370
edits
Homemade protective mask project/Instructions: Difference between revisions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Homemade protective mask project/Instructions (edit)
Revision as of 14:44, 3 April 2020
, 3 April 2020→Cutting the pieces: Added a new section about buying fabric.
(→Cutting the pieces: Added info on straps.) |
(→Cutting the pieces: Added a new section about buying fabric.) |
||
| Line 13: | Line 13: | ||
*A box of paper clips to use as nose-pieces. | *A box of paper clips to use as nose-pieces. | ||
**OR a roll of floral wire and wire-cutters to cut it (note: beware of sharp points!). | **OR a roll of floral wire and wire-cutters to cut it (note: beware of sharp points!). | ||
== Buying fabric == | |||
If you're buying new fabric, remember that people may have breathed or coughed on it, so you should be sure to wash any and all masks you make before using them, and wash your hands as soon as they're in the washing machine or before doing anything else. | |||
You don't necessarily need to buy new fabric; if you have T-shirts or other light cotton garments that are clean but you don't mind losing, you can cut mask pieces out of them. Heavier cottons like denim may not be breathable, so stick to things T-shirt-like in weight and porosity. | |||
* Note that T-shirt fabric is knitted, rather than woven, so it may be harder to work with (eager to skew, roll, or slip). But it's doable, and you should work with what you've got rather than go without. | |||
A fabric quarter (sometimes called a “fat quarter”) is one half of a half-yard of 44-inch quilting cotton (woven)—i.e., a rectangle 18 by 22 inches in size. It will make three adult masks and one set of straps, four child masks and one set of straps, or one mask (either size) and four sets of straps. | |||
If buying by the yard: | |||
* You're looking for plain woven cotton, often sold for quilting, usually 43–45 inches in width. (Typically 44 inches between the selvedges.) | |||
* Avoid muslin (too thin/porous), denim or twill (too thick/dense), or canvas (too thick/dense, may be waterproofed). “Jersey knit” cotton is T-shirt fabric (see note above). Cotton-poly blend may work OK but most mask instructions recommend plain cotton (cotton takes high heat better than synthetics). Generally, if you see fabric sold as “cotton fabric” and it's about 44 inches wide, it should be the right material—woven quilting cotton fabric. | |||
* The unit count when buying by the yard is in yards of length (perpendicular to the fixed ~44-inch width). For this project, buy in increments of half a yard. This gives you enough fabric to make multiple masks (for practice or to share with fellow household members). Note that online stores may require you to buy in increments of 1 yard. | |||
== Cutting the pieces == | == Cutting the pieces == | ||