How to Add Nose Wire to Face Mask

I have been following the instructions for creating a face mask from this video that my local hospital recommended. I made a few changes, such as using white or solid color fabric for the inside of the mask, as well as adding a nose wire to create a better fit.

What wire to use in face mask

I’m using garden wire, exactly like the green wire pictured at left, which you can get at any garden store or at a crafts store like Michaels.

Chances are you have some type of wire on hand that you can use. You don’t want something that is too thin that would not be able to hold it’s shape thru 2 layers of fabric. You also don’t want something that is too hard for the wearer to easily mold the wire to fit snugly on their nose.

Steps for Mask Making

Cut out two 9′ x 6″ different pieces of fabric – one colorful and one plain – so that folks will be able to tell which side to keep facing outwards.

Place the “right sides” of the fabric facing each other (as we are going to be turning this inside out after our initial stitching).

Start stitching at the “bottom” of the fabric. If the fabric has no top or bottom, this doesn’t matter, but I was making some masks out of “tree” fabric with lettering, and these didn’t look too hot upside down. Adding a nose wire creates a mask that has a top and bottom, so keep the direction of the fabric in mind.

Watch above video for how to add elastic as you stitch. Sew the two pieces of fabric together, inserting elastic at each corner, and leaving an opening at the bottom.

How to add Nose Wire to the Mask

Cut 4″ of wire.

On the long, top side, mark the fabric with pencil at 2 1/4″.

Open the seam and hold the wire as close to the stiching as possible, beginning at the 2 1/4″ spot.

Fold top layer of fabric over wire. Holding wire in place, sew alongside the wire, being careful not to let your needle hit the wire (I broke one!).

After stitching wire in place, go back over with whole wire area with a Zigzag. Also, be sure to stitch the top and bottom so that wire can’t wiggle out of the fabric.

Turn inside out and make sure wire is pushed to the very top of the mask.

Pin your face mask as instructed in above video.

Stitch around entire face mask, two full loops, being careful not to hit the wire on the top edge.

Remove pins, and you’re done!

Each mask takes about 12-15 minutes for me to make.

If you have any questions, please post them in the comments below.

Best,
Marjorie