned.)

Lay your piece of outside fabric right side up. Place a tie in each corner at a diagonal, with the rest of the tie looped in the center of the piece of fabric. (photo 1)

Lay your lining fabric on top, right side facing down, and pin through the layers at each corner to keep the ties in place. Be careful as you sew that the long ends of the ties stay in the middle of your “sandwich” and don’t get caught in the seams.

On one long edge, place a pin 3” in from each side. (photo 2)

The space between the pins will be the opening you’ll use to turn the mask inside right after you’ve sewn the seams. This will be the bottom edge of your mask. Use a 3/8" seam allowance on all sides. Starting at the pin, lock your stitch line, then sew to the corner and backstitch over the tie to help secure it. Turn the fabric and sew down the short side of the mask, backstitching over the tie at the next corner when you get there. Turn the fabric and sew down the top edge of the mask. When you get to the corner, backstitch over the tie to secure it. Turn the fabric and sew down the other short side, backstitching over the tie when you get to the corner. Turn the fabric one last time and sew to the marking pin. Lock your stitch line and trim the threads. (photos 3 & 4)

 

 

Before turning the mask inside right, trim a small triangle of fabric off each corner to reduce bulk. (photo 5) 

Turn the mask through the opening and tug on the ties to pull the corners out nicely. Press, making sure to keep the seam allowance at the gap turned in evenly. (photo 6)

Now you’re ready to make the side pleats. Working on the outside of the mask, measure down 1-1/2” from the top edge and put a pin. Measure down 1” more and put another pin. (photo 7) 

(For a child's mask, put a pin 1-1/4" from the top edge and put the second pin at 2-1/8.")

Fold the fabric down so the pins match up and pin the pleat. (photo 8) 

Make two more pleats that are 5/8" deep and pin them in place. The pleats should line up snugly but not overlap each other on the back. There should be 5/8” from the bottom of the last pleat to the bottom edge of the mask. (photos 9, 10 & 11) 

(For a child's mask, make the two additional pleats 9/16" deep, with 9/16" from the bottom of the last pleat to the bottom edge of the mask.)

Working on the outside of the mask, sew a line from the top to the bottom edge of the mask to secure the pleats. Sewing 3/8” in from the side edge works well. You may have to go slowly as you sew through these pleats — the multiple layers can be tough. Also, be careful when you sew the pleats on the right edge of the mask that you don’t push the pleats up ahead of the presser foot. 

Now fold the mask in half side to side and put a pin at the bottom center point. (photo 12)

You’re going to make a small box pleat to snug the mask up under the chin and give the mask a slight cup shape. Make two approximately 3/8” pleats that face each other at the center line and pin them. The outside of the pleat should be 3/4" across. See the photos for how to make those. (photos 13 & 14)

(For a child's mask, make two approximately 5/16" pleats that face each other. The outside of the box pleat should be 5/8" across or slightly less.)

The final step is to edge-stitch around the entire mask. Starting in the lower left corner, stitch about 1/8” in from the edge. When you get to the center pleat, make sure it stays aligned as you stitch over it. Turn the mask around and carefully stitch back over the pleat and then turn it again and stitch over the pleat a third time. (photos 15 & 16) 

Continue around the rest of the mask, doing a few back stitches at each corner to reinforce the ties. Lock your line of stitching at the end and trim the threads. (photos 17 & 18 show details of the finished mask)
 

  
You’re done!! (photo 19)

  
You can either tie the mask or add cord locks to make it easier to snug up the ties. The top ties go to the crown of your head and the bottom ties go around your neck. It's more comfortable than ties that pull on the ears, in my experience. 

If the ties are a lot longer than needed to slip the mask on, they can be trimmed as necessary. And if you use cord locks, it's a good idea to make a knot near the end of each tie so you don't accidentally pull the cord lock off when you loosen the ties.

UPDATE: Although I made most of my masks without it, I've found that bonding a piece of sheer interfacing to the back of the outer fabric before I start sewing gives a little more body to the mask and helps it stand away from my mouth and nose a bit. The downside is that the interfaced masks get very wrinkled looking after being washed. Even ironing them doesn't make them look as nice as the non-interfaced masks.