How To Make A Reusable Face Mask
Masks are quickly becoming a normal part of our everyday lives, so whether you're struggling to find the right fit or want to express yourself with colour and pattern, check out how to make your own with our colleague Emmie! Once you've completed your creation, don't forget to show us your handiwork @DunelmUK. Now, over to Emmie to show us how it's done…
Hello, I’m Emmie, and I LOVE all things arts and crafts, as you might be able to tell from my studio! During lockdown I've been spending lots of time in here making various creations, and one thing I have been making lots of are reusable face masks for friends and family!
With the rules on wearing masks becoming more firm and widespread, I thought I would put together a video to show you how you can make your own at home.
You will need:
- Scissors and pinking shears (scissors are fine if you don’t have pinking shears)
- Elastic (it's best to trial how much elastic you will need first!)
- Quilting clips (or bulldog clips will also work)
- Fabric swatches
- Ruler
- Pen
- Face mask template (you can find examples online)
- Sewing machine or a needle and thread
- Loop turner (or you can use a safety pin)
1. Lay your fabric out and iron flat.
2. Place the template on the fabric and use your pen to mark around it, then cut it out.
3. Repeat this for both templates (the inner and outer).
4. Place the outer fabric pieces on top of each other, inside out (so the 'front' of both pieces are facing each other), and repeat for the inner pieces.
5. Use clips to secure the pieces together at the curved edges of the fabrics.
6. Take your 2 pieces of outer fabric and sew together on the convex edge, which will form your centre seem. Do the same for the 2 pieces of inner fabric.
7. Turn both sections 'inside out' and place on top of one another, with the fronts of the fabric facing each other.
8. Secure the two pieces in place with clips.
9. Sew the top edge of the mask, and then the bottom edge (but leave the edges open for now).
10. Turn your fabric 'tube' inside out.
11. Iron both sides of your mask to sort out any bumps.
12. Your lining fabric will have some wings sticking out, and these will be where the elastic feeds through. Neatly fold the ends of your mask over to create fabric tunnels to feed the elastic through. Fold the fabric in towards the body of the mask and carefully iron into place.
13. Sew these folded-in sections into place.
14. Measure two lengths of elastic. It's best to trial the length to make sure you get a comfortable fit.
15. Use a loop turner to pull the elastic through the ends and tie together.
16. Try it on!
Or if you need a little help with the templates, you can download this face mask template here or shop our readymade masks.