How to Make a Pretty Homemade Mask Easily- No Sewing Machine Needed

Last time I was in the city, I stopped at a fabric store, and picked out this black and white polka dot fabric, bought a meter for $5.75. I love polka dots, especially black and white polka dots, and wearing them on my face sounded much more fun than my plain black mask or my disposable ones.

Once I got home, I lay my mask onto the fabric, and traced the shape of the mask, adding an inch all around each side to make room for sewing, and also to increase its size a bit. I cut out one, then used it to trace another one, then flipped it over to make two more ones the reverse shape.

This used less than 1/6 of the fabric, so this same $5.75 worth of fabric can make six masks.

I just did a single regular stitch going the whole way around, and then went back and sewed between the holes that were already there, to make it a stronger stitch and not pull. Oh, and I kept the thread doubled for this.

I then did this with the second two pieces.

I then hemmed the straight end opposite the end I previously sewed. For various reasons, I decided to double fold these over before sewing it.

Then I flipped them both to be right side out to see how it looked.

Now it’s time to sew them both together. Ok, at this point one needts to be inside out again. Place right side out one inside the inside out one.

Open it up- sorry, this part wasn’t photographed, since it doesn’t lie flat at that point and I couldn’t take a picture as well as hold it down- and pin it along the top and bottom, the entire length of the mask.

Then sew it along those edges that were pinned.

Now, the two ends are the only parts that aren’t sewed shut, so pull the sides through it, and turn it right side out.

Now for the last step. I decided that because masks were hurting my ears, I’d make mine in a way that ties shut, and since I had some bias tape in my sewing box, I decided to use that. You can also use ribon or t-shirts cut into strips. I did a bunch of stitches back and forth over the same area to keep it strong, since this is the area that will have the most tension on it. I sewed both sides together over the bias tape, again to keep it stronger.

For the girls’ I used elastic to go over their ear, so instead of sewing the bias tape on, I just sewed elastic in a loop.

I made theirs smaller than mine by tracing their previously purchased masks, but the shape was more or less the same as mine.

Anneleise wanted two different colors for hers- one for the inside and one for the outside- a cute fox pattern and a checkered pink and white one.