Sewing window face masks

L-R: SSOL Smile Mask, Rebirth Garments face mask with window, Cricut mask with window.

Yes, I know. I’m probably the last person in the world to jump on the mask-sewing bandwagon. Why now? After a brief, hopeful period that Australia would go the same way as New Zealand in eliminating the virus, it seems that we are in a full-blown second wave, led by my state of Victoria.

It’s largely concentrated in Melbourne but there are some cases in regional Victoria where I live, and the state government has suggested wearing cloth masks were social distancing can’t be observed (mandated in Melbourne).

In making cloth masks, I wanted to keep accessibility foremost in my mind. So I turned to Rebirth Garments for inspiration, who have been selling masks with a clear vinyl window through which to see your face. This is designed to be of benefit the D/deaf/hard of hearing community, neurodiverse people, people who may not speak your language and others who rely on facial expression for context.

I trialled a few patterns to see if there was a particular shape or sewing method I preferred. For each mask, I used quilting cotton for the outer, calico for the inner, and a nose wire to keep the shape. The nose wire material, insertion method and ties varied between masks.

Rebirth Garments Face Mask with Window

I realised after taking these photos that the elastic is supposed to go over your head, which results in a much better fit.

Description: fitted mask with nose and chin darts plus side pleats, optional nose wire, choice of head ties/elastics, 3 layers including 2 x cotton and 1 x interfacing. Free from Rebirth Garments with optional donation for them to make more masks for protestors.

Materials: scraps of Spotlight quilting cotton, calico from Lincraft, clear vinyl offcut from Clark Rubber, fusible woven interfacing, 20G jewellery wire from Lincraft, 12mm elastic, 12mm wide cotton webbing for ties.

Thoughts: Excellent fit – tight around the perimeter of the mask but enough room in the mask so it doesn’t touch in the inner portion. I like the choice of ties and used elastic at the top, ties at the bottom so you could position the mask using elastic before tying tight.

However, I had some issues with construction. The hole seam allowances and then the vinyl itself is glued into place using tacky glue, and lemme tell you that shit is budgeproof. Once on, it wouldn’t move without entirely ripping the fabric. Furthermore, the chin darts are sewn after inserting the vinyl window, but protrude into the vinyl seam allowance, so they are impossible to sew after the vinyl is glued into place. I had to hand sew them from the outside, which was no easy task given the vinyl was in the way.

This might be a scale error or problem of my own, but next time I’d construct it much like the Cricut mask below: sew darts first, sew top and bottom together and turn out, then insert the vinyl by feel, turn in the side edges and edgestitch before pleating. That would give a clean finish as opposed to the overlocked edges of this pattern.

Would I make it again: probably, the fit is great and I like the elastic/tie finish. I’d alter the construction method.

Masks, pre-vinyl. Yes, I made one from Dalek fabric.

You can see where I marked the dart to hand sew in orange marker. So close to the vinyl window!

SSOL Smile Masks

Yes, this mask is fogging slightly but it is not limited to this mask style. Read on for more!

Description: origami-style rectangular mask with top and bottom stitched pleat for shaping and ear loops in casings. Free from the Sewing Seeds of Love YouTube channel – they also have an updated video with a removable vinyl panel and nose wire.

Materials: scraps of Spotlight quilting cotton, calico from Lincraft, clear vinyl offcut from Clark Rubber, very thin twist tie from Cheap as Chips, bias tape for nose wire casing, 3.5cm x 148cm cotton/elastane strip of knit fabric for ties.

Thoughts: I really didn’t expect this mask to fit at all given its simplicity, but it was my clear favourite! I don’t know how, but it fit well around the face while again giving enough room in the mouth area. I think the fit would be a lot better with ear loops as specified in the pattern, but I didn’t see how they’d work with my chunky glasses and eczema behind the ears.

Plus, the construction was super simple! The vinyl was set in flat which was so much easier than trying to force it to a rounded shape. This mask would be very easy to churn out, production-style.

Would I make it again: yes! Though I’m undecided on tie material. Any thoughts for soft ear loop elastic which won’t interfere with glasses? Fold over elastic, perhaps?

Cricut Face Mask with Window

I think you can see from my facial expression how awkward this is to wear.

The excess fabric at the nose! The way it presses against my chin! Gah!

Description: shaped mask with seamed nose and chin, choice of ties and fully enclosed seam allowances. Free from the Cricut website in sizes adult L, SM/MD, and child L, SM/MD.

