Thread by @marklewismd

So as has been widely reported, personal protective equipment (PPE) is running low for medical personnel during #coronavirus #Covid_19

Today my awesome pediatrician wife & my mother-in-law used at-home materials to sew masks

STEP-BY-STEP TWEETORIAL

1/

They used 100% cotton fabric and cut one 9”x8” rectangle and one 9”x7” rectangle, as well as cutting a pipe cleaner to 6”

2/

Then they applied HeatnBond (soft stretch variety) in an 8” strip centered over the larger rectangle

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Then they rolled the pipe cleaner in the fabric to encase it and create the top of the mask that will conform to the nasal bridge & cheeks

4/

Then they took the 9”x7” rectangle and sewed a seam at the top.

In order to create a pocket into which a filter can be inserted (or procedure mask to prolong its life) they laid the outer sides of the rectangles (i.e. the sides without the folded edges) together

5/

They sewed the rectangles together on 3 sides: left, right, bottom (deliberately leaving the top open for filter insertion)

On the bottom seam do not sew all the way to the edge to leave a channel for elastic (see next step)

6/

At this point an inside-out pocket has been created and needs to be inverted

On the left and right sides of the pocket another row of stitches is needed at least 1/4” from the original seam to create a channel for quarter-inch elastic.

7/

For S/M-sized masks use 10.25” length of quarter-inch-width elastic

For M/L-sizes use 11.25-12” lengths

In order to feed through channel attach a safety pin at one end of the elastic

8/

They then hand-stitched each end of the elastic together to create an ear loop (allowing ~1/4” overlap for stretch)

9/

In the final product there is now a pocket for insertion of materials (e.g. procedure masks to prolong their use). While not rigorously studied other filters (non-woven fabrics) may be used also.

10/

There are other patterns and YouTube videos re: facemask construction, but my wife as a physician aimed for a design that is as air-tight as possible given the spread of #coronavirus by droplets

11/

This is almost certainly a case of some PPE being better than none, and there is evidence to suggest efficacy from our experience with other viral illnesses:

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24229526/

So if you’re a member of the #sewing #sewist community please consider reaching out to your local healthcare workers to see if this might help them address a PPE shortage.

Some institutions may not allow homemade masks to be used but we hope this helps nonetheless!

#medtwitter

#GetUsPPE

And today @CDCgov recommends use of bandanas & scarves so pretty sure this is an improvement on that

Thanks again for all the support from the medical & crafting communities; 2020 is creating some interesting Venn diagrams :)

Facebook link if that helps:
facebook.com/mark.lewis.127…