I recently started sewing after I watched countless videos for face mask sewing and decided to buy myself a sewing machine. Once I got started I couldn’t stop! Sewing is very calming and the easy straight lines is very soothing for an OCD person. Also, my love for geometry / design drawing hasn’t faded over the many years of Excel usage :)
In the last week I have tried a few face mask designs. The right most one is my final one that I would use after adjusting the original design for size and fit under the chin. I personally think the best design should have the following features:
A removable nose strip: I need to emphasize on removable, as countless designs entirely enclose the strip. I am not sure whether the metal can hold its shape after frequent washes or if the metal might rust. Therefore I think having the option to remove strip for wash / to replace the content is a nice thing to have.
Curvature around the nose: Simple rectangle masks with pleats cause fogs to build on glasses when you breath. A curved design around the nose like N95 masks is a really well thought design.
Long fabric ties: Medical masks with elastic ear loops don’t work well for me as it always slides down on my face easily, probably due to my relatively flat face. Longer elastics on N95 masks definitely work better for customizing the angle for tightening. For cloth face masks, I recommend designs with fabric ties so you just tie to your own preferred angle. I figured out that leaving only two open ends would work the best so you can leave mask hang on your neck and then try to adjust the fit by timing the two open ends on the back of your head. Four open ends (like the second one on the left) also work but just one more knot to tie as opposed to having it closed already. A long fabric tie is recommended so you can tie it at a larger angle on your head, the mask doesn’t slide down as easily that way.
Pocket for filter inserts: It would be ideal so we can insert Pm2.5 filters to enhance the functionality of these cloth masks. Many comments suggest using coffee filter / paper towel as the insert, but I am unsure about the practicality. For now I plan to use my cloth face masks over medical masks to mainly hold the medical masks in place to avoid the sliding and fog build-up on my glasses. While a slot of insert is not necessary, it is nice to 1) have extra cloth layers for filtering anyway and 2) have these masks ready for removal inserts when safe materials become more widely available for household usage.
Wrap under the chin: many designs sit rather lose around the chin. The first one with pleats can be forced to curve under the chin but then the two sides may not fully close ( perhaps I need to adjust the sizing). I made the second one curved according to a fourth of a circle perimeter initially, but it was opening too much around the chin so I had to sew pleats toward inside for a better fit . The last two designs were based on a 3D design, the modification I made on the last one is to add pleats at the bottom to enclose better under the chin.
My next experiment is axe shaped masks!
Besides masks, I also made a passport holder and a flower bag. Sewing is a very practical skill to have so you can create things you need in the materials you like :)
