How To Make Your Own Facemask

Anton Hilton • June 20, 2020

As the country enters the next stage of its strategy to ease the lockdown restrictions whilst preventing the spread of Coronavirus, the Government has issued new advice to the public on how to stay safe whilst in public spaces (such as shops and public transport). 

Mask
The Government has asked people to wear face masks to cover their nose and mouth where social distancing is not possible. This advice has been detailed in the Government Covid-19 recovery strategy, detailing its plans for lifting the UK out of lockdown; which can be viewed here.

To prevent any additional pressure to the NHS in obtaining crucial PPE supplies, the Government has issued instructions on how to make your own facemask at home, by simply using elastic bands and some cotton fabric or even just an old T-shirt. Your face mask should be worn so that you can breathe comfortably whilst covering your nose and mouth. You should sanitise or wash your hands before putting it on and taking it off, and you should wash your face mask regularly. We share how to make your own face mask at home below*:

Making a face mask using an old T Shirt 

You will need:

• One old T-shirt that you no longer want
• Scissors

Method:

Step 1: Cut a straight line across the width of the T-shirt (front and back) approximately 20cm from the bottom of the T-shirt. 
Step 2: From a point 2cm below the top right-hand corner of the fabric, make a 15cm horizontal cut through both sides of the fabric that is parallel to the top of the rectangle.
Step 3: Cut down towards the bottom of the fabric until you reach approximately 2cm above the bottom edge. From here, make another 15cm cut that runs parallel to the bottom of the fabric to make a rectangle that can be discarded.
Step 4: To make the ties, cut open the edge of the 2 long strips of fabric. Unfold the main piece of fabric and place over the mouth and the nose. The 4 strips act as ties to hold the cloth face covering in place and should be tied behind the head and around the neck.

Making a face mask using a piece of cotton fabric

You will need:

• two 25cm x 25cm squares of cotton fabric
• two 20cm pieces of elastic (or string or cloth strips)
• needle and thread
• scissors

Step 1: Cut out two 25cm x 25cm squares of cotton fabric. Stack the 2 squares on top of each other.
Step 2: Fold over one side by 0.75cm and hem, then repeat on the opposite side. Make 2 channels by folding the double layer of fabric over 1.5cm along each side and stitching this down.
Step 3: Run a 20cm length of elastic (or string or cloth strip) through the wider hem on each side of the face covering. These will be the ear loops. Use a large needle to thread it through. Tie the ends tightly.

If you only have string, you can make the ties longer and tie the covering behind your head.

Step 4: Gently pull on the elastic so that the knots are tucked inside the hem. Gather the sides of the covering on the elastic and adjust so the covering fits your face. Then securely stitch the elastic in place to keep it from slipping. These elastic loops fit over the ears.

*Our step by step guides have been taken from the Gov.uk website here

Recent Posts

By Niraj Mamtora January 6, 2021
Brexit has affected a lot of policies. It is only natural that one may worry about what their travel insurance policy is going to be like as a result of this. Being a client of Forum Insurance, you will still get cover in all the countries enlisted in the Insurance guide. The duration of the cover is 90 days which can be further extended for an additional 12 weeks (maximum) based on our prior agreement.
By Adrian Pountney January 5, 2021
Testing
By Anton Hilton December 7, 2020
Owning a property means there are tons of things that you need to take care of at all times. After all, it is a long term investment, and you need to safeguard it in any way possible. Among all of that, one of the most important things is getting insurance for your property in case the worst happens. So, what do you do to protect your property? You get insurance for it. Now, we will explain to you how and where you can find the best cover for your home, so when things go south, your house is fully protected, and you are not left with thousands of pounds in expenses. 
By Anton Hilton November 24, 2020
The Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors (Chartered IIA) has seen cybersecurity rank as its top risk for the third year straight. But their survey has also brought new dangers to light with the recent surge of COVID-19 seeing disasters and crisis preparedness ranking as a new top five risk. The results came about after a comprehensive survey of over 570 Chief Audit Executives. Of these, 79% labelled cybersecurity as one of the greatest corporate risks that they had to deal with, whereas 27% labelled it as the single greatest risk. This growing fear of having inadequate cybersecurity has seen a surge with the advent of remote working as individuals and companies are now all the more reliant on technology, making them that much more susceptible to viruses, phishing activities, and malware practices. 
By Anton Hilton November 23, 2020
Hackney Borough Council is scrambling to support its IT systems and operations after being at the receiving end of an unfortunate cybercrime. Located in North London, the Council is carrying out procedures in collaboration with the National Cyber Security Centre in a bid to estimate the gravity of the situation. Being absolutely devastated by this breach, Hackney Council has also reached out to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as well as professionals of the cyber security world with requests of assistance.
Show More
By Niraj Mamtora January 6, 2021
Brexit has affected a lot of policies. It is only natural that one may worry about what their travel insurance policy is going to be like as a result of this. Being a client of Forum Insurance, you will still get cover in all the countries enlisted in the Insurance guide. The duration of the cover is 90 days which can be further extended for an additional 12 weeks (maximum) based on our prior agreement.
By Adrian Pountney January 5, 2021
Testing
By Anton Hilton December 7, 2020
Owning a property means there are tons of things that you need to take care of at all times. After all, it is a long term investment, and you need to safeguard it in any way possible. Among all of that, one of the most important things is getting insurance for your property in case the worst happens. So, what do you do to protect your property? You get insurance for it. Now, we will explain to you how and where you can find the best cover for your home, so when things go south, your house is fully protected, and you are not left with thousands of pounds in expenses. 
Show More