Wednesday, October 28, 2020

From the Heart Blog Hop ~ My Day!



I am giving gifts to family and friends and others
this season that show how much I care. 
Quilty Kitty Katniss is helping me.


To make my Fall Gift Masks I followed my 


and I added a few new materials to my masks
to increase their protection and breathability.


These are my mask making supplies.

Here are new additions:



and



I bought these at




Here are the pieces for the mask shown on the bear in the top photo.
For this mask I made the top elastics longer than the bottom ones
as this makes a comfortable fit for wearing over ears.
This photo shows the nose wire pocket added to the top center inside of the front fabric.


I chain sew the nose wire pockets and cut and twist the end the plastic covered craft wire
so they will not poke through the fabric.


I sew on the nose wire pocket with a 1/8th inch seam to the inside of the front fabric
for all the masks I am making before proceeding to the final assembly.


I add the four elastics to the back patch before sewing it to the front.


When I top stitch around the edges of the mask
I carefully add the elastics to the side.


Here is a finished mask.
This one has wide elastic of the type that is used for baby's hair bands
and it is soft and does not get stretched out.


This one I made special order for a person who ears hearing aids and eye glasses
and cannot wear the elastics over the ear as it tangles with the hearing aids.
This one fits comfortably under the ears and the nose wire keeps it snug at the top.
The person who will be wearing this one must wear a mask all day at work
and requested these modifications.
The elastics are the same length and the back patch is small.
It fits snugly without being too tight.


The additional sewn in washable filter layer makes the mask look a bit bulky
but it actually makes the mask quite comfortable and easier to wear.
The polypropylene filter and antimicrobial backing fabric 
are very breathable.
I highly recommend these added protective fabrics. 


Here is my well dressed bear ready to gift some hand-sanitizer and a mask to a friend.


Here I am wearing a fall mask that I gifted to me
and wearing it is a gift to others. 
This is my personal favorite and most comfortable mask to wear for fall. 
I wore this mask recently to go for my annual physical.

I have more tests and doctor's appointments on my calendar.
The Covid-19 threat in my area is red again.
I am being careful and taking care of my health. 


One of the people I made a mask for requested that I add 
a nose guard tab to the top of the mask
so that it might fit better with their eyeglasses.


For a tutorial on how I added the top flap with a wire
scroll down to my next post or Click Here





Please visit all my friends today to see what they are gifting:


Thank you to 


for organizing and hosting this fun blog hop! 

I am always trying to improve the protection and wearability of the masks I make.

I would love to hear how you have made better masks.

Thank you for sharing! 


Katniss says, "Have a Happy Fall and Holiday Season 
and have a wonderful time visiting 
and sharing with family and friends.
May all of you be safe and well!" 


21 comments:

Elizabeth Coughlin said...

Your masks are really beautiful and you've thought of everything when it comes to comfort and safety!

Dorian said...

Looks like some great material to make masks out of. They are beautifully made. Thanks for the tips too.

Brenda @ Songbird Designs said...

Great tips for mask making. I purchased some Filti material when I started making masks but I like the materials you used. With the Filti, I can just toss the filter and add a new one. Hmmm, might could add it to the materials you described as well with a filter pocket! Thanks for sharing!

piecefulwendy said...

Thanks for sharing this, I've been thinking I'd like a mask with neck bands. I can't wear the ear bands due to my hearing aids. This might be a good solution!

Carol Swift said...

If we have to wear masks, they may as well be as beautiful as yours. Your tutorials are always the best...thank you! The neck bands are interesting and seem like a great way to help those who struggle with the bands. Thank you, Pat, for a perfectly pretty idea for a gift!

Sharon said...

Beautiful masks! Thanks for the information about the protective materials. Definitely something to consider for my next batch of masks.

LJ said...

A year ago we would NOT even be thinking about masks! Yours are so pretty with the fabrics you chose. Will masks be the normal or will we ever go back to the normal of yesteryear?

Karrin Hurd said...


Thanks for the tutorial on the masks.

The Joyful Quilter said...

You've made some really interesting modifications to those masks. Thanks for sharing with the Hop!

Kathy said...

Those are some great modifications. Will need to try some of them.

Charlene McCain said...

Very thoughtful gifts! Thank you for showing how you made these beautiful masks. Stay safe!

Quilting Gail said...

Your fall masks are lovely!
Thanks for showing us your updates to masks making!

tink's mom said...

Great idea, so thoughtful. Lets not forget they are also very pretty.

Patti said...

Thank you for sharing about suggestions for modifications and about other materials available for mask making.

Joy from Days Filled With Joy said...

Great gift idea, need to make me some Christmas ones I think! Katniss is adorable :) xx

Karen's Korner said...

The perfect gift to be giving during this period in our lives.

tubakk said...

Really useful just these days.

Jocelyn is Canadian Needle Nana said...

What a thoughtful pattern and tutorial to share. Thank you! Am so happy you are staying safe too.

Carla said...

You have certainly perfected the mask for people with special needs. Great idea! I am so glad you are taking care of yourself and others. These are trying times and taking care of each other is so important right now. Thanks for the ideas and the links to the making materials.

Createology said...

Thank you very much for hopping. Your fabric Covid masks are very smart. Thank you for sharing the link to purchasing special fabrics to help in not spreading germs.

Calicojoan said...

A very timely gift for sure. We are also spiking here, so it looks like masks will be a part of our daily lives for a long time to come. Thanks for showing us the newest mask making supplies. I had not seen either of them before. Stay safe my friend and have a wonderful holiday season.