America needs masks! Littlest Jockey got a begging call of a dire need from a relative nurse in northern Pennsylvania who didn’t have masks. We started with scraps of fabric, researched designs and have landed on three designs to focus on for family and friends in need.
*Important note that these masks are not going to protect completely from any viruses. We are hearing from numerous sources that nurses and first responders have resorted to either nothing, bandanas or reusing single n95 masks. Our goal, along with thousands of others, is to design an easy to make mask that can be washed and reused which is better than nothing.
Also linked are other groups who are aggregating designs and harnessing the power of crowdsourcing. Find what works best for you and start sewing!
Resources and Groups
Maskapalooza Facebook Group –https://www.facebook.com/groups/651061155683952/
WeNeedMasks.org – https://www.weneedmasks.org/
Million Mask Challenge – https://www.facebook.com/groups/Maskchallenge/
Recommended Materials
Any woven cotton material will work. You can use what you have in the closet or you can take it a step further and use HEPA vaccum bags.
https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/best-materials-make-diy-face-mask-virus/?fbclid=IwAR2oAAgyfwry9pe6VKa5oCgnrH6ibg7NR3lyUGj4jOIP0fGMJhSJ5KPM9p4
PREFERRED DESIGN as of 3/28 – Basic Pleated Mask
DESIGN #1 – Fitted Face Mask with pouch for filter
This mask can be used with or without a filter. We are reading about everything from dried chlorox wipes, to coffee filters. We found HEPA vacuum bags and cut them down to rectangular pieces. These HEPA filters say that they filter our particles down to 0.3 micron.
Best Video Tutorial – https://youtu.be/vTJevg9i7XA
Outer layers (do not attach non-woven interface material)
Lining
Elastic
Metal nose piece (optional step)
Putting it all together
HEPA Filters & Inserts
DESIGN #2 – N95 Mask Cover
The “one million mask “ pattern fits over both the N95 and the Duck Bill hepa cloth filter mask. https://www.providence.org/lp/100m-masks
A video tutorial
Pattern for community mask
Instructions for community mask
How to maintain a safe environment while making masks
DESIGN #3 – Duck Billed Mask made with HEPA Vacuum Bag
Pattern – https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gaiM3yZLalU1_7mlMeLR-3967A8cEu5H/view
Video Instructions:
- The steps above are just one of many options….find what works best and run with it!
- Another option – https://youtu.be/BCJcE-r7kcg
- Great Resource with instructions – https://www.craftpassion.com/face-mask-sewing-pattern/
N95 Mask Cover
The Littlest Jockey 