Easy peasy DIY washable fabric kids mask - My 10 yr old could make

The first week of lock down was more like a much needed vacation from school life. But then, it got serious and I started looking into things to do with my kids (both educational and fun). Since then, we have been doing a lot of fun indoor and outdoor activities, a lot of cooking, crafts and experiments. We also managed to learn a few new skills in the process. The most promising one is I taught my 10 yr old to sew and cook. I think they are both important life skills.

Our first project was to make washable fabric masks. I looked online and found various patterns and DIY tutorials. Some of them were a little difficult to understand or required previous sewing knowledge. My tutorial below should be easy enough for a beginner skill level. My 10 yr old is able to make these masks without any help. It took me a while to trust her with the iron and the sewing machine, but she seems to be a very responsible and careful child.

We started making masks for our family and then we made a bunch for our friends. Now we are making masks and donating it to local senior centers. I am happy that we are able to contribute and help our community in a small way. I am even more happy that I am instilling a need to help others and to do community service in my children.

This is a washable fabric mask with cloth ties. The instructions below are for a child size mask that can be easily adapted to make an adult size mask. The measurements for an adult size mask is also provided and the steps remain the same.

Materials needed:

Cotton fabric (for the main mask portion) - 8" x 10" (for a child size mask), 9" x 14" (for an adult size mask)
Cotton fabric (for the ties) - two 2" x 36" strips (for a child size mask), two 2" x 42" strips (for an adult size mask)
Thread
Sewing machine
Sewing pins
Iron

Cut an 8" x 10" piece of cotton fabric preferably kid friendly prints. We used quilting cotton for the fabric (just because I have lots of fabric left from my quilting days). You can also use batiks, higher thread count clean sheets and other kinds of cotton. Please stay away from knit t shirt material.

For the ties, you can use bias tape if you already have some at home. We didn't and did not want to go out shopping for it. So we decided to make our own bias tape. You do not need to cut on the bias for this project. Just regular cuts will do. If you do not understand the last few statements please do not panic. Cutting on the bias is needed for specific sewing projects. For this mask you can cut any which way you want. Cut two 2" x 36" strips from a contrasting color fabric. You can make the whole mask with just one color fabric instead of using two different colors. The contrasting colors and kid friendly prints make it look, just a little prettier. Also I feel the colors add some brightness to the grim atmosphere surrounding us.

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Steps to make the bias tape ties:

I am using a different fabric in the following steps as the folds are more visible with a lighter colored fabric.
Fold and iron the strips in half as shown below:

The middle fold line will be used as a guide for the next step.
Fold the outer edge of the strip to come meet the middle line. Iron in place.

Now fold the other outer edge of the strip to come meet the middle line. Iron in place.

It should look like this.

Fold the strip in half on the middle line and iron. This makes sure the open edges are completely sealed inside.

Tada your very own home made bias tape is ready to be used as mask ties.

Mask Pattern:

Now going back to the main mask cloth, fold it in half with the right sides facing each other. The fabric has to be folded in a way that the 8" x 10" fabric becomes 8" x 5" after folding. Iron if needed.

Sew with 1/4" seam along both the short (5") sides.

Turn the fabric inside out and iron. The ironing helps it stay flat and ready for the next step.

Fold the main mask piece in half to mark the middle point. Fold the two ties in half to mark the middle point.

Align all three mid points.

Envelop the two long sides of the mask with the ties as shown below and pin in place.

Start sewing at one of the tie ends and continue sewing holding the mask in place.

Repeat with the other tie.

The mask is ready to be pleated.

Fold and make two pleats and pin in place. For an adult mask you will need to make three pleats. I just eyeball the positions as they don't have to be placed too accurately.

Sew on one side over the pleats. Be careful to remove the pins as you sew. I did two sets of stitches to hold the pleats in place.

Repeat on the other side.

Your very own washable cloth mask is ready.

If you don't have a sewing machine you can still do all of the above steps by hand. It might be a bit more time consuming.

Totally kid approved.

Variations:

If you want to do different fabrics for the front and back of the mask you will have to cut the main mask pieces for the measurements below:
Child size -  two 8" x 5" pieces
Adult size - two 9" x 7" pieces

You can also do a flannel cloth for the back of the mask for little kids, as it feels softer against their skin.

You can use satin ribbon in place of ties and you will just need to fold it in half and envelope the edges of the mask. This saves a lot of time from having to make the bias tape.


Hope you guys stay safe and we all emerge healthy out of this pandemic.