I posted on my instagram a few weeks ago about making a bandeau mask out of jersey knit and how much I loved being able to breathe in it. PLUS it rests easily around my neck in the in between time. If you don’t have a bolt of jersey knit lying around, you can use an old t-shirt to make one. I didn’t make a pattern or write the steps down when I made the ones for me and my daughters, but when my husband asked for one for Father’s Day, I just couldn’t quite remember how I made it – hence this blog post. So this is partly for myself as a reference for when I make them again, but hopefully this is a helpful reference for you as well!
It’s a quick sew and can be done on a standard sewing machine, or a serger, which I prefer since it’s a stretchy material and it does the cutting for you.
Steps:
- Cut the t-shirt horizontally under the armpits
- Flip inside out
- Cut the sides of the shirt
- Serge (or sew) the top and the bottom of the shirt
- Flip right side out
- Surge (or sew) the front edge of one side to the edge of the other side. Don’t sew all 4 edges together! You’re making a tube that you will flip inside out.
- Rotate as you sew, then leave a small opening to flip it inside out. I left from the edge of the needle to my finger in the photo below.
- Flip fabric through hole
- Topstitch or blind stitch to close up the opening
That’s it! It’s pretty good for with wearing glasses, and you don’t need to make bias tape ties or elastics to go around the ears. The size is forgiving because it’s stretchy. I like to have several options of masks around because I can’t keep up with one, so I keep them in my car, a purse if I’m carrying one, and the rest of the family masks tucked away in a bin in my closet. Let’s keep wearing those masks, friends!
Plus as a bonus, my kid now has a crop top to wear, because FASHION.
Chatty Crafties 