How to Make a Cloth Mask
As COVID-19 continues to ravage our communities, and our local businesses and governments continue to value profit over workers’ lives, we must do what we can to protect ourselves and the people we come in contact with. Many of us do not have a choice whether or not we shelter at home. Some of us work in healthcare or other truly essential fields and must continually put ourselves at risk. Some of us are at the mercy of bosses and managers who push for reopening and continuing business as usual. Some of us do not have safe homes to shelter in.
No matter what category we find ourselves in, we are all interconnected. When we go to the grocery store, get pizza delivered, go into work, spend time with our loved ones, or go to protests, we risk infection and spreading infection. And we must be realistic about that risk. COVID-19 is a life-threatening illness that disproportionately affects disabled people, fat people, poor people, black people, and indigenous people. Even the most privileged person can face hospitalization, long term health effects, or death. There is still much we don’t know about how this virus impacts our bodies and our futures.
This crisis has highlighted what disability justice writers and thinkers have been saying for decades – we do not exist or function as isolated individuals. Every person is deeply inter-dependent and connected. Our homes, stores, offices, roads, and public spaces are built and maintained by people. Our healthcare, food, entertainment, and environmental needs are seen to by people. Every item you touch, every place you go, and every piece of media you consume was shaped by a long chain of people. Awareness of these connections and histories helps us break free of the illusion of independence that capitalistic alienation relies on.
From a disability justice perspective, this helps us to understand that those among us whose dependence is visible – those who require immediate, personal support to do the daily tasks of living – are not unique in their needs. Everyone needs support, but for a majority of people that support is invisible, so baked into society that we can ignore it. When we learn to see the way we are supported, it becomes less tolerable to deny or begrudge the support needed by others. And, we can also learn to see our place in the vast web of inter-dependence – where we take, where we give, and where we have opportunities to give more.
We are currently being given just such an opportunity. Being purposefully and politically aware of our interconnected lives and our inter-dependence is our only just path forward. We must make decisions daily that put our communities first – from sheltering in place when possible, to materially supporting our most impacted comrades. Right now, radically caring about our communities can look as simple as washing our hands properly and frequently and wearing a mask.
Reusable cloth masks made of a double layer of non-woven cotton drastically reduce the spread of droplets, a major vector for infection. Here is a beginner level tutorial for how to make your own.
Skill Base
Tracing
Measuring
Cutting paper and fabric
Hand or machine sewing
Materials
100% cotton t-shirt
Sharp scissors
Hand sewing needle or sewing machine
Thread
Small plate
Ruler
Marker
Piece of 8 1/2 x 11 paper
Steps
Make a template using the paper, ruler, marker, and small plate. Draw a 4inch line near the bottom left of your paper, then another 4inch line making a right angle on the left side, then a 7inch line making a right angle on the right side. Connect the two upright lines with a slanted line. Use the plate to curve out the long side. Cut out this shape. This template can be reused to make more masks. If you plan on making many masks, consider making this template out of cardboard.
Lay the t-shirt out on a flat surface. Use the scissors to cut off the folded hem at the sleeves and bottom. Cut these pieces into 4 10inch strips. These pieces will be your mask ties. You can also use ribbon, elastic, or other scrap fabric to make your ties.
Use the template and the marker to trace out 4 shapes onto the main body of the t-shirt. Cut these shapes out. If you are planning on making more than one mask, be strategic about where you place your template. See how many you can get out of one t-shirt!
Stack the pieces into 2 stacks of 2.
Use the needle and thread to sew around the edges to make 2 double layered pieces.
Stack the 2 double layered pieces together. Sew the curved edges together. The main body of your mask is finished.
Sew the 4 10inch strips to the 4 corners of your mask.
Use
Tie the straps around the back of your head so that the mask is snug across the bridge of your nose and around the bottom of your chin. One set above your ears and one set below is comfortable for some people, but some people prefer both sets below.
If you wear glasses, make sure the top edge of your mask is flat across your cheekbones underneath your frames. This should help prevent fogging.
Always put on and remove your mask with clean hands and avoid touching your mask while you’re wearing it. Try to limit eating and drinking in public spaces.
Wash the mask in hot water and detergent between uses either by hand or in a washing machine. If you find that your skin is red or itchy or your eyes are watering from your mask, look into using a homemade, unscented, or sensitive formula detergent. If your skin cannot handle any detergent or you do not have access to any, you can boil your mask in plain water for 10 minutes to clean it.
If you decide to make multiple masks, reach out to friends, family, comrades, and neighbors to see if they would like one. If you decide to make a lot of masks, consider reaching out to your chapter, unions, parishes, and workers centers to help you distribute them. Food service, construction, and retail workers have some of the highest need and lowest access to masks.