Surgical Face Mask with Pocket, Wire and Elastic or Bias Tape

Supplies:

cotton fabric, 18 gage craft wire, 3/8”elastic or bias tape, safety pin, thread, sewing machine, scissors or cutting mat and rotary cutter, ruler, iron and ironing board.

You can watch the video version HERE!

Cut one piece 9 1/2″ x 7 1/2″, Cut two pieces for the inside pocket 7″ x 5 1/4″

Fold over both pocket pieces ½” and sew.

Lay the outside fabric piece and the inside pocket pieces right sides together.

Sew 1/4” from the raw edges and across the top and bottom.

Unfold the fabric pieces and iron.

Turn over and sew a casing for the wire about 1/4” from the top.

Pinch the fabric, fold over and pin into place….3 times. When you are finished with the pleats the width of the mask should be 3 1/2 inches,

Press

Sew the pleats into place. Be careful not to sew over the casing you created at the top or you won’t be able to feed your wire through!

Cut the wire 8”. Fold the ends of the wire in to prevent poking through the fabric. Feed the wire through the casing at the top.

Fold over the edge twice (on both sides) and sew to create a casing for the elastic.

Sew the casing, but be careful not to sew over the wire! I pushed the wire in and folded the top of the casing down, so I wouldn’t hit it. Make sure you back stitch!

Cut two pieces of elastic 11” long. Feed the elastic through the sides of the mask.

Or jump ahead to see how we use bias tape. You can buy bias tape in the store or you can make it. Go to Made for an awesome tutorial about how to make your own bias tape.

Sew a zig zag stitch and adjust the elastic so the ends are inside the casing.

Now stitch across the bottom and top of the mask to hold the elastic in place.

Congratulations! You are finished!

If you are using bias tape…cut two 40″ pieces of double-fold bias tape. Fold the bias tape to find the center. Line up the center of the bias tape with the center of the mask. Sandwich the mask between the bias tape and pin in place.