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How to Make a Fabric Mouth Mask

At times, people other than doctors can be seen wearing surgical masks. Such masks are useful any time you're in an environment that may be unhealthy. Many companies sell disposable paper masks, but these must be thrown away after use and look very generic. If you want an environmentally friendly alternative, you can make your own mouth mask using whatever fabric you like. Your mask can be washed and reused as often as needed.

Things You'll Need

Fabric
Scissors
Bias tape
Iron
Straight pins
Sewing machine
Elastic cord

Instructions

- 1
  Measure and cut a piece of fabric for your mask. It should be rectangular in shape -- tall enough to extend from the middle of your nose to just below your chin and wide enough to extend 2 inches past each side of your mouth.
- 2
  Cut four pieces of 1/2-inch bias tape in the color of your choice, one for each side of the mask. Each piece should be 1 inch longer than its side of the mask.
- 3
  Fold each piece of bias tape in half, creating pieces that are 1/4-inch wide. Press the entire length with an iron.
- 4
  Pin the first piece of tape to the mask using straight pins, sandwiching the mask fabric in the fold of the tape. The tape should extend 1/2-inch past each edge of the mask fabric.
- 5
  Sew the bias tape to the fabric using a sewing machine. Remove the pins, and trim off the excess tape from the edges.
- 6
  Repeat Steps 4 and 5 for the other three sides of the mask. The bias tape gives the mask strong edges and prevents the fabric from fraying.
- 7
  Sew two pieces of elastic cord to the corners of the mask, creating a loop on each side. These loops should be just long enough to stretch behind your ears, holding the mask on your face.

Sewing