Whether we like it or not, it looks like masks might be a staple in our wardrobe for the foreseeable future. Even if your home state isn’t requiring masks, they could start requiring maks for certain locations such as movie theaters and other entertainment venues. And if you travel anywhere, it looks like planes might be requiring all passengers to wear masks as well. Needless to say, we need some cute face masks ASAP. I’ve been making masks the past few weeks so here is my cute and easy diy face mask guide!

The last time I made anything out of fabric before this month was in my 7th grade home-ec class… and I will not tell you what grade I got. Lets just say, I may have opened the oven with my foot (weird habit… still do it… I’m small and my hands are always full!) and I was too impatient to sew straight lines 🙂

All that to say, I’m a total beginner, Youtube and Skillshare are my teachers! If you’ve never sewed before, don’t worry, I’ve got no-sew & easy beginner sewing tutorials.

You can’t make too many… I made mine to match all sorts of different outfits. A fancier one for parties and events, and casual ones for working out and running errands. I’m aiming to make 14 for both Beau and I each. Considering the CDC recommends for you to change your mask every time you go out, I see Beau and I needing 2 per day post quarantine. One for errands, working out, work – and one for anything we might be doing in the evening.

What you’ll need

✓ Elastic Hair Ties – These are the softest, most inexpensive options I’ve found. They’re great as hair ties and they also make the best ear holders for the masks as they do not loose their stretch.

✓ Fabric – I upcycled a bunch of old t-shirts for my casual masks and then I also bought this gorgeous linen for my fancier masks (with softer t-shirt material for the inner layers). You can use any upcycled clothing, scarves, bandanas or fabric that you are no longer using. Yay for re-purposing materials!

✓ Face mask Filters – The CDC recommends for all masks to have multiple layers of fabric with a disposable filter pocket. Since everyone is trying to get filters, these take a while to arrive. These are the ones I found with the fastest shipping.

OPTIONAL

If you want to learn how to sew:

✓ A Sewing Machine – I did hours of research and my Smarter by Pfaff 160s kept on coming up as the best sewing machine for beginners. While you can find cheaper machines, they are not recommended for sewing thicker fabrics such as denim. I plan on learning how to tailor my own jeans so I definitely needed a machine that could do that.

✓ Thread – I learned the hard way that you need special thread for your sewing machine, the dollar store variety pack just won’t do…

✓ Fabric Scissors/Shears – to get even cuts. Normal scissors work on fabric but they can fray the fabric or make it difficult to cut through thicker fabric. Fabric scissors also allow you to cut through multiple layers, cutting down the time a project takes by a lot.

If you want to learn how to embroider easy designs:

✓ Embroidery Kit – I just bought this kit a few weeks ago. It comes with everything you need to get started including hoops, needles, a beautiful assortment of embroidery thread and other useful tools like a needle threader and cutter.

Tutorial #1: No-Sew DIY Mask

This video will have you making easy masks in less than 5 minutes! Gather your fabric and start making masks. This tutorial uses a bandana but sub the bandana for any fabric you have laying around!

Tutorial #2: Easy to Sew 2-Layer Mask with Filter Pocket + Nose Wire

This is the tutorial I followed to make all of my masks! She has all different size patterns ranging from kids – 5 different sizes for adults. It takes me about 15 minutes to make each mask. If you need help setting up your sewing machine for the first time, I watched this tutorial on how to thread my machine and this class explaining how it all works.

Tutorial #3: Embroidery Basics

I’ve been meaning to learn how to embroider for years now, so masks have given me the best reason to start! This beginner tutorial taught me all the basics. For inspiration, instagram and Pinterest are full of easy and cute designs. Once you are ready to try more designs, the intermediate embroidery class is your next step.

This is one way to bring some joy and make the most of this weird time!

Have fun & tag me on instagram @lessonslearned so I can see your masks!