I’ve actually been looking for a cotton jersey buff and haven’t been able to find one (I don’t sew). If anyone knows where to find one, I hope you’ll post. It would need to have some spandex or the like in a buff to help it stay in place.
I did find a cotton buff (not Tshirt material) that I’ve ordered but haven’t received yet. Found it on etsy and it’s from Germany so who knows how long it’ll take but I was surprised how few were available.
DD used a couple of my old soft tshirts as the lining when she made ours. They were very comfortable but I too like ones that are a little contoured. I think they do better with glasses too.
I got the 6 cotton masks from Nordstrom and I really liked them. They are very comfortable. My glasses fog up but I am getting used to that. But then someone here said they felt like they were wearing underwear, so now that is all I see when I wear the white ones. LOL.
@tx5athome - Lol, I got the same set, and they are comfortable, but definitely not very stylish.
Re: designer masks. There are a lot of knockoffs out there!! I would say 99% of LV ones you will see are fakes. I would give LV et al. a pass. They ramped up production and donated hand sanitizer and surgical masks for docs in Europe.
I actually think it is great designers are jumping in. I hope they come up with a design to make this hideous thing a bit more palatable. The other day, on the plane, I saw a woman wearing a rather nice looking mask. The only mask I liked so far. The seam was a little inside of the fabric. It softened the edges and made it look a lot better. No idea if it is a designer mask or home made one.
So intrigued, @Iglooo! Would love to know what that looked like.
For those looking for masks made of tee shirt fabric, these may work for you. I found the elastic to be too wide. Not too long, b/c I could have knotted the end, but too wide. My 20-something boys have been happy with them, although they may not like the addition of the smiley face!
@CT1417, thank you for the link. I was trying for contour but may order those as they’re the material I want. I will measure, though, as I need to make sure they won’t be too big for me. And I like the smiley face!
Please remember to wash your masks regularly and only wear them one way. I make masks and masks should really utilize 2 different fabrics so the user knows which fabric should be exterior vs. interior.
And if ordering masks for 20-something year old college students, order extra. Having observed laundry habits for the past three & a half months, I have concluded that more masks are needed!
Kona cotton is thinner than it used to be. I bought Kona solids a couple years ago and was very disappointed. I’m using two layers of quilter’s cotton (quilt store quality) or batik.
I’m also a fan of the fabric ties. The top tie doesn’t bother my ears, I can tie it to the exact size, and I can tie the bottom more loosely so I can breathe better. I tuck the top of my mask under my glasses and have had zero problem with foggy glasses.
I find cotton knit sticks to my face and makes it harder to breathe.
Am making a pile of kids masks this week, along with another 20 for various friends who need more masks/smaller size, etc.
The cotton tie ones slip down my head and don’t stay in place. I have very straight hair and don’t wear ponytails, etc so that is probably why. Ponytail holders slip out - no matter how tight they are.
I’ve had a few people like the ties but most like the elastic. I got the softer elastic from Atwood Rope suggested here and that’s what I’ve been using. At one point I was using silky ribbon (seam binding) and most didn’t like that at all, except my brother did because he ties it on in the morning and it mostly hangs from his neck all day.
I did order a bias tape maker with 4 different sizes. I ordered in April and Amazon sent me a few updates and finally said that if it didn’t arrive by June 11 to request a refund, so I did. Finally showed up this week.
The bias tape maker is hugely important in making ties more quickly. What a relief to get that package, I bet! We are using a 1" one for ours. @twoinanddone , what kind of set did you buy?
@cap, my hair is thin and there’s not much of it (as in you can see my scalp when I have my normal haircut), and the ties work well. Used regular cotton.
I bought some of the Adcock elastic and felt like the elastic would die within a week. It’s soft, but too flimsy to me. Does it work OK IRL? I haven’t used it because I hate to put all that work into a mask and have the elastic fail.
Elastic failing is why I’ve stuck to fabric ties in the same fabric (takes longer to make, though). I know that elastic is preferred for wear by many people. Especially if they have one of those gadgets that connects the elastic around the head so ears aren’t tugged or hurt while wearing. I wonder if people are mending the elastic on their masks when it wears out.
I ordered a bias tape set through amazon, but they were all from China (so metric). There are 4 little funnel things, from 1/2" to 2.5" (I think). Yeah, it was burning my little fingers to fold them and iron without the machine, but I did see a method online where you pin a few pins to your ironing board and pull the tape through. By then the elastic I’d ordered came through…
Now my daughter has me making bandanas for dogs.
My masks with elastic have side channels, and the elastic is threaded through them then tied into a loop. I sewed the loop on earlier versions, but now knot the loop, and place the knot inside the channel. I’ve been using a very lightweight elastic which is much more comfortable than most. If the elastic wears out, I just take out the old and replace with new.
I use beads for the masks with ties. Much faster than tying, and quick to adjust. Buttons might also work.
