Cotton face masks for decoration?

October 23, 2020 8:31 AM

I would like to decorate some cotton face masks with paint or HTV. A fitted mask is better than a pleated one, which would hide the decoration. I have a big beak and a pretty big head in general. Any recommendations for sources?

My wife sews wonderful pleated masks, but the folds along the side mean I can't write on them or use HTV without it being partially hidden. Also, it's a lot of work for her because she is a perfectionist -- and I would feel terrible messing up one of her nice masks! (Hi, honey!)

We have a Cricut to make awesome shapes from heat-transfer vinyl, and we already know how to put that onto clothes. I also have fabric paint, and can make nice stencils out of contact paper with the Cricut.

I already have a bunch of Amazon credits, so that would be a big plus.

Thank you!!

posted by wenestvedt to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (5 answers total)

I have a couple fitted masks with stenciled fabric paint decoration, and they’re bad masks. You can’t breathe through vinyl and losing even 10% of the effective surface area seems noticeable- those masks leak and get pulled into my mouth.

Use dye, not paint or vinyl.

That said, look at the pleated masks with an up and a down pleat, they’d give you more flat decoration surface and are much like the other pleated masks to construct. Use a surgical mask pattern, but put in one pleat facing up near the top, and one facing down near the bottom.
posted by clew at 9:15 AM on October 23, 2020 [6 favorites]

I use this pattern (Craig Turner/Australia) and if I am using two layers of cotton, I zig-zag/serge around the edges with iron-on interfacing or another filter material sandwiched between. The seam up the front keeps the mask away from my face, it’s very stiff. I’ve ironed a strip of interfacing usually on the inside inside to cover that seam.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 9:27 AM on October 23, 2020 [1 favorite]

Costco has great 10 packs of white cotton (not pleated). I bought them to decorate myself and they are my most comfortable masks.
posted by beccaj at 9:28 AM on October 23, 2020 [2 favorites]

I’ve got some white Hanes t-shirt material masks that are both comfortable and perfect for decoration. The organizers of our local farmers market were giving them out for free, but I’ve seen them all over the place. My mom in Ohio got one somehow.
posted by kevinbelt at 9:32 AM on October 23, 2020 [1 favorite]

For the reasons stated above, use dye not paint. Fabric markers are probably your best bet. To minimize bleeding, use short, quick strokes for the outlines and when filling in areas, go up to, but not into, your outlines.
DO NOT use stretch/knit/t-shirt material. It is NOT effective and it is NOT safe.
posted by sexyrobot at 2:25 AM on October 26, 2020 [2 favorites]