With the outbreak of COVID-19, many states are implementing shelter in place orders, including wearing protective face masks when going out. Not only do most people not keep a stock of masks at the back of the closet (although we will now!), masks are getting hard to come by! Enter your friendly neighborhood sewist! Crafters all over the country, and even those with a sewing machine collecting dust in a corner, have banded together to help our neighbors by sewing masks. Here at Uncommon Costuming, we made over 50 in one weekend (with our staff of one!)

To help get as many masks out there and keep as many people that much more protected as quickly as possible, we’ve created an illustrated set of instructions for making a reusable, pleated cloth masks with filter pocket, including additional notes on how to make them more efficiently if you’re sewing several! There are also modifications at the end if you’re making child-size masks!

Uncommon Costuming is making these masks free of charge – if you’re making masks at home (not as your source of employment), please don’t charge for them! This is a time for each of us to do what we can to help others.

Selfie of me with magenta hair wearing a mask with a magenta and cream geometric pattered fabric standing outside — Why, yes, my mask matches my hair!

Materials & Equipment

Lightweight, tightly woven, 100% cotton fabric
- “Quilting cotton” works great and comes in fun patterns!
- Have at least two kinds of fabric in order to contrast the outside of the mask with the inside.
- You will need at least ONE 9”x6” piece of “outside” fabric and TWO 9”x7” pieces of “inside” fabric
Material for the ties
- You can use bias strips (homemade or store bought), tube ties, elastic, or ribbon, but ribbon is the fastest and easiest
  - I recommend cotton or cotton blends because they don’t slide around like satiny ribbon. Avoid anything too thick, like cord, because it will be hard to stitch over.
- Elastic isn’t adjustable or as durable, but might be easier for children’s masks (see below).
Ruler
Scissors
Pins and pin cushion
Sewing machine
- Make sure you’re using a new, Universal needle when you begin; dull needles will have a hard time going through all the layers of fabric at the end and could break and/or jam your machine.

Instructions

Cut out ONE 9”x6” piece of “outside” fabric and TWO 9”x7” pieces of “inside” fabric (increase width to 10” to make a wider mask; increase length 1-2” to make a longer mask to cover a short-medium beard).

One rectangle of fabric measuring nine inches by six inches — One 9″x6″ piece of fabric

Two rectangles of fabric measuring nine inches by seven inches — Two 9″x7″ pieces of fabric

En Masse:

a. Fold your piece of outside fabric to the correct width as many times as needed to best use up the amount of fabric you have:

i. Standard fabric widths are around 44” or 60” wide, so if you have a 44”-wide piece of fabric, fold it over parallel to the straight-grain five times, each section just under 9” wide (your mask’s width).

ii. For 60”, fold into ten 6” sections (the length of your mask’s outside piece).

A 44" wide piece of fabric measured to be folded in nine inch sections parallel to the straight-grain — For 44″-wide fabric, fold in 9″ sections parallel to the straight-grain

Fabric folded over five times to create a stack for cutting nine inch wide pieces — Fabric 44″wide, folded over five times to be cut into 9″ pieces

b. Now fold again parallel to the cross-grain:

i. For 44” fabric, fold in 6” sections until all the fabric is folded.

ii. For 60” fabric, fold into 9” sections until all the fabric is folded.

The piece of fabric now folded over parallel to the cross-grain so that all remaining fabric (minus a little bit extra on mine) is folded into stacked nine inch by six inch rectangles — The fabric folded in 6″ sections parallel to the cross-grain. Your fabric will likely not divide evenly into 6″ pieces – if it’s close, you can adjust the folds so that each piece is a little over or a under 6″. Here, I simply trimmed off the extra at the end to use for straps.

A stack of fabric showing the series of folds on top of one another — A stack of folded fabric

c. Hold the fabric in place and cut along the cross-grain folds, then along the straight-grain folds until you have a big stack of 9”x6” fabric pieces! (This is not a precision cutting method and I wouldn’t recommend it for other things, but since we’re doing basic rectangles, they don’t require a high degree of accuracy!)

A folded stack of fabric with scissors in a folded section to cut. — Slide your scissors inside the folds and, holding the stack of fabric in place, cut along the fold.

A folded stack of fabric with scissors now cutting folded sections on the other side. — Rotate your stack and continue cutting in this way until all folds are cut.

d. Repeat with inside fabric, now measuring pieces 9”x7”.

A stack of cut nine inch by six inch pieces of fabric. — When finished, you should have a nice stack of 9″x6″ pieces!

2. Make or cut the ties so that you have FOUR 18” strips per mask.

Four pieces of ribbon cut to eighteen inches — Four pieces of ribbon cut to 18″

En Masse: If making several masks, do each of the remaining steps for all your masks like an assembly line before moving on to the next step! This will save you time because you won’t be switching between different tasks and changing your sewing setup between each mask.

