Sewing your own mask

Do you have a sewing machine and some fabric and would like to sew a mask? Here's how.

You will need a piece of cotton fabric (for example, an old shirt or bed sheet) measuring 18 x 36 cm.

Iron the long edges inwards by about 1 cm.

Sew the top edge with a zigzag stitch, the bottom edge with a straight stitch.

Fold in half right sides together and sew the open side closed.

Turn the fabric over.

Starting at the side with the zigzag stitch, sew the mask on 3 sides.

On the right and left at a distance of 1 – 1.5 cm, at the bottom approx. 0.5 cm.

Now, if needed, a wire can be inserted through the zigzag stitch (this helps the mask fit better over the nose and prevents glasses from fogging up). I used the wire closures from sandwich bags.

The mask is open at the top so that a filter can be inserted if needed (e.g. a coffee filter or a fleece).
Starting from the open side, thread a ribbon (shoelace, a strip of jersey fabric from an old T-shirt, an elastic band, …)

Place the loop around your head, push the mouthguard towards your chin, place it upwards over your mouth and nose, and close it behind your head.