Summer’s hottest trend this year might just be face masks. To slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect ourselves and those around us, we will all be wearing face coverings for the foreseeable future. And, it turns out they are not that hard to make. Just like any accessory, having a variety of looks is fun and makes the weight of why we have to wear them a little lighter.

 

 

Making your own mask allows you to create something you love. It also conserves medical grade masks for first responders and other essential workers. It’s an activity you can do with kids. In fact, kids may be more willing to wear a mask if they participated in making it or got to select the fabric (note: children under age 2 should not wear masks – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-to-wear-cloth-face-coverings.html]

 

We work with beautiful fabrics for drapery, cushions, and pillows. We have salvaged pieces that can be used to create masks and want to share fabric with our community. AMI is offering our designer fabrics for re-use as face coverings. You can create a one-of-a-kind face mask from our collection of high end fabrics. Email us at hello@aldenmillerinteriors.com and we’ll send you a face mask kit complete with a pattern and enough fabric to make a face mask.

 

The best masks are lightweight, stay on well, and are easy to get on and off. Some come with elastic straps, while others have ties; some are even made of one piece of fabric and require no sewing. We sourced a free pattern from Jenny Lemons that uses elastic 

 

 

The CDC also has face mask pattern available, which includes how to make a no-sew mask from a single piece of fabric or a bandana method:

 

 

 

If you want to skip the sewing, there are makers out there offering masks. Through a Vogue online story about a photographer capturing mask wearing in her Brooklyn, NY neighborhood [https://www.vogue.com/article/masks-in-brooklyn-photographer-laylah-amatullah-barrayn], we discovered ShopVolta [https://www.shopvolta.com/face-masks]. Designer and mom, Sarah Djarnie Brown, makes 100% cotton masks using the vibrant textiles and patterns of traditional Ghana printed fabric known as ankara. ShopVolta allows you to select the pattern and sizes are available for men, women, and children.

 

Bottom line is that wearing face coverings in public protects you and the people you come in contact with. As life opens up and we venture out more into the world, wearing a mask is considerate and responsible. Your face covering can still be beautiful and express a love of design as well as protect those around you.