| | | | |

Face mask pattern updates and a finished quilt top

There is a silver lining to most everything and one of them is all of the new followers to my blog. Thank you for joining me here! It’s been a week full of face mask activity and I wanted to let you know that I have made some face mask pattern updates. I also finished a quilt top in one week!

Face mask pattern updates

I have created a downloadable face mask pattern that includes the instructions and the templates. You can find that on the original blog post or for your convenience, you can download it here:

4/13/20 Update: If you have a Cricut Maker, visit Cori at Hey, Let’s Make Stuff for a free SVG pattern that goes with my tutorial.

4/10/20 Update: I was made aware of a good resource for filter material: Filti Face Mask Material. They have a data sheet that you can click on that contains great information. I have not tried this myself, but it looks legit.

Yesterday, I completed ten more face masks and I’ve been using my stash of Art Gallery Fabrics. Their fabric is very tightly woven (similar to batiks) and perfect for these masks.

Versatile Face Masks using a pattern by Julie Cefalu @ The Crafty Quilter.

I’m starting to run out of grosgrain ribbon, so I’m using hair ties and strips of t-shirt fabric for the ties. I think some people prefer the hair ties because they don’t require tying a knot behind the head and neck. My parents are in their 80’s and they aren’t as flexible as they used to be, so they’re getting the masks with hair ties.

Versatile Face Masks using a pattern by Julie Cefalu @ The Crafty Quilter.
Some face mask pattern updates @ The Crafty Quilter include different ways to use and make ties.

Thanks to one of the comments from the original Versatile Face Mask blog post, I found an easier way to thread the ties. First I created a tie with one strip of fabric, 1 1/2″ x 42″ using the technique I mentioned in the first blog post. You could also do this with one long piece of ribbon. Then I threaded the single tie so that it went down the casing on one side and up the casing on the other side. This way the neck portion gets tightened by pulling up on the top ties and then you just tie it behind the top of your head.

Some face mask pattern updates @ The Crafty Quilter include different ways to use and make ties.

Speaking of comments, there have been 173 so far! Some of those are me responding to questions, but mostly they are positive comments from you and some great suggestions. I updated that blog post with a condensed version of those tips (towards the end of that post).

A finished quilt top

I follow Sweet Treasures Quilts on Instagram; Terri has been hosting a sew along called The Kindness Project. You can also find her on Facebook. I joined in a little late, but it was easy to catch up. The quilt top is complete, and now it’s time to baste, quilt and bind it. That’s usually where I send things off to a longarm quilter, but I’m going to try to quilt this one myself. Not that I feel intimidated by that, I just don’t have the time. Well, truthfully, I would rather be making something else (new things are always more fun)!

Quilt top made from The Kindness Project Sew Along.
Quilt top made from The Kindness Project Sew Along.

The Kindness Project is meant to spread some comfort to someone who could use a little extra kindness in their life. I still don’t know who the recipient will be of my quilt. I made it in gender neutral fabrics so that it could go to anyone. I’m sure the right person will show up at the right time.

The Kindness Project by Terri at Sweet Treasures Quilts
Quilt top made from The Kindness Project Sew Along.

Life at home has been a curious mix of things. The days fly by for me and I’m spending more time in the kitchen than ever. I’ve always liked to cook, but I’m going to really appreciate it when the restaurants can relieve some of that. We do order take out on occasion; mostly to support our local favorite eateries. I’ve made this Garden Vegetable Lasagna twice now – it’s so good! I’m also working on a homemade granola recipe. I’ll let you know how that goes.

I’m missing my children and grandchildren, so much! Our son has moved back home for the time being and our daughter in San Francisco comes home to visit often. The other two are a plane flight away, so that’s keeping us apart. But there’s Zoom and FaceTime. We had our first Zoom Happy Hour with them on Sunday and it felt so good to be together. One of my daughters took this screen shot at just the right moment. Baby Ben had us all smiling.

Our granddaughter, Clara, turned two in March. We are going to have to get used to these virtual celebrations. She’s now wearing a dress I made for her big sister, Amelia. I’m so glad to see it getting passed down.

Clara and Amelia in their pretty dresses

That’s a small snapshot into my life right now. None of us are sure what tomorrow will bring, but I’m sure our creative outlets are a respite that we can all appreciate now more than ever. Unless you’re Cooper; he loves the fact that he has constant companions all day long and the walks are more leisurely than ever.

Have a wonderful and safe week!

Similar Posts

32 Comments

  1. thank you so much for sharing us useful information, actually an automatic mask making machine can help customers improve the mask making efficiency. Deqi is the experts for mask making machine, which cover the 3ply mask machine, KN95 mask machine, cup mask machine. With Deqi ,it’s nothing problem for mask making. http://www.deqimachine.com

  2. I love your face mask pattern and have made several using it. I wish you had a child’s face mask pattern posted to download because many people like my masks made with your pattern and have ask for a mask for their children. Thank You!

  3. I am commenting very late, but here goes. I have making the mask with the long ties, to tie at the top of the head. I have found that if I use bias binding (I have a lot from over the years) and run it through a nylon spacer, found at a hardware store, I don’t have to tie. Each spacer costs 30 cents. You have to tightly tape the ends together to get through the how, but it is very convenient to put on and off when doing errands. Thank you for your amazing and very simple pattern!

  4. Julie, thanks for doing the mask project. I have never sewn before and I haven’t taken my new machine out of the box yet. I clicked on the link for your tutorial, but it said the page was no longer there. Could you please give me the new link? I have ordered some elastic to go around my head. Will I be able to do that with your pattern. Thanks, Paul

  5. Thank you! I made one last night and it turned out to fit me perfectly. I’ll have to increase the size a bit to fit my bearded husband a bit better.

