Although this site is primarily based around knitting and crochet. I also turn my hand to many other crafting techniques. One of them being sewing.
Let’s try our hand at Face Masks.
(I will have pattern for you shortly)
The UK government has published a pattern for a 2 layer cotton mask. It is very simple to make. So simple in fact that it doesn’t work unless you have an industrial sewing machine! Place the two pieces of fabric on top of each other. fold the top down a quarter of an inch twice and sew. (6 layers) do the same at the bottom (another 6 layers). For the sides; fold the side edges in once a quarter of an inch then again about half an inch (again the seam part has 6 layers). In the corners… where the sides are folded in along the top and bottom edge, you are folding those 6 layers over each other making 18 layers. I don’t know who has a domestic sewing machine that can cope with that! Doh!
On top of that, the government now states that a 3 layer cotton mask works best but they haven’t updated their design instructions.
So I have designed a 3 layer mask that primarily follows their guidelines with a few modifications. My corners only have 8 layers, there is only one layer either side of the elastic and the side seams are 4 layers, top and bottom seams have 5 layers. The sides are gathered and the inside layer has an opening on both sides to take a filter if you so wish to use one.
The whole point of your Covid-19 mask is to protect others from you rather than the other way around. Seems odd you might think???
Obviously, if you have symptoms, you will be staying at home for 14 days. However, if you have been infected, you won’t show any symptoms for a few days and in some cases you won’t show any at all. (Lucky you).
Unless you have been informed that you have been in contact with someone who has the virus, you could easily have picked it up and not know. it is for this reason that you wear a mask to protect others around you.
Your mask will provide you with some protection too from the virus especially if everyone around you also has a mask, it will also filter out some particulates from exhaust fumes and dust in the air. As the weather gets colder it will help to keep you warm in the winter.
You may have seen many masks with valves. These look really good and professional. Yay! or actually, not so yay! They are brilliant if you are cycling or going for a jog. They help you to breathe out and also help to stop you from sweating inside the mask but they are a complete and utter waste of time as a Covid-19 mask. Reason? When you breathe in, the valve shuts which makes the material of the mask your filter. When you breathe out the valve opens to allow the air out without any filtration. It makes breathing easier but doesn’t filter your breath which is exactly what we don’t want to happen.
So from all the masks available, you have the disposable masks which don’t fit anybody, (gaps all over the place) and they also work out extremely expensive because they are single use only and all the other fancy masks, the best ones are the home made ones that you can adjust to fit. 3 layers of cotton material for the centre of the mask is perfectly adequate, but if you can get one with the inside layer as a pocket you can also slip in an additional filter for added protection in both directions. (for you and people around you). You can use anything from a piece of folded toilet tissue, a paper hankie or piece of kitchen roll, a coffee filter paper or an expensive pm2.5 filter. However, these extra filters might make it a bit difficult to breathe if you are exercising quite hard as in cycling or jogging.