Homemade Fabric Mask with Filter Pocket

At the request of a friend last week, I pulled back out my sewing machine and set about making fabric masks with a filter pocket, to donate to healthcare workers with no alternatives available and provide to others looking for a mask to complement their social distancing and hand washing routines.

**NOTE: While the CDC holds firm that sewn homemade masks are not PPE and are not proven to actually block viruses – indeed, the false sense of security found from going out in a mask might actually make people more subject to behaviors that would expose them to germs and particles – there are studies that show masks can be a complement to current best practices for the everyday person. And, they’re believed to be most effective for those who are asymptomatic and unaware they’re sick, in lowering the risk that person sneezes or coughs onto items that could result in infections of others. Make/use at your own risk.

So, with that disclaimer out of the way, let’s get down to the process I’ve found to produce a well-fitting mask in the easiest way possible.

My one other disclaimer – these instructions were written hastily to help my mother and other sewers. I’ll do my best to clean them up when I can, and add guidance on what I’ve found to be the most efficient way to produce batches of masks.

Since creating this first tutorial, we’ve gotten feedback that the binding may not be necessary (it adds to the polished look of the mask, but also adds some complexity) and that using different fabrics on the front and back would make it easier to identify which is the front. We’ve created a simplified tutorial that uses two colors of fabric here.

MATERIALS

• One 8.5” x 15” fabric (main), with the pattern running vertically
• Two strips of 2” x 4.5” fabric (binding)
• 1 pipe cleaner, cut in half (half used per mask)
• Two 6.5” strips of elastic (7” for men’s mask).
• Sewing machine
• Filter piece (you’d want to do research on what’s best / what you can access)

Looking for fabric or elastic? We’ve rounded up our favorites here!

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Fold in half, right sides together, and create two straight stitches from edge to ~1.5” in (leaving space for the pocket).

2. Leaving wrong side out, shift the sew to about 1.5” from the top.  Fold seams flat to either side. 

3. Stitch either side of the pocket, without inverting the fabric.

4. Then invert and re-iron flat. 

5. Fold 3 pleats, ensuring folds go down from the top.  Resulting mask should be 3.5” high.

6. Run a straight stitch along the top of the mask, 1/8” from the top.

7. Slide ½ pipecleaner into the top for a nose shape (optional). 

8. Sew 1-2” line across the center, to hold the pipe cleaner in place.

9. Run a basting stitch down the pleats on each side.  

10. Pin the straps to the front edge of the mask, right sides together.

11. From the back side, run a stitch ~1/4” from the edge of the mask covering your basting stitch.  

Result is shown below.

12. Fold the fabric over the stitch, wrapping to the back of the mask.

13. Fold raw edge under, pinning in place.  (Can use bias tape if preferred; this was faster for me than creating bias tape – although it’s essentially the same process)

14. Run two stitches along either side of the binding. 

15. Flipping over to the back, lay elastic on one side and fold the binding edge over it. Sew in place using a zig zag stitch.

Repeat steps 11-15 on the other side.

16. Trim off excess binding and clean up any loose threads.

17. The filter can then be slid into the pocket from the back.

Tried this yourself? Leave a comment if there are improvements we can make to the instructions or tips you discovered along the way!

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