    1. Hi! The same with my husband! How did adjust it? I’m having a hard time, i went a 1/4 “ bigger and it was too big 🙁 fyi newbie sewer

  6. Thank you so very much for your patterned edits! As a nurse in the Boston area I was looking for a well constructed pattern that fit well and filtered adequately. You never disappoint. Love what you do for us. Stay well.

  7. oh my gosh it’s so good to hear from you, one of my favorite blogs to read (smile) ..i’ve been working from home and still at 9 hour days job, which gives me 2 Fridays off a month. I started making masks at night up until 1:30 a.m. I never sewed during the week before all this, but it’s easier when working from home. I watched several youtubes before narrowing down how i’ve been doing mine. but it still is timely. I have lots of ribbon in the barn I”m going to have to dig out since i was doing straps from yardage. I am going to give your pattern a try…giving 2 masks to each person and allowing them to pass one of them onto someone else who needs.. the word is out, there is not enough time to do (esp when they are cute too!! ) Thanks so much Julie, good to see everyone doing well. Look forward to your granola recipe..

    1. I cut up a pair of yoga pants in 1″ strips for the ties. It works better than T-shirt material.

  8. Julie, I love the Kindness Project quilt and would love to make one. However, I can only find the pattern in piecemeal sections. Is there a way I can get the written pattern in one piece? I can hardly wait to begin the quilt for a special person. I always visit my friends in the hospital with a quilt to make them smile. The little cotton blankets provided by the hospital never seem to keep one warm.
    Thanking you sincerely,
    Donna

  9. Thank you so very much for your great pattern and even greater tutorials for making these masks! I’ve looked at what feels like hundreds of face mask patterns and tutorials, and tried several, ending up frustrated and wasting a lot of time with poor patterns and instructions written by people who don’t sew much. Your pattern was perfect, it all came together quite easily and quickly, and today’s suggestion about a single tie will be very useful. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Now I can go into production mode and actually accomplish my goal of completing masks for family, friends, and neighborhood. Stay safe, and feel appreciated. You are!

  10. Thank you, thank you for sharing your talent and a pattern!!! Your quilt top is darling! Another option for ties that are softer than hair ties are nylon stockings. Just cute 1 1/2” tubes and roll them up. Much softer on the backs of your ears. Hope that helps with your parents comfort.

  11. Thanks Julie for your loving and uplifting posts and great patterns. Love the pictures of the family too. I am glad you are all well and making everyday count. May God Bless you and those you love. And May He Bless us all.

  12. Julie, this post is something I could write!!
    1. I miss my far off kids and granddaughter mightily.
    2 Our furkids couldn’t be happier with this isolation haha

    Your quilt is so fresh and happy looking! Love it.
    I’m starting mask burnout lol But that’s okay.

    I also love Art Gallery fabrics. It’s a newer discovery for me
    and they are so soft and luscious.

    Stay well!

  13. I love all the facemask posts you have been doing… I have been making my fair share 🙂
    I love your sew along you did… turned out nice… you could always save it for your longarmer if you start and don’t care for your own quilting in the end.. the flimsy is GREAT!
    I love the candid shots of your family.. this is really helping is cash in on that loving feeling of being together when we have to stay apart right now for sure!!!
    Take care and thanks for blogging such great stuff all the time… I say a prayer for you and yours every time I use that Ruby rotary cutter I won last year 🙂
    Kathi

      1. I’ve been looking at some of the dfferent ideas that others have mentioned here for using different things for the ties on the mask if you dont have 1/4 in elastic or a roll of that hair tie elastic that you can cut in different lengths to use.
        I just had another idea and I wondered what you thought about maybe crocheting a length of a small rope or just make a braid out of some cotton yarn?

  14. Hi Julie! Many thanks to you! Finding your fabulous face mask pattern and easy to follow directions with photos was great, but the silver lining for me continues in following your creativity through your blog!

  15. Love your quilt for The Kindness Project! Wish there were enough quilts for everyone right now as we all welcome kindness! The mask patterns are great; so many patterns to chose from. I’ve completed masks for my family members and am in medium production for friends and clerks at local Dollar store….warming to see the output of mask-maskers. Thank you for sharing your family treasures. Be safe.

  16. I made 10 masks today for my daughters and their families. This is by far my favorite pattern. I used two others. One from a rectangle and another in the hoop on my embroidery machine. I hated making the pleats, and the one in the hoop was a pain because the presser foot kept getting caught in the pleats. So thank you for your pattern❣️

  17. Many thanks for your mask pattern, Julie. I cut out the 66th mask from your pattern today, using it for family, friends, and donations to a local hospital. My tweak is to trim the center seam to about 1/8”, then edge stitch on the right side. For me, trimming, notching, and pressing that center front seam open was too time consuming. I wish the best to you and your family.

  18. I was thinking about the center seam on the mask…why not cut the front piece in one whole piece? You could also use stitch witch to fuse a bias tape over the seam?

    Thanks for the great pattern and instruction. Just what I was looking for!

  19. Thank you Julie! I have made a number of your masks and they fit like a dream!! I so enjoyed seeing the photos of your family too. Take good care of yourself, best wishes.
    Bev

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

DISCLAIMER:

Some of the links on this site are affiliate links and I may be compensated a small commission when you make a purchase by clicking on those links. I only promote products and services that I use and love myself. Your support enables me to maintain the content of this blog and I am truly grateful!