Gapless Easy on Face Mask

A PDF of this pattern and instructions are provided at no charge at: https://catandmousevintage.com/mask/

Feel free to make and sell masks based on this pattern. All we ask is that if you find this to be useful then please share this pattern with others and tell people where to find it.

All seams have ¼ inch (6.5 mm) seam allowance.

• Two pieces of cotton or other fabric at least 9 inches (23 cm) wide and 7 inches (18 cm) tall.
• One 5 foot (1.6 m) piece of cord for the ties (I use paracord, but you can also use ribbon or even a shoelace!)
• One 5 inch (13 cm) piece of wire for the nosepiece (I use 14 gauge floral wire)
• Scissors or a rotary cutter
• Pliers
• Sewing machine or a needle and thread
• Provided pattern- Note: Make sure your pattern is the correct size by matching a ruler with the scale ruler on the pattern.

1. Using a pair of pliers, curl each end of the wire up about ¼ inch (6.35 mm) to prevent the sharp end from poking out of the mask.
2. Bend the wire slightly in the center where it will sit on the nose.

1. If you are using paracord for the ties, remove the center so you have a hollow cord.
2. Carefully slide the nose wire inside the cord and move it to the center.
3. Paracord will unravel if it is not sealed, so you will need to heat the end with a lighter and press it together to keep it from fraying. Be careful not to burn yourself! I use a metal ruler under my heated cord and a pair of scissors to press the end so it seals.
4. Set this aside while you start sewing.

• Using either pins, or something heavy, hold the pattern down on your fabric.
• Cut two pieces following the provided pattern. You may want to use different fabric for each side so you can tell the inside from the outside when wearing your mask.

• Sew all the darts on each piece of the mask.

• Put the two pieces right sides (pretty sides) together, matching the edges together.
• Find the center of your nose wire and align it to the edge of the dart at the top of the mask.
• Sandwich the cord at each end of the wire between the fabric and pin in place.
• Line up all the dart seams and pin in place.

• Sew around the edge to join the two pieces together, leaving a 1.5 inch (3.81 cm) gap to turn the mask right side out (see next steps). Be sure to keep the cord out of the way while sewing. I like to run it through the turning gap so it’s not bunched between the layers while I’m sewing.

• Turn the mask right side out and press the edges with an iron to flatten everything out. Make sure your turning gap seam allowance is folded inside and pressed.

• Sew all the way around the mask. You want to sew about ⅛ inch (3.175 mm) from the edge, but you will need to sew a little further in from the edge when you get to the nose wire. Just be careful not to hit the wire with your sewing needle. Make sure your turning gap is sewn shut.

• Fold the bottom corners up ½ inch (1.27 cm) and press.
• Sew along the edge to form a channel for your adjustable cord. I sew over this twice to be sure it is nice and sturdy.
• Tie off and trim your extra thread...and you’re all done!

• Thread your cord from top to bottom through the channels you made at the bottom corners. This creates an adjustable ear loop.

• Adjust the nose piece to fit your nose snugly.

• Place the nose piece on and the loops behind your ears, then pull the loose end of the cord down and back to create a comfortable snug fit and tie it behind your neck.

• You can either untie to remove, or remove the cord from your ears and pull the mask off. If you choose to leave the cord tied, just put the tie behind your neck, place the nose wire in place, and pull the ear loops through the channel and back over your ears.

• If you use cotton fabric for your mask, you can machine wash warm and tumble dry.
• You can hang your mask in the sun to help sanitize it after washing as well.

• If you are using ribbon instead of paracord, you will need 2 pieces of ribbon cut to 30 inches (76.2 cm) each. The two pieces of ribbon are attached in the same place as the paracord in the above photos. You won’t be able to enclose the nose wire in the ribbon like you can with the cord, but you can hand stitch the center of the nose wire to the top edge of the nose dart after sewing the two pieces together and before you flip the mask right side out. The ribbon can then thread through the side channels the same way while wearing the mask.
• If you don’t have access to floral wire, you can use pipe cleaners or other medium weight, moldable wire for the nose wire. Just make sure you double or triple it over if it is very thin to make it more sturdy, and secure any sharp ends so you don’t get poked!
• To make these masks in bulk: Using one (1) yard of fabric, fan fold and press your fabric in 4 ½ inch (11.43 cm) sections. Once the fabric is folded, fold your pattern in half down the center and line it up on your folded fabric, then cut along the edge of the pattern with a rotary cutter. Rotate the pattern to line the angled edge up with the previous cut and repeat until you have cut the full yard. Then you can unfold the fabric and cut between each piece to separate them into individual sections. You will need to cut the darts after the initial cut from the yard.

More information and links to purchase materials are available in the PDF Instruction download.