How to make a face mask

The latest government guidelines advise the use of homemade face coverings in enclosed spaces, to help with this Solent University Technical Coordinator in the School of Art, Design and Fashion, Kelly Barker, has made an online tutorial for a simple cotton mask that can be made by complete beginners. 

With Government advice now saying that people should use a homemade face covering in crowded places, where social distancing is not always possible and people come into contact with others they do not know, such as on public transport or in certain shops. 

The chief medical officer for England has also urged the public not to buy surgical or medical masks, needed for frontline carers, but to rely on scarves or DIY-type masks instead. 

“I realised that we would all probably need a mask to return to work, and there’s already a shortage,” explains Kelly, who has been sewing and donating masks to NHS workers, friends and neighbours. 

“I made a quick tutorial and loaded up on to my YouTube channel called icutandsew, which I set up last year to record tutorials for my students. 

“I experimented with a couple of designs, but the one I have uploaded is the easiest to make and can also been hand sewn in less than an hour if you don’t have a sewing machine.” 

To make a face covering, Kelly says you need a small amount of fabric, approximately 38cm by 20cm. 

“The mask is very simple to make,” she says. “An old soft cotton shirt would be fine if you don’t have any material to hand and you will need a needle, thread and thin elastic.”