Inspiration & Tutorials

How to make the Loving You, Loving Me Face Mask

face covering face mask Apr 12, 2020

What you will need:

The Loving You Loving Me Face Mask design (click here to request your copy)
An embroidery machine with a hoop that is at least 150mm x 280mm (use the Facemask design) OR
An embroidery machine with a hoop that is at least 130mm x 180mm (use the Facemask-5x7 design)
2 pieces of fabric, 11 ½” x 6 ½” (front and back of mask)
1 piece of batting, 11 ½” x 6 ½” (cotton or cotton blend recommended)
2 pieces of fabric, 3 ½” x 2” (side binding)
1 piece of fabric, 11 ½” x 6 ½” (optional filter pocket)
1 piece of stabilizer to fit your hoop (medium weight cutaway or medium weight tearaway, my favorite is OESD Ultra Clean and Tear)
1 piece of wire or a pipe cleaner, 9 ½” long (20 gauge round jewelry wire works very well)
Elastic, ribbon, bias binding or fabric scraps for ties

To stitch in a hoop that is at least 150mm x 280mm

Load the Facemask design into your embroidery machine.
Load a piece of stabilizer into your hoop
Stitch color #1
Remove the hoop from the machine
Center one piece of fabric (the front of the mask) right side up over the batting
Center the fabric and batting over the placement line stitched on the stabilizer in the hoop
Hold the fabric and batting in place with Scotch Magic Tape
Return the hoop to the machine
Stitch color #2, the background quilting
Stitch colors #3-#6, changing thread color as desired
If adding a filter pocket:
> Fold in ½” on one long edge of the pocket fabric and press
> Fold in another ½” and press
> Stitch along the folded edge
> Place right side down on the fabric in the hoop, with the folded edge to the right, approximately level with the top of the heart, and the raw edge to the left
Place the back of the mask right side down on top of the fabric in the hoop, holding in place with Scotch Magic Tape
Stitch the last color
Remove everything from the hoop
Trim the sides to be level with the ends of the stitching that stitched in the last color
Trim the top and bottom ⅛” out from the stitching lines
The view from the other side
Turn the mask right side out, finger pressing the seams flat and then pressing with an iron
Top stitch the bottom edge, close to the edge
Stitch along the top edge, ¼” in from the edge, to create a casing to add a piece of wire. If using a pipe cleaner, make sure the casing is large enough to be able to insert the pipe cleaner
If you have an optional filter pocket, make sure it doesn’t get caught in the stitching for the wire casing
Bend about ¼” in on both ends of the wire to prevent it from poking through the fabric
Insert the wire into the casing until it is centered across the mask
Fold the two side binding pieces in half, wrong sides together. The resulting pieces should measure 3 ½” x 1”
For ear wraps, cut 2 pieces of elastic, 4” to 5” long. Hair elastics work too!
For wrap behind the head elastic, cut 2 pieces 10” long
To use ribbon or fabric ties, cut 4 pieces, 12”-16” long
If you have an optional filter pocket, make sure that it is flat against the back of the mask
Stitch down the sides of the mask with a short and narrow zigzag stitch
On the sides of the mask, you should find 3 “notches” that stitched in color #2. The center notch marks the center of the side. Fold the mask wrong sides together on the top and bottom notches.
Fold back out and create 2 pleats as shown. Pin in place
Place the ends of the elastic or ties so that they are level with the top and bottom of each side
Cover with a side binding piece, raw edge of the binding to the raw edge of the side of the mask
Stitch through all layers with a ¼” seam allowance. The seam is quite bulky, especially if you are adding a filter pocket, so a zigzag stitch may work better than a straight stitch
Fold the ends of the binding in and fold the binding over the end of the side of the mask and pin in place
Hand stitch the binding closed