Mask question

[dancer67]

Thank you to all who have made and donated masks . 

We all have homemade masks here . Purchased from others .  However , the elastics are huge . 
 Not sure why people make those elastics  so big but ..
we have been twisting the elastics several times to go over our ears just to get the masks  to stay on , but it leaves huge gaps on the sides of the mask. 
what do you all do to fix that ? 

 

 

 

Edited April 28, 2020 by dancer67

[I talk to the trees]

This video has both no sew and sewn options:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4G01s4ClIE

 

[dancer67]

I already have the masks  .

I don’t need to make them . 
 

the elastics are huge . Wasn’t sure what others did about that . 

 

 

 

[barnwife]

I'd tie a knot to make the elastic the right size. 

[Jann in TX]

Do you have a needle and thread?  If so you can fold the elastic on itself (like a Z) and then use a few stitches to hold the tuck together...it does not have to be fancy...

 

[BarbecueMom]

4 minutes ago, barnwife said:

I'd tie a knot to make the elastic the right size. 

That’s what I did to mine.  Kind of like what you do with a plastic necklace your kids make you that hangs down to your knees (might have a couple of those... lol).

My first idea was to pull the elastics around my ponytail but I nearly suffocated in Aldi.  Knotted behind the ears works better.

If that doesn’t work it’s possible the mask is just too big.  My mom ordered mine from a family friend, and I’m pretty sure she requested “youth sized” for mine.  And I still had to tie the elastics.

[Guest]

*I* would cut off the elastics and put ties on. That is, in fact, what I did when I made my first three masks. I hated the elastic. It did not work well. I cut them off and made ties. 

But if that is not an option for you, you could try cutting off one side of the elastic and re-sewing it by hand much smaller. If you have no sewing needle or thread, you could maybe use a stapler to staple it shorter. 

[Arcadia]

A friend 3D printed these to give away to his friends that needed them https://www.dezeen.com/2020/03/29/creality-3d-printed-buckle-face-mask-coronavirus/

They worked well for him. Think you can find people selling similar on eBay. 

[Pen]

I would put a back of head band with buttons to hold the elastics — instead of using ears.  Ears get sore. 

[wathe]

15 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

A friend 3D printed these to give away to his friends that needed them https://www.dezeen.com/2020/03/29/creality-3d-printed-buckle-face-mask-coronavirus/

They worked well for him. Think you can find people selling similar on eBay. 

These are popular at work to protect ears from the elastic, when wearing a mask all day.  The ones I've seen (all 3d printed) are brittle and snap easily. 

Alternatives include a piece of cloth with a button at each end, or just using a shoelace or piece of string to tie the ear loops  to each other behind your head - string is my favourite because it is very adjustable.

Google "mask ear saver" and you will find all kinds of ideas.  They'll all  help with ill-fitting ear-loop elastic.

[easypeasy]

If you've got a needle and thread at home, it's a super easy fix! Cut the elastic band somewhere in the middle. Overlap the ends to achieve a comfortable fit. Then sew around the edges of the overlapped elastic. I'd use a blanket stitch to sew those edges together: https://youtu.be/S9zegUYdPmg

I think most mask-makers who are sewing in bulk are making the elastics longer, rather than shorter. It's easy to fix a too-long elastic problem... much more difficult to fix a too-short one.

I made a ton of masks that have the elastic that goes around the back of the head. I left them long and unattached and just tied the ends in a knot and added some fray-check to the edges. Whoever received those masks can then adjust as needed.  That's a lot harder to do with over-the-ear masks though.

 

[Carrie12345]

8 hours ago, Quill said:

*I* would cut off the elastics and put ties on. That is, in fact, what I did when I made my first three masks. I hated the elastic. It did not work well. I cut them off and made ties. 

 

I only made elastic loops for my boys who aren’t, uh, great tie-ers, lol. It took forever to hit the right length of elastic for them!

If I didn’t sew and had the too-big problem, I’d just take anything longish and thin (shoelace, ribbon, cut strip of old t-shirt), loop them through the elastics, and tie it in a bow. Like the image of the cuff that was shared, but free and no assembly.

[Bootsie]

I took some dental floss and tied  to connect the elastics in the back.  The elastics just don't want to stay over my ears.  This gave enough tension across the back that the elastic was pulled back rather than falling off.  Somewhat the idea of the picture above--but nothing as fancy.  

[dancer67]

Thank you so much, all great ideas. I am going to tie a knot and see how that works. if not I will either sew or staple the elastics.

[I talk to the trees]

11 hours ago, dancer67 said:

I already have the masks  .

I don’t need to make them . 
 

the elastics are huge . Wasn’t sure what others did about that . 

 

 

 

Oops! Sorry, I misunderstood. I thought you were looking for a way to take apart and reassemble the ones you had because of the discomfort. 🙂

[marbel]

The first mask I made had elastics to go over the ears. They didn't stay on. I ended up taking a long ribbon, threading it through the elastics, and tying it.  It stays on much better that way. 

[1shortmomto4]

I had to get creative real fast for my ds who wears hearing aides (and glasses so there is no real estate left behind the ear) and works in a store now requiring all employees to be masked - a shoe lace and the toggle off a pair of old snow boots (sometimes they are inside of coats).  He runs the shoe lace through the straps and uses the toggle to secure it. 

[Storygirl]

https://www.etsy.com/market/mask_hook

Our local paper featured a woman who is making S-shaped hooks to connect the mask behind the head. You can see variations on this idea on the link above. Maybe you could fashion something like that for yourself, or you could order one from a maker.

I still have to figure out masks for our family (only DH has been going out so far, and he has a couple for himself), and I may end up using something like a S-hook for some of us. Most of us have glasses, and some of us have sensory issues, so I'm not sure we will all be able to hook things behind our ears.

[Arcadia]

11 minutes ago, Storygirl said:

https://www.etsy.com/market/mask_hook

Our local paper featured a woman who is making S-shaped hooks to connect the mask behind the head. You can see variations on this idea on the link above..

You can use the larger S shaped double carabiners as well. Home Depot, Amazon, REI has them.

I use my balaclava over the earloop mask given during my medical appointments to keep the earloop mask in place. Besides balaclavas are easy to wash and I have quite a few for Fall/Winter weather. I am going to buy a few more balaclavas since I would be using them anyway.

 

[MEmama]

18 hours ago, Plum said:

I saved this picture from an ad. I figured that would be easy to make if I needed to. 

Pretty! 🙂

 

[Arcadia]

@Storygirl@Plum

If you have Velcro cable ties (e.g. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00144CABS/), they can be used too.