Medical face mask. Guide for sewing and printing the sewing pattern

Difficulty level: easy.

Reusable medical face mask. Printing the pattern guide and sewing steps.

Recommended materials: the main material can be muslin, cotton or linen. Tissue or any unwoven material can be used as a replaceable filter inserted between the main fabrics.

Additional supplies needed:

- elasticated ribbon (elastic) 40 cm long or shorter

- wire for the nose clamp

- threads (same color as the base fabric), 1 spool

Life hack: wire clamp usually used for the packages (e.g. bread packs) could also be used as the nose clamp.

When you order the sewing pattern you will also receive 2 pdf-files:

- Print guide with the control square

- Sewing pattern itself (A4 format) to printing with printer

*Printing with the A4 format printer:

To print the sewing pattern in the A4 format, open Adobe Reader and choose “Actual size” in the print settings.  Pay your attention to the control square on the pattern page. Its size is exactly 10x10cm. Look at the square to detect the right scale of your printer. Before printing the pattern, print the page with the red square and measure it. If it measures 10cm long each side then you can proceed to printing the sewing pattern itself. If the square measures are longer or shorter, then the scale of your printer should be corrected; otherwise the sewing pattern will be incorrectly printed. After printing all the pages of the pattern just glue them in the specified order: letters (A, B, C+) stand for columns, numbers (01/02/03+) for lines. So, the first page of the pattern would be named A01.

*Printing with the plotter:

When you print the pattern on the plotter you should open the pattern file with Adobe Reader (or Foxit Reader). Go “File” -> “Print”, then choose the “Poster” mode in “Page Sizing & Handling”. Make sure that “Tile Scale” value is 100%. Choose the “Cut marks”, “Labels”, “Tile only large pages” options.

The sewing pattern includes following legend:

1. Direction of the lengthwise thread (it can resemble  one of the part’s contour) 2. Notch  is a control mark for connection of the cut details. When combining parts of the pattern, notches with the same letter or number designations should match. 3. The line with this title is used to symmetrically unfold the detail. 4. Numbers and letters are used to specify points of combining one or more parts.

Details specification

1. The main part – 2 details.

Technological steps of the sewing

	1. Make the folds just like on the template (main detail) and fasten them with pines or just stitch them. Iron.
	2. Fold mask parts with their faces inward. Align the side and top edges. Pin and whipstitch  the side sections with the 15 mm seam width, leaving a hole for threading the clamp and elasticated ribbon. Then whipstitch the upper cut with the 15 mm seam width. Iron it.
	3. Turn to the front side. Spread the seams and iron.
	4.Make the finishing line 10 mm from the top. At the bottom (15 mm back ironed edge) make the finishing line 1-2 mm from the fold. Iron it. Insert the nose clamp (wire for the nose clamp).
	5. Mark the place of the nose clamp. Move the wire to this place.
	6. Fasten it along the marked lines with a triple reverse machine-stitch.
	7. Fix the elastic to the lower and upper corners of the mask sides with a triple reverse stitching. Medical mask is ready to be used.  Stay healthy!

Recommendations on the exploitation of the reusable face mask:

The mask should fit tightly to your face, covering mouth, chin and nose. The folds of the mask should be unfolded, shaping the mask with a more functional shape for a snug fit to your face. Remember to put a new, dry and clean mask at least every 2 hours (as soon as the old mask gets wet).

Reusable mask should be washed with washing powder or soap and ironed on both sides after using it.