How to Make Your Own Mask for Coronavirus
Stopped Making Art….For the moment
I think some of you know that I was part of a group art exhibition, Touch Me Touch Me Not, in Singapore. We had a great opening night, but we had to close it earlier than expected due to the tighter government measures against COVID19. Though we knew that public health and safety was more important at this point in time, it was a moment of sadness. For me, I was feeling grief - all the news about COVID19 has been affecting me, but I listened to a podcast episode on How to Fail with Elizabeth Day, and she had an amazing guest, Mo Gawdat.
He stressed the importance of:
practising gratitude - if you’re reading this now, you most likely have a roof over your head, a supply of food and water, and most importantly safe.
accepting the situation - we don’t know how long this will last but let’s live in the now and make the best use of our time.
working out what you can actively do to make life better
Not part of the Frontline
I’m not a nurse or a doctor, so what can I do? I can stay at home, make sure I keep my distance from those outside my household, keep healthy, and lastly make masks. The Singapore government has reversed its decision on the use of the masks, and has asked all residents to wear a reusable mask to combat COVID19.
So I went online and did some research, and so far, the best one I have seen that is open source and has been tested is the HK Mask. It is the result of a collaboration between social enterprise, Sew On Studio, and Dr K Kwong in Hong Kong.
Making Masks
The templates are downloadable as pdfs and come in sizes from XXS (babies) to L (male adult). This site has compiled all of Dr K Kwong’s work, including the tests and rationale behind the mask. Basically the mask comprises two fabric layers and a pocket for you to insert a filter, tissue or kitchen towel paper. The result is a mask that has various filtration efficiencies.
How to make a mask with a pocket and a filter
Here is a video of how I made the HK Mask - I made a slight adjustment to the steps to reinforce the sewn elastic.
Where to get supplies -
fabric - you can use any old clothes that you have. Just make sure you don’t use material that is too thick that you won’t be able to breathe!
elastic, thread and needles - available online at Spotlight and Lye Nai Shiong. Do note that delivery charges apply.
scissors
wire that’s used to tie bread bags - available at hardware stores (essential service in Singapore so should be open)
No Sewing Machine
No sewing machine? You can use a backstitch to do make them as well - it’s therapeutic!
Update - I found out that you can use hem tape or 1cm strips of interfacing in place of the stitching. So instead of sewing a 1 cm allowance, you use the interfacing to glue the pieces of fabric together instead. All you need is a medium heat dry iron and gently iron the pieces of fabric together with the interfacing sandwiched inbetween.