Welcome to the new normal… face masks.
I honestly don’t know what to think about the crazy state of our world right now. I love working on projects and creating crafts, but I certainly never expected to be sewing masks to fit my toddlers. Yet… here we are.
While it pains me to write this post, I did actually have fun picking out fabrics and busting out the sewing machine. Yes, this tutorial involves sewing and I have absolutely no intention of teaching anyone how to sew. You’ve been warned.
These instructions can be used for adults or children. The only thing that would change is the size of the initial circle you draw. For adults, I draw a circle with a diameter of approximately 11 inches. For my children, who are toddlers, it was more like 8 inches.
I did create a quick 1 minute video for those who prefer that method of learning. Forgive the formatting of it. It was created in Tik Tok.
If a one minute video doesn’t do it for you, have no fear, I broke it down step by step with pictures and descriptions.
Materials:
Fabric (Check out Spoonflower for some really cool stuff)
Bowl
Pen/Marker/Crayon
Sewing Machine (can also be done by hand)
Elastic (I used hair bands like these)
Step-By-Step Instructions:
First, pick a fabric and find a bowl that measures the diameter you need. I used a bowl that had an 11″ diameter for my husband and me. I used one that had an 8″ diameter for my two toddlers.
Trace an outline of the bowl onto the back of your fabric. I used a marker for the one I was taking pictures of, but I think a crayon actually works better.
Cut along the line until you have just a fabric circle.
Fold the circle in half with the back of the fabric facing out. In other words, your pattern will be on the inside.
Iron along the seam of the fold. This part is optional but recommended.
Cut along the seam so you have two pieces. Keep the pieces together.
Repeat the same steps by folding over the two pieces of fabric in half again. You should now have a quarter of a circle.
Iron the seam.
Cut along the seam the same way you did before.
You should now have 4 pieces of fabric that look the same.
Press two pieces of fabric together with the patterned side facing in (touching the other piece).
Repeat with the other two pieces.
Sew a line across the curved part, joining together the 2 pieces of fabric.
Do this for both pieces.
Make sure the pieces are secured together with no gaps.
Turn one of the sewed pieces inside out to reveal the patterned side of your fabric. Make sure the seam doesn’t have any holes.
Open the other piece up and put the patterned piece that you just turned inside out into it. You should now have one piece consisting of two layers and the patterned sides should be facing one another on the inside. Line up all the corners and edges.
Sew a line along all of the edges, leaving a small opening on one corner about an inch long. Again, make sure there are no holes or gaps on the seams, except where your 1 inch hole is.
Once you have the edges sewed, flip the entire piece inside out through the 1 inch opening.
Flatten it out as best you can. It should now resemble a mask.
Chose the side you want people to see on your face, then flip it over to the other side. Choose your elastic. For mine, I actually used some hair bands.
Place them on the two edges of your mask and fold the points over your elastic.
Sew a line over the folded corner to secure the elastic to the mask.
Repeat on the other side.
Done! Despite how much it hurt my heart to see, the girls loved putting on their new masks. I suppose I can find solace in the fact that they won’t remember much about this time in their lives.
Thanks for reading and I hope this tutorial was helpful! Subscribe to my blog for updates when I post new tutorials or take a look around while you’re here.
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