How to Sew a Non-Medical Cloth Face Mask at Home

Before you start, wash and dry all fabrics you plan to use and be sure your workspace is clean. For each mask, you’ll cut three pieces of clean fabric: One 10 x 7.5-inch rectangle and two 5 x 7-inch rectangles. Press a ½-inch fold on one long edge side of each of the 5x7 fabric pieces. Stitch along each edge using a presser foot as a guide.

Lay the large fabric rectangle down flat, so the longest edge is toward you. Then stack one of the smaller rectangles on top of the large one (right sides together), so that the raw edges align; pin. Stack the other small rectangle so that its unsewn edge lines up with the opposite edge of the large piece; pin. The sewn edges will overlap in the middle. Sew the pinned edges using a presser foot as a guide. Then open and press seams.

Fold the smaller sections in so that the wrong sides of the fabric are touching, then press. Secure a 5 inch section of pipe cleaner between the layers (centered at the top), then carefully secure by sewing it in place. This will be the top edge of the mask; the pipe cleaner will help secure the mask against your nose and cheeks.

Pleat the edges of the fabric into three even sections, then pin and press with an iron on both sides. Sew along the overlapped center pocket pleated edges.

Fold the remaining outer edge sections in ½ inch, then press and repeat on the other side; this will create the channel for fishing the elastic loops through in the next step. Stitch to secure these edges.

To add ear loops to your mask, cut two 12-inch pieces of elastic (you could also use pieces of a stretchy sock or old T-shirt). Use a safety pin secured to one end of each elastic piece and use the safety pin to push the elastic through the channel you created in the last step. Repeat on the other side, then line up the ends of the elastic and knot. To wear the mask, loop the elastic over your ears and adjust the location of the knot to create the appropriate fit. The CDC recommends a mask that fits securely against the top of your face (adjusting the pipe cleaner can help with this too). 

While the finished cloth mask will help keep you safe in public, you can add an additional layer of protection. The CDC recommends using clean, dry coffee filters in your homemade masks as an extra barrier between your mouth and potential airborne droplets. To add one to this mask, fold a coffee filter in half and crease the folded line so it lays flat (the folded filter will be in a half-circle shape). Then, use your fingers to open one of the pockets that the pleats have created, and slide the filter in.