Anyone who would like to make face masks there are a lot of free online patterns. (I have included one below). These are easily made using a sewing machine. If you use an ITH design then there is stabilizer that will need to be removed from the mask, so tear away would be best to use. Here is the link for a free PDF pattern and there is also a video showing how to make them. This is the pattern that has been widely distributed. The original link was publicized on Forbes.com . Here is the link for the instructions. The Forbes link is HERE.

I did a little research and found that although home made masks do not keep out as much of the particles as the commercial ones there are certain fabrics that work better. The fabrics that are best to use and easily attained for home use are T-shirt and Pillow Case fabric. These seemed to filter the best, although they obviously aren’t as good as the commercial versions. If you’re interested in reading the entire article CLICK HERE

And here is another link to useful information about the type of materials to use. I have copied and pasted it below. This came from the New York Post

“A vacuum cleaner bag was considered the most formidable household material with a rate of nearly 86 percent protection against the smallest particles tested. Falling behind was a standard dish towel at nearly 73 percent; a cotton-blend T-shirt at 70 percent; and an antimicrobial pillowcase at 68 percent.

They also tested how doubling up on the material could help. In the case of dish towels, two layers showed a notable increase in filtration rate — a 14 percent jump for particles of 1 micron in size — although the same level of increased benefits could not be said for cotton shirts or pillowcases.

Nevertheless, the Cambridge researchers still chose pillowcases and T-shirts as their favorite option in a pinch because of their breathability. While two dish towel layers may be formidable against many micro-particles, they found the construction 138 percent more difficult to breathe through than a typical surgical face mask, whereas a double-layer of pillowcases was just 4 percent less breathable.

While medical-grade face masks were found to be, on average, “three times more effective in blocking transmission [of microorganisms]” compared to their homemade counterparts, they also concluded that makeshift masks are still better than none at all.”

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