Materials: scraps of Spotlight quilting cotton, calico from Lincraft, clear vinyl offcut from Clark Rubber, very thin twist tie from Cheap as Chips, bias tape for nose wire casing, 12mm elastic, 12mm wide cotton webbing for ties.

Thoughts: I think you can see how poorly this one fits! I obviously made the wrong choice in sewing an adult L. Which is baffling, seeing as I’m usually a men’s L in hats due to my ginormous head. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

However this had great instructions for a fully enclosed mask, and I’m sure the variety of sizes would fit a variety of head shapes, given you choose the right size! This was the only one of the three that offered different sizes.

Would I make it again: look, I can’t be bothered making another size just to hope it will fit. Nah.

You can see here how much larger the Cricut adult L mask is at the centre of the face than Craft Passion’s “men” size.

A Q&A:

Do they fog up?
This was the question I was asked most about on Instagram. There are various methods for preventing fogging, like smearing a surfactant on the vinyl, using anti-fog spray for glasses or the creative behind Rebirth Garments is currently sourcing more expensive anti-fog vinyl for their masks.
I used washing-up detergent to prevent some initial steaming of the vinyl, and it worked. The surfactant prevents little beads of water from forming on the vinyl. However, it didn’t stop the inevitable build-up of actual watery condensation, and I don’t think anything will – it’s just physics! Close fitting mask + hot breath vs colder air outside mask = condensation. I’m not sure what the answer is here.

The SSOL Smile Mask started fogging in 1-2 minutes, and was about 3/4 fogged after 30 mins.

The Rebirth Garment mask started fogging after 1-2 minutes, and was completely fogged within 20-30 minutes, perhaps a testament to its tight fit or the efficacy of the jewellery wire for a nose wire.

Do your glasses fog up?
Surprisingly, no. My glasses seem to fog up in small patches at random moments throughout the day even when I’m not wearing a mask, so I assumed this would make the problem much worse. There was a little steaming sometimes when I would breathe out, which didn’t obscure my vision and immediately dissipated. But in general, they didn’t fog at all. this could be because I used nose wires, though they didn’t create a perfect fit in every mask.

Don’t you know the Victorian State Government has recommended 3 layers in every mask, with the outer layer being a water-resistant polyester such as that used in reusable grocery bags?
Well, yes, seeing as I’m asking myself this hypothetical question. 1. They hadn’t released these guidelines when I began making masks. 2. Cloth masks aren’t a perfect solution, they’re just “good enough”, so my masks are the same. 3. There is evidence suggesting quilting cotton is a valuable mask-making material due to its tight weave. 4. If it’s good enough for the CDC, it’s good enough for me.

What’s your preferred materials? Method of construction? Shape?
I used the same basic fabric for each mask so can’t comment on that. But as for nose wire, the 20G jewellery wire was much more effective than the very thin twist tie, which didn’t hold its shape. A thicker twist tie might be more effective. The jewellery wire also withstood hot hand washing (as did the vinyl!) but I wouldn’t chuck it in with an actual machine wash.

The nose wires I used – Sullivans 20GG jewellery wire from Lincraft, and twist tie from Cheap as Chips. The Rebirth Garment pattern calls for 18 gauge wire which I think is a little thicker, but this was the closest they had. I turned under the wire ends (but not the twist ties) to prevent it poking a hole through the stitching.

I also much preferred sewing the nose wire in a topstitched bias casing than inserting in between layers and topstitching. It’s much easier, and allows for replacement if the wire breaks or you decide to change out for another material.

Final thoughts?
Personally, I can’t see a way around the condensation occurring on the vinyl – it makes these masks practically unusable for their desired purpose. You need a tight fit for best droplet control, but it’s this fit which encourages condensation to build up inside the mask. Others in my disability groups have confirmed this experience, but if you have any answers to this conundrum, lemme know!

So it was a bit of a fib when I said I’d make the SSOL Smile Mask and Rebirth Garments mask again. I will, but will omit the clear vinyl panel and make plain cloth masks. I plan on experimenting with ear loops with the SSOL Smile Mask and will include bias tape casing with jewellery wire for the nose piece. I will also use poly chiffon as an inner layer, which I’ve read forms an electrostatic barrier against droplets.

Let me know if you are making masks, and which pattern/style you prefer!