When the pandemic breezed in with so much frenzy, keeping us locked down in our different houses, who would have thought that it would come with a compulsory “accessory” called face mask? Ever since the relaxation of the lockdown in some countries, particularly Nigeria, face masks have become the highest selling commodity for the year 2020. And guess what! For as long as the coronavirus ravages the world, we have to adapt to wearing a face mask every time we step out for sanitary purposes. With this in mind, you can either buy or learn how to make a face mask and slay with it because inasmuch as we hate to admit, COVID-19 has affected a whole lot of industries including fashion.
Face masks are now as important as going out with your phone —possibly more important. They have now become fashion accessories like shoes and jewelry; no one dresses up this period without wearing a face mask, you know. Since surgical face masks have become scarce, we’ve been left with no other option than to make do with the ones made with fabrics as recommended by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Although wearing a fabric face mask may not protect you from contracting the virus as they aren’t as effective as the surgical and N95 face masks, it sure prevents you from touching your nose and mouth and passing on any germs that you may be carrying to others. You never can tell, there are many asymptomatic carriers of the virus out there and you just may be one.
Furthermore, fabric face masks are economical as they can be washed, dried and reused another time. You can always buy them from vendors and tailors but learning how to make a face mask and slay with it gives you the opportunity to make different face masks with matching fabrics so when you step out, you let the virus know that it never locked down the style icon in you.
How to Make a Face Mask
While you regularly maintain social distancing and abide by other precautionary measures to stay safe, you should as well have a collection of face masks to match with your outfits and remain as stylish as you were before the whole COVID-19 saga began. Have you got some leftover Ankara fabric from the last piece your tailor or seamstress made for you? Or maybe a good fabric you’d love to turn into a face mask? If yes, you should get steamed up because you’ll soon be slaying with your face masks like your style influencers and celebrities have been doing.
Materials Needed to Make a Face Mask
- A piece of fabric
- Scissors
- Thread
- Needle
- Office pins
- Safety Pin
- Elastic
Steps on How to Make a Face Mask
1. Cut Your Fabric
Cut your fabric measuring 10 by 6 inches. Get two pieces of cloth for easy differentiation between the inner and outer part. To differentiate between which part of the face mask will be the front and back, you could make use of a beautiful fabric for the outer part and a dull coloured one for the inner part. This is necessary to ensure that you don’t end up wearing both sides in and out as it is not hygienic at all.
2. Stitch the Fabric
Place the two fabrics on each other making the front part face down and the back face up. Afterwards, fold the long sides of your material and pin them together then bend the edges and stitch with your needle and thread. After stitching the length of your face mask, fold the edges of the sides by half inch and stitch also.
3. Thread the Elastic
After stitching the sides of the face mask, use the safety pin to insert the elastic into the hems. Then tie the ends of the elastic into secure knots and adjust the elastic until the knots can be tucked into the hem. This will hide the knots and give the mask a neater look.
4. Wear Your Face Mask
Try the face mask on to make necessary adjustments and stitches so it could fit your face better.
Now you know how to make a face mask and slay with it no matter what you wear. For better understanding of the procedure, do well to watch the video below.
If you are a lover of bright colours and patterns, your fabric face masks can be of bold colours and patterns or you simply stick to neutrals depending on your choice. Above all, remember to always sneeze or cough into your elbow, maintain social distancing, use your hand sanitizer and wash your hands with soap and running water regularly. There’s a virus out there, you know.
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