|
| No longer "no sew", but still easy... |
Depending on where you are in the world, I suppose the answer could range from
nothing to N95.
In my case, the
"no sew" mask
that I featured here in June 2020 served my needs for about six months.
When worn, it totally wraps the bottom part of the face from nose to
chin, ear to ear; i.e., no gaps along the sides.
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For hubby, I made a new one from scratch. He had somehow misplaced one of his (we each had two).
When winter rolled around and COVID cases skyrocketed during our second
wave, we were told to improve our masks. My solution was to sew a strip
of fabric across the middle of them, essentially kicking them up a notch
to a double and essentially triple layer mask. (Essentially triple
because the fabric is folded to the inside at the top where it covers
the nose.)
|
| Fabric strip added in late 2020... |
With a more contagious variant currently wreaking havoc on our lives,
we have been told once again to "up" our mask game.
My rational and logical side informs me that all pandemic precautions
are a matter of risk assessment. I don't (yet) feel the need to wear
an N95 to go about my two errands a week, but additional layers on my
fabric mask do add to my peace of mind.
First, though, I'd like to say that my mask has performed well for me over the past year and a half. Happily, the choice I made to go with a non-woven stretchy fabric was a good one. (That being the case, if you have any polyester-y clothing that you don't want anymore, you could make yourself a face mask out of it.)
First, though, I'd like to say that my mask has performed well for me over the past year and a half. Happily, the choice I made to go with a non-woven stretchy fabric was a good one. (That being the case, if you have any polyester-y clothing that you don't want anymore, you could make yourself a face mask out of it.)
|
| Simple mask template for stretchy fabrics... |
And the design itself can't be any simpler, as you can see from the
template above. (You can
download my template
to guide you in making your own; I used it as is for me and added a
half inch at the fold line for my hubby.)
|
| Provides good coverage... |
It's easy to take care of (in my case, the
Spoonflower performance pique washes well and dries quickly),
easy to carry (it doesn't wrinkle and can't be damaged) and easy to
wear once you get the hang of how to twist the end loops around your
ears. My guess is that the absence of elastic also makes it more
comfortable than others.
While it doesn't have an adjustable nose piece, that again is a risk
assessment thing.
|
| Adding two more strips of fabric to the mask... |
No longer being "no sew" doesn't mean that it's difficult to make, or
that it can't be managed without a sewing machine. The strips are only
sewn down at the ends and that's certainly doable by hand. (These
additional pieces of fabric came from the borders of the
Spoonflower fat quarter.)
When I decided to add two more, I positioned them so that they
overlapped by about an inch each from the top down. The top of the
last piece is placed
under the original strip.
For hubby, I made a new one from scratch. He had somehow misplaced one of his (we each had two).
|
| Adding layers... |
Since I had a section of border fabric that was wider than the rest, I
put them on top of one of the narrower strips in this case. The
location is approximately where the mouth would be, providing triple
layer protection.
|
| Easy additions to make... |
As shown above, when the mask is worn, the top part is folded to the
inside, adding another layer of fabric automatically.
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It took a bit of practice to teach my fingers how to twist the loops around my ears. My mom never could get the hang of it, so she's been using other masks.
It took a bit of practice to teach my fingers how to twist the loops around my ears. My mom never could get the hang of it, so she's been using other masks.
|
| Still a quick and easy project! |
What I like about these right now is that they provide additional
warmth during winter cold snaps. (We've been mired in one for over two
weeks now.) The extra layers will feel different in the heat of
summer, though, and who knows if we'll be able to ditch the masks by
then. ⊙﹏⊙
'Til next...
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