I celebrated my 60th Birthday in April 2020 , whatever I may have had planned for the day I never imagined I would spend it in quarantine, sewing.
I spent the day making face masks. Yes I know, there is little scientific evidence that they are an effective preventative or protective measure but nevertheless if it makes the wearer a bit safer and others around them be a bit safer then it’s a good thing, and we should be happy to wear them for everyone’s sake.
I founds so many patterns, so much advice, but I took the simplest route, I bought a kit from my local fabric shop, Fabrix; https://fabrixlancaster.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/FabrixLancaster
The kit gave enough materials to make 9 masks . I requested it via fb, paid by BACS payment and it arrived within a couple of days. Isn’t the internet wonderful, if we weren’t in lockdown, I’d probably have just planned to go to the shop the following weekend, and then forgot all about it. I rather like shopping on line in my pajamas.
This is a really simple mask, anyone could have a go, it’s made of 3 layers, a coloured fabric for the front, a plain fabric for the back and a thin Vilene lining. On the first three masks I made I followed the pattern when it came to the placing of the tucks, so they appeared loosely equidistant on the finished mask, but found it difficult to place them. I fiddled around for ages trying to get them looking equal.
Then I saw a tutorial for a similar shaped mask, where the mask was pressed in half, and then each half in half again, then used the press lines as a guide. Which means the folds fall lower on the mask but are more easily equally spaced. It works just as well, and takes a heck of a lot less time to complete.
My beloved is happy to wear the non-flowery ones, he has 3, I managed to make 9 out of the fabric provided, so I kept two for myself, gifted two each to my sister and niece. Now I need to find a different material to make masks for my nephew and stepson, and maybe a different mask pattern. I like the one I saw on Peter Lappin’s instagram post, https://www.instagram.com/peterlappin a free PDF from @dhuratadavies. I think if I can find a bandana I have somewhere I’ll try this pattern, it’s possibly a fabric young men might swallow rather flowery fabrics from my stash. Possibly. Although somehow I find its difficult to get the young to understand the risks and comply. So many have died and still we see people not wanting to take reasonable precautions.
I wear these masks frequently, they are much more comfortable than the paper surgical masks, I wash them with the towels on a hot wash, and iron them on a hot. setting.
Nephew for got his mask so I give him my flowery spare from my bag and he Was up for it until I suggested he wear it inside out as the back was white. But ha finds these to small he has a bigger face a beard so I adapted the pattern and added a couple of cm to the fabric and a bit longer elastic. He works in retail so wear has to wear on all day and is not happy when people don’t bother to wear them.
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