I posted a few weeks ago how I made my first fabric face masks. Since then the demand has skyrocketed, and I have found the absolute best way to mass produce fabric face masks. I can make upwards of 50- 60 fabric face masks a day with this method.
I donate most of what I make, but have started to sell some to offset the cost of fabric, elastic, ribbon and thread. Producing large quantities a day has allowed me to support my community through this very difficult time, with both donations and individual sales. I only see the need increasing as we start to go out more and have to interact with other people on a daily basis.
The idea behind this method is to make large quantities of masks in an assembly line format, cut out 20-40+, sew them all at once, press them and finish with the top stitch. I use one pin per mask to hold the pocket opening in place. I press in the pleats and don’t pin them. The method I top stitch allows me to adjust the pleats on the fly so it is even when complete.
**Disclaimer** This article contains affiliate links. Check our Privacy Policy for more info.
Supplies
- Rotary cutter and mat
- 100% cotton fabric – pre-washed in hot water and dried on high
- 1/8″, 1/4″, 3/8″ or cord elastic OR Gross grain ribbon
- Iron
Cut strips of fabric and elastic
The final cut size for each mask is 9″ x 14″. If your fabric is 45″ or 44″ wide, you should start by cutting 9″ strips the width of your fabric. Using a rotary cutter and mat is key to making this step quick. I cut several of these at a time from each fabric.
Then open the strips and cut the short way. Cut these at 14″ and you will have just the perfect amount for 3 masks per 9″ strip.
Cut 2 pieces of elastic to 6 1/2″ or if using elastic cord, cut to 7″ and knot the ends. If using ties, cut or make 4 ties at 25″. I make ties by cutting 3/4″ strips of fabric and folding in half and running through the serger. Using gross grain ribbon is faster.
Finish the raw edges
To make the pocket we finish the raw edges. I used a serger which is the most efficient way to finish raw edges, but you can zig zag stitch or fold over and top stitch. With the cut method described above, you will have a few edges that are finished from by the manufacturer, and those I just leave as they will not fray.
Fold into shape
Fold the fabric right sides together to create the pocket in the back by folding each finished edge about 3 1/2″ into the center. The edges will overlap about an inch. The finished size is about 6 1/2″ x 9″.
Sew
Pin the left overlap in place, and prepare the right side with either elastic or ribbon in the top and bottom corner. The elastic or ties are sewn inside making sure the elastic is flat.
Back stitch well to hold the elastic in place. Sew the right side with 1/4″ seam allowance, placing elastic in the bottom corner after sewing half way down and securing the pocket opening. Repeat for the other side.
When you are done sewing you will have this.
Press
Turn all the masks right side out through the pocket hole and press flat. There is no need to trim or cut the corners since we used 1/4″ seam allowance.
Once pressed you will want to press in all the pleats from the front side. I start by pressing the middle pleat, then folding the lower and upper pleats and pressing it all into place.
Top Stitch
After ironing all the masks with pleats, you will double top stitch them all. This is the final step to mass producing fabric face masks! I start sewing the pleats on the side the pleats are folded toward the machine. These are the more difficult pleats to sew as the machine tends to slide them out of place. I sew this side first so when I get to the easier side I can re-adjust the pleats to make them even to how there were sewn on the first side. This is how I avoid pinning the pleats and still getting an even rectangle when I’m done.
Trim the threads and you are done! I hope this method helps to show you how to mass produce fabric face masks – the easy way!
