Homemade Masks Reviewed

There are a lot of things out there about the homemade masks. Having made four of the most popular ones over the course of the last few weeks, I thought it may be worth it for you to gain some of the knowledge I have.

I think it bears noting that there seems to be two different styles of homemade masks, those that are rectangular and pleated versus those that are flat but more contoured to fit the face. Masks #1 and #2 are pleated and Masks #3 and #4 are contoured.

MASK #1: Missouri Quilting Company Mask Review

The first mask I tried came from the Missouri Quilting Company. When I was growing up Sunday Morning was a staple in our household. As I have grown older I did not watch it as frequently, but one quarantined Sunday I had some down time and saw the feature piece they did and the store and family.

You can see the cute video here: https://youtu.be/G3LVQEbaNBI

Flash forward a few weeks and the powers that be were suggesting that we start wearing masks. I didn’t have elastic, but I did have some leftover Cotton fabric and flannel from a few crafts I did for the little one. I was pleasantly surprised after a quick Google search to see the Missouri Company had a video tutorial for a mask not requiring elastic. Here is the video for you to view (the second video is the one I followed): https://www.missouriquiltco.com/msqc/tutorial/DIY-face-mask

Here was my first attempt.

Somethings I really liked: It only required straight stitches. It was very simple, all I needed was the fabric, my sewing machine and an iron. The mask does not touch your ears, so there isn’t the pulling that others complain about.

Things I didn’t like: The ties slipped after a while or needed to be tied too tightly for comfort to stay. It also required a lot of fabric to make the ties. After washing, the pleats never seemed to bounce back. Making the strips was the hardest part for me in the beginning as a novice. The fit was too short on my face and gapped on the sides.

MASK #2 : TURBAN Project Mask Review

After a little bit, I was fortunate to be able to get some elastic from Hobby Lobby. Our local sewing collaborative was utilizing a pattern from the nonprofit Turban project to make for the local hospitals. I figured if it was good enough for the hospitals it would be great for our loved ones. https://youtu.be/SP3AQtoPIzs

Here was my second attempt:

Somethings I liked: I liked this one a lot. First of all, it was by far the fastest one to make. Start to finish I could make a mask including cutting under 15 minutes on my first attempt. I was able to increase my speed with familiarity to between 7-8 minutes a mask by the end. Secondly it seems to have a better fit on the face than the first mask. Third it utilizes the least amount of material of all the masks. I was able to add an additional cotton layer in the middle making it thicker and harder to penetrate. The elastic allowed for the easy on and off. It was so easy not just to make, but also to use that my toddler/preschool aged child could use it himself.

Things that I didn’t like: the elastic folds your ears . Though I was a lucky one to get elastic, I was only able to get half inch braided flat elastic. It was too thick and powerful so what I ended up doing was cutting the elastic in half. This made some of the elastic strings come out once washed. I was also not totally happy with the sizing, I must have a longer face than most, because I felt it was too short, just barely under my chin.

Though this one had its negatives, because of the relatively low amount of fabric necessary needed to make it work, I was able to make triple layered ones for all of not just our family, but all of our extended family and those we knew that were high risk with my leftover fabric, while I waited for more fabric to come in. We sent out so many masks for Easter.

MASK #3: PRETTYHANDYGIRL Mask Review

The next mask was one that was getting so much hype online. When I was online, this video came up with more than 3 million views. Because it was so radically different than the previous ones I tried I thought it would be worth the extra effort and material if the fit was better.

Here is the link to the video : https://youtu.be/-t_Gz3lGwF8

This what my third type looked like:

Somethings I liked: It has an added pocket to include a filter if one chooses. The smooth appearance I think gives a better impression. I really liked the way the mask is affixed to your face. The parachord and bead combo was the most comfortable to wear and also it felt the most secure. I liked that there was a template to help you cut and get a more accurate mask. The video was excellent in simplifying what to do. I really like the wire in the electrical tape. I felt it gave the best shape support of all the masks.

Things I didn’t like: Well for starters it was the most complicated to assemble and sew. This mask took me around 25 minutes to make ( not including the downtime when my sewing machine malfunctioned). It required the most material for the mask portion itself. I feel that while it comes up higher on the nose, it almost comes too high into the eye area. The pattern only comes in two sizes. I did not like having the nose wire sewn in because it was not replaceable if it went askew, poked out, broke, or for when you needed to wash your mask.

MASK #4 : CRAFT PASSION Mask Review

The last mask I tried is one that just kept popping up on Pinterest. CraftPassion has a very detailed page with instructions and updates.

This is the video : https://youtu.be/KBR98YKAr7w (Warning it doesn’t have much sound or narration)

Here is what the fourth mask looks like:

Somethings I liked: This was best fitting mask of the them all. I liked how much higher the nose came up. Another thing I liked is you could remove the nose support for washing or if the wire gave out. I liked that there were so many sizes and each size had a template or pattern. One really important feature I liked how the video broke down every step so even a beginner could understand and get it right.

Things I didn’t like: The mask was only two layers thick instead of three. It did however come with a pocket that you can use to insert a surgical mask or filter. I did not like the ties as much as some of the other methods. While they were more comfortable than the elastic, they were not as simple to get on and off. Also I found the cord kept sliding down my head when I had my hair in a pony tail. This did take more time to make and required more fabric than Mask #2, but was faster than Mask #3. I did not feel the pipe cleaner provided enough support to keep the shape on the nose the way the wire did in Mask #3.

MASK CONCLUSION:

If you are short on materials (ie only have fabric and thread) I would make Mask #1.

For those of you who have elastic, but are short on material or time, make Mask #2.

If you have the material and time and want a better fitting mask I would make Mask #3 or Mask #4. The fit really is so much better and not only does it make it safer, it makes it more comfortable to wear.

Other Notes on Mask Making:

In the beginning I sought to make a few masks for my immediate family, mainly because I consider myself to be an amateur, at best, at sewing. (really it is the worst of all my crafting ablities). As my experience and confidence grew I sought to make it for all the extended family as well. I was hoping for a one to one ratio. Make one for someone near and dear to us that needed it, make one to donate.

As this moves on and progresses, I am seeing in my community that while a number of organizations are covered, it is much harder for private individuals to get one. At the same time employment is harder to come by and I have covered so many of the people we care about, so I recommend doing a one for one for one. Make one for someone you personally know in your circle, make one to donate , and last make one to sell. In our area they are going from anywhere from $3-20 dollars a mask.

While I know it can be an unpopular opinion to sell them, I know it is not always possible to donate everything, especially if your job is on the rocks now. You should know you donated 2 of the 3 you just made, and you shouldn’t feel bad for valuing your own time. Lastly, the money you make can go directly to helping your family and loved ones as well as allowing you to purchase more supplies to help more people. It can really be a win, win, win, situation if you let it.