Easy t-shirt face mask tutorial - no sewing!
Published on 13 May 2020 By Holly Butteriss 1 min readThis cotton t-shirt face mask is super simple to make and perfect for makers who want a no-sew option. With just a few supplies you'll have around the house and in your stash and some easy steps, you'll have a fab face mask with minimal effort required. You can also head over to the World Health Organisation for more information on where and how to wear a face mask.
T-shirt mask
This mask can be made from a T-shirt or vest top. It works better with a thick cotton that is stretchy but not overly so. If you have a top that is very stretchy, the mask may stretch too far around the sides. But don’t worry, you can still use the fabric; you can adjust the template to make it less wide for a snugger fit.
Materials
- Cotton t-shirt
- Scissors
- Pins
- Template
- Tape
How to make a t-shirt face mask
1
Print out the template and cut it out.
2
Take the top and cut off the bottom hem and place to one side. You will need this to make the ties. Lay the top on a flat surface and cut out an oblong of fabric approx. 300mm wide and 350mm in length.
3
Fold the oblong of fabric in half. Position the template along the fold and pin in place.
If you haven’t got pins you could use a bit of tape to stick it down with, or place something heavy on it to keep it in place while you cut. Cut around the template and then remove the pins.
4
Fold over a section of approx 12mm along the side edges. Starting at about 5mm, make a snip of approx 5mm. Make a snip at about every 10mm. There is a guide on the template but you don’t have to follow this exactly, any number of snips between 8 and 11 is fine!
5
Repeat step 4 on the other side.
6
If you have a vacuum cleaner bag you can add a filter at this stage. Cut out an oblong of the filter that fits into the space between the slits. Open out the mask flat and place the filter with the top of the oblong flush with the fold. Fold the mask back in half again.
7
Take the band of fabric you cut from the hem. Cut out a strip from one side of the folded hem section approx. 5mm wide. If you cut from the main piece of fabric make the strip approx. 10mm. You can cut from any section of your top, but it is a little easier to get a straight piece when you cut the folded hem.
8
Pull the strip of fabric a few times to stretch it out a bit and then cut the strip in half. Take a small piece of tape and wind it tightly around one end of each strip. You don’t have to do this, but it does make it easier to thread through the holes!
Thread the strip of fabric through the holes on each side of the mask, making sure you go through both layers.
9
Take the two ends of the tie at one side, and gather the side of the mask together.
Repeat this on the other side.
10
Make a loose knot approx. 60mm along the ties on both sides.
11
Put the mask on and see if the knots are in the right place. You can always adjust them so that the mask fits well.
12
Once you have the knots in the right place. Tighten them and snip off the loose ends and there you have it - one no sew face mask!
