Face Mask Making
Welcome to our Face Masks Section
We have created this dedicated section on our website; here, you will find all the various sewing tools and notions that customers have requested, along with handy mask patterns, hints, and tips. While we cannot guarantee the effectiveness of a homemade face mask, they still protect against the spread of the Covid19 virus. Homemade masks are not considered PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and cannot be worn by medical professionals unless there are no other options.
Fabrics
Quilting cotton works well as they are 100% cotton, tightly woven and are washable. AGF Fabric and 200-thread-count muslins have a higher thread count, so they are very well-suited for face masks - they are also very soft.
AGF Fabrics are also OEKO-TEX certified, which means they only use safe inks for your skin and the planet. Gauze, double-gauze and loosely woven fabrics are not recommended to be used as your face mask will be laundered frequently, so it is necessary to pre-shrink the fabric. If you like starching your fabrics before sewing with them, that is not a problem so long as the finished face mask is laundered before it is donated and/or worn.
We also sell Albstoffe Protect-Me Trevira© Bioactive Technical Fabric. Trevira-Bioactive contains fibres with silver ions firmly integrated within them, which have an antimicrobial effect and thus inhibit the growth of bacteria. This ensures the fabric remains permanently fresh after many washes and is odour free. Trevira-Bioactive is manufactured as a continuous microfilament with many tiny capillaries, which gives good filter performance. The fabric is stretchy, breathable and hard-wearing, making it a great fabric for use when making face masks.
Linings
There are differing opinions on whether this is necessary or even desirable. Additional layers of fabric will inhibit microbes from passing through the mask, but there comes the point where each additional layer provides only minimal improvement. The other consideration is breathability. Some people have been using interfacing interlining, which can be sew-in or ironed onto the inside of the mask. We want to note that although we sell interfacing, we must point out it was not designed for this use.
Ties
There are various ways to tie on a mask, dependent upon the pattern you choose to use. The most popular way has been to sew elastic or thread it through the mask.
We have listened to feedback from people wearing masks for a prolonged period of time. To ease the pressure around the ears, we have been attaching buttons to either a section of ribbon that You can wear across the back of the head and the elastic attached to the buttons or headbands with buttons sewn on and used in the same way. We also stock 100% cotton tape, which is a great alternative to elastic; it can be sewn onto the mask and tied behind the back of the head.
We have created this dedicated section on our website; here, you will find all the various sewing tools and notions that customers have requested, along with handy mask patterns, hints, and tips. While we cannot guarantee the effectiveness of a homemade face mask, they still protect against the spread of the Covid19 virus. Homemade masks are not considered PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and cannot be worn by medical professionals unless there are no other options.
Fabrics
Quilting cotton works well as they are 100% cotton, tightly woven and are washable. AGF Fabric and 200-thread-count muslins have a higher thread count, so they are very well-suited for face masks - they are also very soft.
AGF Fabrics are also OEKO-TEX certified, which means they only use safe inks for your skin and the planet. Gauze, double-gauze and loosely woven fabrics are not recommended to be used as your face mask will be laundered frequently, so it is necessary to pre-shrink the fabric. If you like starching your fabrics before sewing with them, that is not a problem so long as the finished face mask is laundered before it is donated and/or worn.
We also sell Albstoffe Protect-Me Trevira© Bioactive Technical Fabric. Trevira-Bioactive contains fibres with silver ions firmly integrated within them, which have an antimicrobial effect and thus inhibit the growth of bacteria. This ensures the fabric remains permanently fresh after many washes and is odour free. Trevira-Bioactive is manufactured as a continuous microfilament with many tiny capillaries, which gives good filter performance. The fabric is stretchy, breathable and hard-wearing, making it a great fabric for use when making face masks.
Linings
There are differing opinions on whether this is necessary or even desirable. Additional layers of fabric will inhibit microbes from passing through the mask, but there comes the point where each additional layer provides only minimal improvement. The other consideration is breathability. Some people have been using interfacing interlining, which can be sew-in or ironed onto the inside of the mask. We want to note that although we sell interfacing, we must point out it was not designed for this use.
Ties
There are various ways to tie on a mask, dependent upon the pattern you choose to use. The most popular way has been to sew elastic or thread it through the mask.
We have listened to feedback from people wearing masks for a prolonged period of time. To ease the pressure around the ears, we have been attaching buttons to either a section of ribbon that You can wear across the back of the head and the elastic attached to the buttons or headbands with buttons sewn on and used in the same way. We also stock 100% cotton tape, which is a great alternative to elastic; it can be sewn onto the mask and tied behind the back of the head.