How to make a face mask: 3 ways to make DIY face masks at home

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Learning how to make a face mask doesn't have to mean getting to grips with a complex pattern or dusting off your sewing machine. In fact, it can be done without any sewing whatsoever. There are many different ways to make a homemade face mask, and here, we cover three of the ways outlined by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), adding in our own tips on how to make the most comfortable and easy to put together face mask. 

If you'd rather buy a mask, then see our guide on where to buy a face mask right now, or use the quick links below to jump straight to retailers selling face masks. 

• Face masks UK: Should you be wearing one? Plus where to buy them

Where to buy face masks: quick links

• Etsy.co.uk – handmade face masks from just £3.99
• Easylife – Pack of 30 surgical face masks for £29.99
• Buff – stylish face coverings at low prices
• HYPE – get three face masks for £24.99 with 100% of profits for the NHS
• Ebay.co.uk – washable face masks at a bargain price
• Vistaprint: Kids and adults face masks for $18/$13
• Silkies – two protective face masks for $16.99
• Stringking – CDC-recommended cloth masks for just $6.99
• Etsy.com – patterned face masks for as a little at $4
• Los Angeles Apparel - 3 adjustable face masks for only $30
• Sock Cares – funky face masks for only $12

3 ways to make a face mask

This guide covers how to make a face mask using a T-shirt, how to make a bandana-style face mask, and how to sew your own face mask – jump to your preferred section using the links above. The first two require no sewing at all. The third does involve some needlework, either using fabric you have lying around at home, or some colourful or patterned fabric from a retailer like JOANN or Etsy (US) or John Lewis (UK). See our post on the best fabric for face masks for more options.

• Browse fabric at JOANN (US) – from just $3.99 p/y
• Browse fabric at John Lewis (UK) – from just £6.50 p/m

But before we get into our instructions of making a face mask, first consider whether or not you need one at all. The official advice on this differs across the globe, but the general consensus is that wearing a homemade face mask will not help protect you from contracting Covid-19. However, it can help protect others from you passing on any germs that you may be carrying. Note that the face masks we're talking about here are not medical ones, and we wouldn't advise you to attempt making your own versions of PPE: leave that to the professionals.

The CDC recommends wearing a face mask in places where social distancing is not possible, and many countries around the world, such as in most states in Germany, are also asking their citizens to wear face masks when out in public. Check your country's own guidelines if you are unsure and remember that wearing a face mask doesn't mean you should stop following social distancing measures, or stop washing your hands and practising good hygiene.

With all of that in mind, here are three ways to make your own face mask.

01. How to make a bandana style face mask 

This is the easiest and quickest way to make a face mask

You will need:

• A bandana or scarf
• 2 x elastic or rubber bands, or hair ties
• A coffee filter, paper towel or kitchen roll (optional)

The easiest method for making your own face mask involves using a bandana or a scarf. Note that if your bandana or scarf is too thin – hold it up to the light to see how much you can see through it, the less you can see, the better – then your face mask won't be as effective. Materials that are tightly woven and 100 per cent cotton are best. 

The CDC recommends folding your bandana in half, then folding it again twice – lengthways from both the top and the bottom. At this point, you can also add a square piece of coffee filter, paper towel or kitchen roll to your mask – which you can change.

Then place your rubber bands or hair ties around your strip of material, and fold the material in towards the middle, tucking the ends into each other if possible.

Surgeon general, Dr Jerome Adam, demonstrates how to do this in the video below. As you can see, this is a very quick and easy method of making your own face mask.

02. How to make a T-shirt face mask

You will need:

• A T-shirt
• Scissors
• Coffee filter or paper towel (optional)

If you have a T-shirt that you don't mind cutting up, then you can easily and quickly make a face mask from it. Note that you don't want to be using really old T-shirts if they have holes in them or are worn through. Ideally, your T-shirt should be 100 per cent cotton and as opaque as possible. 

To start, simply cut the bottom off your T-shirt. The height of the amount of material you need should be the length from the top of your nose to underneath your chin (around 7-8-inches of 17-20cm). It's best to cut bigger than you think you need so you can trim the excess later. 

You then need to cut into your T-shirt – around 6-7-inches (15-17cm) – to make the ties for your face mask. Follow the video or diagram below to see how to do this. Next, cut your ties so that you can retie them around your head. Adjust until you get a snug fit around your nose and chin. If you like, you can add a coffee filter or paper towel to your face mask, and secure it with a safety pin. 

03. How to make a cloth face mask with a sewing machine

Make a cloth face mask in just four steps

You will need:

• Cotton fabric (10 x 6-inches or roughly 25 x 15 cm)
• 2 x 6-inch (15cm) pieces of elastic or rubber bands, hair ties or strips of cloth
• Sewing machine
• Needle and thread
• Scissors
• Pins

There are various ways to make a cloth face mask, of varying difficulty. The simplest patterns require just two pieces of cloth and some elastic, or something that you will use as ties. If you want your DIY face mask to stand out, try using bright or patterned fabric – John Lewis has loads of affordable designs in the UK, as does Etsy if you're in the States. 

First, place your two pieces of fabric on top of each other. You want the pattern that you'd like to be on the 'front' of your mask face down. The piece of material facing up towards you will be the inside of your mask. 

Next, fold over the long sides of the material around 1/4-inch or 0.5-1cm. Pin in place (don't worry too much if you don't have any pins, you can always use a needle or just keep checking that your fabric is held together) and hem. Hem just means folding the edges of your material over and stitching them so that your fabric will not fray and will stay together. 

Once you have hemmed along the length of your face mask, fold over the sides of your face mask around 1/2 an inch (1.5cm), pin and hem the sides too. 

Once you have created your hem, you can thread your elastic or hair ties through the hem you have created. You'll need a needle to do this, or a pin, or basically anything that you can use to poke the elastic through your hem – a thin pencil might do the job.

With your ties threaded through the sides of your mask, tie your elastic or hair ties in secure knots, and move the knots until they can be tucked inside the hem. You can then adjust your face mask to fit your face, and add some stitches on either end of your face mask to keep your elastic in place.

If you are a seasoned sewer, you can sew the whole thing in one go, turning it as you go (see video below). You could even add your elastic in before you hem. The reason beginner sewers shouldn't do this is that it's very easy to catch the elastic in your hem and accidentally sew it down, and that will make it much harder to adjust later. 

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