I have been making these face masks for family and friends, so thought I would share the pattern here on my blog – it’s totally free – you can make as many as you like, all I ask is that you don’t make money from them – I feel in times like this we should help others and not try to profit.

I made the first prototype and then adjusted the pattern to allow more space at the front for breathing.

Here is the pattern – simply open it as a PDF in Adobe Reader and print – let me know if you need any help – see below for the making guide.

You will need a piece of cotton fabric 20 cm x 60 cm to cut 2 layers

The mask can also be made of terry towelling and in that case you can cut 1 layer of fabric.

Sew a small dart at the top – for the nose. Now sew a dart seam at the base for the chin shaping. Press the seams – you will need to clip in at the chin shaping to allow you to press the seam open.

I pressed my nose darts in different directions, one to the left and one to the right – to avoid too much bulk at the nose.

Now place the 2 layers together with the right sides of the fabric facing outwards and use a straight stitch to hold the 2 layers together

Pin the pleats in position – in the direction shown on the pattern piece and sew with a straight stitch to secure. You can do the previous 2 steps all in one go if you are an experienced sewer!

I used FOE – Fold over elastic to bind my mask – mainly because I have plenty of it and also because it stretches so the ties are better. You can also use plain cotton bias binding – see my post on making your own bias binding https://modelistecreative.com/2018/02/19/make-sew-your-own-bias-binding-tape/

– or see my YouTube video on applying FOE if you need any help with this.

Bind the edges of the mask first – you have already secured the pleats in position with a holding stitch so this should be easier.

Now continue to apply binding to the top and bottom of the mask. I used elastic binding which allowed me to pull a little over the nose and under the chin to make the mask a snugger fit.

leave ends as ties – mine are 20 cm long – you may want them a little longer if you are using cotton bias binding.

As always I am happy to answer any questions, just leave a comment below.

Happy mask making!

Nicola