3. Grab your stacks of outside and inside fabric and get ready to start pinning!

a. Lay a piece of outside fabric right side up.

b. Fold a piece of inside fabric in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, pressing the fold with your fingers so it stays.

One piece of outside fabric, right side up, and one piece of inside fabric, folded in half, fingers pressing the fold down — Fold each inside piece in half, pressing along the fold

Outside fabric right side up with folded inside fabric on top, corners aligned. — Align the raw-edged corners of the inside piece with the corners of the outside piece, with the fold of the inside piece across the middle of the outside piece

c. Lay folded inside on outside so that corners are aligned.

d. Fold another piece of inside the same way, but lay this one on the opposite corners so that the insides overlap about 1”.

Outside fabric right side up, both pieces of inside fabric on top, corners aligned, folds overlapping about one inch. — Inside pieces should overlap

The above image but from the side, showing the overlap of the folds — Note the overlap of the folds

e. Pin each side of the overlap so that all three pieces stay together. Insert the pins lengthwise, point toward the inside of the mask – this will hold the pieces flatter, make it easier to remove the pins while sewing, and avoid pins poking your hands! ALWAYS USE A PIN CUSION! Pins in your mouth or loose are a table are dangerous! NOTE: I prefer silk/glass-head pins because they’re thinner and longer, and thus hold better with less fussing that standard pins.

Same as previous two images, now with the overlap pinned on each side — Pin the overlap in place, pins pointed in

4. Grab your strap pieces for some more exciting pinning!

NOTE: At this point I’ll refer to the ‘overlap side’ of your mask as the top and the underlap side as the bottom. Pictures will be oriented top up whenever possible.

a. Poke two straps under the underlap so that they come out the bottom slightly, between inside and outside pieces, and most of the strap dangles out from the middle of the mask, between the two inside pieces. Place the other two straps under the overlap in the same way, so that stick out the top and middle.

Two straps tucked between the inside and outside fabrics so that a couple inches stick out the bottom and the rest hangs out from the overlap — A little bit of the straps stick out the bottom, the rest dangles out of the overlap

Same image as above, but now with two top straps tucked between the inside and outside fabrics so that a couple inches stick out the top and the remainder of all four straps hangs out from the overlap — Bottom straps still in place, and now two top straps placed the same way

b. Lift up one corner of your inside fabric, holding its corners together but separate from the outside piece.

c. Place one strap end aligned with the side edge, but ¼” in from the top/bottom edge and pin in place. The idea here is to place the strap ends within the seam allowance of the sides, where they will be stitched, but outside the seam allowance top and bottom.

Layers of fabric held apart at the top to show the placement of the strap between the layers — A strap placed along the side edge and about 1/4″ down from the top edge

A close-up image of the strap being pinned in place between the inside and outside layers — Pin the end of the strap in place

d. Repeat with remaining corners until all four straps are pinned in place. You should now have six pins in place, three along each side.

A close-up image of the strap pinned in place, with the layers held open to show it's placement — Pin the strap at each corner

Fully pinned mask, with three pins on each side, the overlap opening downward, and the long strap ends sticking out of it. — When this step is done, you should have three pins along each side edge and the long ends of the straps sticking out from the overlap

5. Time to sew! Make sure all pieces are in the correct position, because there’s no going back after this!

a. Pull all straps through the overlap as much as possible, leaving only the pinned end in place (otherwise they could get caught in the stitches and cease to be functional).

Pinned mask on the sewing machine with one corner under the pressor foot — Begin stitching at one corner

b. It doesn’t really matter which corner you start at, but I like to begin by stitching across the top because it’s an easy section to stitch and creates a solid baseline that helps keep the fabric from shifting as you sew the rest.

c. To reinforce the corners and help them lay flat, stop sewing just shy of where the corner will be with the needle down, lift the pressor foot, and rotate the fabric about 45°. Sew about two stitches, backstitch over them, stitch forward over them again, rotate another 45°, and continue sewing the next part of the stitch line.

Close up of a mask corner under the pressor foot at a 45 degree angle — Stitching an angled corner

d. Stitch along each side in a continuous line with a ¼” seam allowance, taking care to keep the straps clear of the top and bottom stitch lines as you go. Remove pins as you approach them – NEVER stitch over pins!

Close up of the mask, now rotated 90 degrees, under the pressor foot to stitch the second side — Stitch continuously along each side

Mask rotated another 90 degrees on the machine to stitch a third side, long strap ends moved away from the needle — Be sure to keep the long strap ends out of the way while you sew!

