DIY No Sew Face Mask Similar to the N95 Face Mask

Friends, this is quickly becoming an interesting time in history. I never in a million years thought we would be confined to the walls of our home to prevent the spread of an illness. Furthermore, I never thought medical workers, hospitals and doctors would have a shortage of necessary medical equipment like face masks. What do you do when you can’t find necessary goods? You make them of course! Let me show you my version of the DIY no sew face mask similar to the N95 face mask.

Let me first preface this post by saying that my DIY face mask DOES NOT and WILL NOT replace the actual N95.

The CDC says the use of homemade face masks are to be used as a last resort. It also says that homemade masks should ideally be used with a face shield. Heed these words friends.

This post came out of a cry for help from a friend who works at a local Dr’s office here in town and was in need of a face mask alternative.

DIY cloth mask tutorials are being posted everywhere. Here is my concern with that; viruses live on fabric…

So what happens when your fabric mask is contaminated (or you think it is) due to being around someone with a highly contagious virus? If it’s the only one you have you can’t throw it away.

It’s not like you can run home and wash it in under 30 minutes.

This is when I came up with a different solution. This might not be the best solution, but I do believe it’s better than the fabric masks because it’s partly disposable.

Unfortunately, I do believe we are in a “last resort” type of situation now. According to lots of research, the best mask to protect yourself against the newly formed viruses are the N95 respirator masks.

What is so special about the N95 mask?

For starters, the N95 respiratory masks are very effective in filtering or blocking very small particles in the air that are transmitted by coughs and sneezes (unlike surgical masks). This makes them a good choice to protect against highly contagious viruses.

What do the N95 masks look like?

Below is a picture of an old N95 mask that I have.

They are designed to fit close to the face and block out 95% of small particles (hence the name N95). Most of the diagrams I’ve seen show 4 different layers, one being a filter. You can see an example of a N95 mask below from Softseal Respirator mask.

Let’s create one of these masks shall we?

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Materials to create your own homemade protective face mask similar to an N95 mask:

• AC Air Filter – make sure it’s not fiberglass
• Fabric
• Scissors
• Fabric tape
• Elastic or rubber bands
• Hot glue gun
• Wire clothes hanger
• Pliers or wire cutters
• Stapler

I’m no stranger to NO SEW projects. I grew up learning to sew and I hated it. Guess what; I still hate it. I break out the fabric tape to replace a regular seam more than I care to admit. From creating DIY no sew pillows to DIY no sew valences, I’m quite versed with no sew projects.

How to make a DIY NO SEW face mask or DIY mouth mask;

1. Create a stencil- I did this by tracing the old N95 mask I had. Don’t forget to add an inch or two inches all the way around. I’ve shared my stencil below.
2. Double up the fabric and trace the stencil over the fabric.
3. Cut 4 pieces of fabric.
4. Trace your stencil over the AC filter and cut it out.
5. Hot glue one layer of fabric to the AC filter.
6. Hot glue another layer.
7. Cut two pieces of wire from the clothes hanger about 5″ each
8. Bend the two pieces slightly to match the angle of the pattern on the top and the bottom.
9. Hot glue the wire pieces to the top and bottom INSIDE piece of fabric (the bottom piece of fabric).
10. Hot glue all around the face mask to make sure it’s sealed.
11. Use your fingers to pinch the sides and hot glue them together (see video for more details).
12. Cut 2 elastic or rubber bands to fit your face.
13. Staple them to the OUTSIDE of the mask on each side. One needs to extend above your ears and one below.
14. Take the last piece of fabric and pinch the sides and hot glue it together.
15. Use the fabric tape to tape the last piece of fabric to the mask.

NOTE: I am using a fiberglass air filter in the video below. Hindsight I would have used a non fiberglass air filter like this one. There is a lot of debate on what type of “filtration material” to use for DIY face masks. I’ve seen some people use vacuum bags, but these are hard to breath with. The fiberglass AC filters are the most breathable but could cause harm due to the small glass particles. It seems that the best option would be a non fiberglass AC air filter.

That being said, I’m no expert– Just a girl trying to come up with a last minute homemade mask solution for all the folks that need protection but can’t get it.

Video tutorial for No sew face mask similar to N95 here.

DIY dust mask template

One thing to note about N95 masks is that most of them have four layers and at least one of those layers is considered a “filter.”

I figured the “filter” layer could be created from an extra AC filter I had. Why not right? It’s kind of the same principal.

Let me show you some how-to pictures;

Next use the stencil to cut the AC filter. Make sure you don’t use a fiberglass filter.

You can see the metal pieces I’ve cut from the clothes hanger.

Your DIY mask will include four layers:

1. base fabric layer that sits on your face
2. AC filter cut to size
3. another fabric layer on top of AC filter
4. “disposable” fabric layer attached with either fabric tape or velcro

Now you have your very own handmade N95 face mask. What do you think?

I hope this post has helped you prepare or ease your mind that you can create your own face mask in a time of need. Take care friends and stay well.

Lindsey**