Making face masks

Today we had to start wearing masks anytime we are out of the house. So far, we have been using masks purchased from the pharmacy but they are one or two uses only, so that is going to get expensive. And the temptation will be there to say that they look ok, so why not keep using them?

Having heaps of fabric offcuts, from my previous quilt making, I decided that I really should get to and make some of my own.

My first attempts have been using the pattern provided by DHHS. It is a fairly simple pattern and even takes into account the fact that people may not be able to access some fabrics. So it is based on using what you have.

However, I have also done a little bit of 'research' and found some articles that recommend using synthetic fabrics or cotton/poly, cotton and silk. Here is one. Here is another.

Having some silk that I have collected over the years, I decided to use a piece as the outside layer. (I met someone in the park yesterday who had used silk and it looked good - and she seemed to be breathing ok, always a consideration).
I had some bits of synthetic organza and used that in the middle, not wanting to have three layers of thick fabric. Then I used part of an old doona cover for the inside layer, cotton of course.

Cotton at the top, silk at the bottom.

The second iteration is using a quilting cotton that I got from GJs Discount Fabrics. I bought quite a lot of it because I thought it would be good for sky and cloud images. I didn't use this piece but used something very similar in my Spot the Difference piece.

I had read, in one of the many articles that I have browsed, that batik fabrics are good - I think that might be because it is thinner and may be easier to breathe through. This fabric is very like batik.

I found some silk chiffon (suggested in one of the research articles, apparently it is good for stopping some aerosol particles) that I had used in my eco dyeing days, it is very easy to breathe through. So that is the middle layer.

Once again, I used the left-over fabric from the doona cover for the inside piece.

The advice has been that if you can see through the mask, it isn't thick enough but I can't see through three layers!

There has been a rush on buying elastic but I was able to source some today - they would only sell me 3 metres but the mask needs 40cm so that is ok - so far.

Now I will have to go for a walk and try them out, see how they go. I don't think it will be a very energetic walk, I am expecting them to be less breathable than the bought masks. They should be ok for shopping expeditions and visits to essential appointments, where I won't have to be very energetic.

One thing that I have thought about, we could save the elastic from the single use masks and use it on the homemade masks. So I'll have yet more 'stuff' that I haven't thrown out!