En Masse: Chain stitch to sew more, faster! When you reach the last corner of one mask, stitch off the end of the fabric, and, without lifting the needle or cutting the threads, lay the first corner of the next mask under the pressor foot and proceed to sew that mask. If the previous one starts to get in your way, just snip the bit of thread connecting them and continue sewing!

Two masks on the machine, one moving behind the pressor foot, one just under it, in order to chain stitch — Put the next mask under the pressor foot as the previous one moves past it

One mask hangs off the edge of the machine, chain-stitched to the mask currently on the machines — The previous mask hangs out as you begin to stitch the next

Close up of micro-shears cutting the threads holding the chain-stitched masks together — Clip the connecting threads to keep the previous mask out of the way as you finish stitching the next

6. Clip the corners and turn!

a. Trim off some seam allowance at each corner, on a 45° angle, outside the seamline. This reduces bulk to help the corners lay flatter.

Close up of scissors held at a 45 degree angle to the mask edges in order to clip a corner from a right angle to two obtuse angles — Clip just outside the seamline to reduce bulk

b. Turn the mask so that it’s now right side out and give each strap a little tug to pull the corners straight (bonus: this ensures your straps are secure!).

Opening the mask at the overlap in order to turn it right side out — Turn the mask right side out

Right-side out mask, still bunched up from being turned, with hands pulling the straps all the way out — Give the straps a little tug

c. Use something like a capped pen or eraser end of a pencil to poke the corners and seams out, then finger press them flat.

Close up of a pencil inserted into the overlap and pressing the interior of one corner to flatten the seam bulk — Make sure the seam bulk isn’t too bunched up inside

Inside of a mask, overlap opening downward, each strap pulled out straight — Inside of the fully turned mask

7. Pin the pleats!

a. Pinch the top of your mask just below the straps (about 1” down from the top) and fold that 1” section back so that the insides touch.

Close up of a mask side edge held between the thumb and second finger one inch below the top edge — Pinch 1″ below the top of the mask on each side to start the pleats

Close up of the inside of the mask with the second finger pressing the top one inch to the inside — Fold that section toward the inside

b. Fold that fold forward again so that it touches the mask front, creating a pleat.

Close up of the same corner in a side and front view, first pleat fold held over the second pleat fold between the thumb and forefinger — You should have a two-fold overlap to create the first pleat

c. Pin this pleat in place on each side.

Front view of mask with one-inch section folded down from top and a pin holding it in place on each side — First pleat pinned in place (from the front)

Back view of mask with visible fold just below top end, overlap opening downward about one inch below that, and a pin holding it in place on each side — First pleat pinned in place (from the back)

d. Now pinch the middle of your mask, feeling for where the underlap ends, and fold mask backwards roughly in half.

Close up of first pleat held between thumb and forefinger, folded toward mask inside — Fold first pleat back

e. Fold that fold forward, as before, and pin.

Close up of second pleat held between thumb and forefinger and folded toward mask outside — Fold toward the front to create the second pleat

f. With the pleats spaced out this way, you should end up with the overlap tucked neatly into the bottom pleat of the back and the underlap tucked into the top pleat. This minimizes fabric bulk on the sides, keeps the overlap from sticking out under your nose, and still allows easy access to the filter pocket.

Front view of mask with one-inch top pleat overlapping second pleat (about a half inch visible), and a little more than a quarter inch of the bottom of the mask visible below that, both pleat folds opening downward. Two pins on each side hold pleats in place. — Both pleats pinned in place (from the front)

Back view of mask showing reverse of front pleats: a little more than a quarter inch of the top visible, then a half-inch upper pleat, and a one-inch lower pleat, all opening upwards. Two pins on each side hold pleats in place. — Both pleats pinned in place (from the back)

Closeup of side and front of mask showing pleat overlap: bottom of top-front pleat ends just above top of lower-front pleat — Side view of pleat overlap

Inside of mask with filter pocket held open to show how it folds up into the pleats — Opening of filter pocket is neatly tucked away!

8. Once more to the sewing machine!

a. Place mask on the machine so that the bottom of it goes under the pressor foot first – this allows the feed dogs to help keep the pleats on the other sides in place instead of pulling them loose.

b. It’s often best to start with the needle just inside the seam bulk so that the bulk doesn’t cause the thread to tangle, backstitch over the bulk to flatten it, then stitch forward about ¼” in from the side (just inside the seam bulk).

Closeup of mask outside, a bottom corner under the pressor foot, with the needle positioned to begin sewing one quarter inch in from the bottom and side edges — Begin stitching inside the seam bulk at the corner to avoid the machine jamming

c. Stitch a straight line to the top of the mask, pausing to lift the pressor foot and make sure the pleats are aligned under it as you go.

d. Backstitch at the top to secure the stitches.

e. Repeat on the other side without rotating mask, in order to allow the feed dogs to help hold the pleats in place.

En Masse: This is another place you can chain stitch! After you backstitch the top of one mask, stitch past the end and place the next under the pressor foot. You may need to gently pull each subsequent mask in order to get over the seam allowance bulk. Be sure to backstitch at the bottom, too, to secure the stitches. Once you finished one side of all your masks, cut the thread and start again with the other side of the first one!

Two masks on the sewing machine, pleats pinned down, with one mask just beyond the pressor foot and the other just under it. — Chain stitch pleats to speed up sewing!

9. Press the mask

a. Heat your iron to medium/Cotton setting.

b. Using steam, press iron first to one side, then the other, and finally in the middle of the mask. Hold in place for a few seconds each time you press, rather than moving the iron, to set the pleats.

Iron held in the middle of a mask, outside up, each side already pressed. — Pressing the center of the mask, with each side already pressed

10. Finish the strap ends, and you’re done!

Depending on the material your straps are made of, you can finish the loose ends in different ways so that they don’t fray or come unwound.

a. Knot them. This is a good option for cotton ribbon as the cotton fibers should hold the knot in place well, and the knot will prevent the end from fraying past the knot.

Closeup of a knotted strap end — A knotted, cotton, bias strip strap

b. Stitch them. Good for any fabric – just run a line of stitches along the loose ends to stop any fraying at that point.

Closeup of a strap end under the pressor foot to be stitched — Use a smaller stitch length, backstitch, or double stitch to reinforce

c. Singe them. ONLY works with polyester blends (30% poly or more). Gently singe the ends over a candle, NOT a lighter – you need to hold the fabric carefully and not be messing around with the flame at the same time. The heat will melt the plastic in the synthetic fabric blend, which will hold the ends when cooled. You should be able to hold end high enough above the candle that it melts without catching.

Close up of a synthetic strap end slightly singed and melted over a candle flame. — Hold over, not IN, the flame to melt without catching the strap on fire

Congratulations, you are now a mask master!

Modifications for Children’s Masks

The steps for children’s masks are generally the same; the sizes of the pieces are the main difference. You may only be able to fold one pleat in the smaller size; this is fine as long as the expanded mask covers from the bridge of the nose down to the chin. NOTE: masks are not recommended for children 2yrs or younger.

ONE 7”x5” piece of “outside” fabric

TWO 7”x6” pieces of “inside” fabric

TWO 40″ (measured when stretched) pieces of elastic (best to measure this based on the individual child since you won’t be able to adjust the fit)

[or FOUR 16″ straps (straps are more adjustable, but younger children may have a hard time with the ties in the back)]

Sewing Terms

Straight-grain: The warp/“vertical”/”long” grain of the fabric. If you look at the sides of your fabric piece, you will see a tightly woven area with holes in it, usually a different color than the rest of the fabric: this is the selvage edge; the edge that was on the loom “vertically”/”lengthwise” as the fabric was woven. The grain of the fabric parallel to this is the straight-grain.

Cross-grain: The weft/”horizontal”/”wide” grain of the fabric. This is the grain perpendicular to the selvage edge, and thus to the straight-grain.

Bias: The diagonal in between the straight- and cross-grains. Not technical a “grain” because fibers don’t run in that direction on most weaves, this term describes the diagonal of the fabric, which is stretchier than either grain because the warp and weft can pull away from one another here. We’re not using bias cut fabric here, but it’s good to know.

Right side: The “outside” of the fabric; the side with the pattern on it. Some fabrics don’t have a significant distinction between right side and wrong.

Wrong side: The “inside”/non-pattern side of the fabric.

Seam allowance: The distance between the raw/cut edge of the fabric and where you will stitch. Stitching too close to the edge can cause the stitches to come loose as the fabric frays; too far, and it could create too much bulk. Standard sewing patterns include a 5/8” seam allowance. I use a ¼” seam allowance here because 5/8” creates too much bulk. Handy tip: whatever the standard pressor foot for your sewing machine is, it’s probably ¼” from where the needle goes down to the right edge of the foot.

Notes About Mask Use

Wash your mask in soapy water and line dry before each use – reusing without washing defeats the purpose.
Handle your mask from the straps only – the front part is where the germs live.
Once you put your mask on, keep it in place over your mouth and nose until you can take it off and wash it and your hands. Taking your mask off and on, lowering it to talk to someone, etc. increases the chances you’re getting germs on your hands and exposes your face.
These masks have a filter pocket into which you can place a piece of more heavily filtering, breathable material for additional protection.
Cotton masks are NOT medical grade and are intended to be used IN ADDITION to social distancing practices. They do not provide adequate protection in a hospital or other setting with people in close quarters or with a higher rate of illness.

You can download a PDF of these instructions here!
Masks-En-Masse Download