May 11, 2020

Introducing Lee & Pearl's FREE Face Mask Pattern!

There are literally hundreds of face mask patterns currently available for free on the internet. And we salute all the designers and home sewers who have been part of this extraordinary mask-making effort. So with all these options to choose from, why should you try our NEW mask pattern?

Because this one fits.

CLICK HERE to download Lee & Pearl's FREE Pattern 100: Fabric Face Masks with No-Gap Straps, Fabric Ties and Nose Wire Pockets.

Feel free to share the link above — or the downloaded face mask pattern — with your sewing friends. We would like everyone who sews to be able to try this pattern!

Our design preserves what is best about the three-pleat style of mask — the ease of construction and the ability to fit a range of face sizes — while significantly improving the fit and minimizing air leakage around the edges.

The challenge in fitting a rectangular mask to the human face is clear — a rectangle is straight and flat while our faces have lots of curves and bumps. The standard solution involves two design features: (1) elastic or ties that hold the mask tightly to the face, and (2) bendable wires in pockets along the top of the mask that can be shaped to curve over the bridge of the nose.

Our pattern includes both of these elements, but it adds one more unique design feature that solves a contradiction between the first two.

Think about it — unless your wire is very thick and heavy, any tension that you apply to the mask with the elastic or ties is going to pull that wire straight again. The tighter you pull the mask to fit at the cheeks and chin, the further it will pull away from the curve over your nose.

If you wear glasses you know what we mean. Even if the mask fits when you first put it on, over time the wire gets pulled straight and your glasses start to fog up.

The Lee & Pearl pattern fixes that problem with the addition of a separate NO-GAP STRAP.

Our innovative NO-GAP STRAP is an extra strap, cut slightly shorter than the mask and attached across the top of the mask at the side edges only.

With the no-gap strap in place, you can tie the mask firmly behind your head — creating a close fit at the sides, under the chin and right at the bridge of the nose — while the fabric underneath the strap still has enough ease to conform to the curved shape of your nose.

We recommend including the OPTIONAL nose wire pocket and nose wire, but that wire doesn't have to be very heavy. Thanks to the no-gap strap, the wire just holds the curve in soft fabric, and isn't itself under any tension.

And here's a tip — even if you don't wind up using our pattern because you already like the fit or construction of a different pattern, it's easy to add the NO-GAP STRAP feature to different face mask patterns. We'll be thrilled if you choose to do so.

This pattern addresses another fit issue by stacking the top two pleats.

Your face isn't evenly curved, so why make a mask with three evenly spaced pleats? What you really need is one bottom pleat to fit over the chin — and then two pleats on top for the nose. So we've stacked the middle and top pleats together at the top for a more comfortable fit over the nose.

We've also tailored our instructions for batch-processing multiple masks at once to save precious time and materials.

No one needs just one mask, so we've worked out simplified directions for measuring, cutting and sewing multiple masks at the same time. Whizz through a whole stack of our masks — while saving fabric by cutting or ripping the pieces from full-width strips, with almost no waste.

Finally, our pattern includes popular features like different front and back fabrics so that wearers will always know which side should be the outside and which the inside, and binding tapes that extend into fabric ties for an easy-to-wash and comfortable-to-wear finished product.

CLICK HERE to download Lee & Pearl's FREE Pattern 100: Fabric Face Masks with No-Gap Straps, Fabric Ties and Nose Wire Pockets.

Feel free to share the link above — or the downloaded face mask pattern — with your sewing friends. We would like everyone who sews to be able to try this pattern!

You do not have to join the Lee & Pearl mailing list to download this pattern, though we hope you do. And don't worry — this does not replace our planned 2020 FREE pattern for Lee & Pearl subscribers. That 18 inch doll pattern is currently out with testers and will be released to our mailing list members soon!

When is it appropriate to wear a cloth face mask?

The following recommendations are taken from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publications, Recommendation Regarding the Use of Cloth Face Coverings, Especially in Areas of Significant Community-Based Transmission and Use of Cloth Face Coverings to Help Slow the Spread of Covid-19.

These references are not intended to replace your own understanding of best practice. They are provided with the understanding that they represent the current CDC guidelines as of the time of their publication. It is your responsibility to ascertain what is best practice at the time you are making or wearing a mask. No claims are made by Lee & Pearl or by any individuals as to the efficacy or superiority of the masks made using this pattern.

"The CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g. grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission [of SARS COV-2/COVID-19]." (emphasis in the original)

"It is critical to emphasize that maintaining 6-feet-social distancing remains important to slowing the spread of the virus. CDC is additionally advising the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and to help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others. Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure."

The CDC has also provided guidance for removing and cleaning a cloth mask.

To safely remove the mask after wearing, the CDC recommends:

"Individuals should be careful not to touch their eyes, nose, and mouth when removing their cloth face covering and wash hands immediately after removing."

To launder the mask, the CDC recommends:

"They should be routinely washed depending on the frequency of use."
"A washing machine should suffice in properly washing a cloth face covering."

Several weeks ago we started our Lunch with Lee & Pearl daily livestream on the Lee & Pearl Facebook page. If you haven't had a chance to join us yet, we hope you'll stop by soon.

Lunch with Lee & Pearl happens on weekdays at 2pm Eastern / 1pm Central / 12pm Mountain / and 11am Pacific, when sisters "Lee" (Rebecca Menes) and "Pearl" (Elizabeth Atwater Menes) get together for a twenty minute video chat, answering your questions and talking about everything from sewing patterns and crafts to COVID-19 epidemiology and stay-at-home survival strategies.

CLICK HERE to go to the Lee & Pearl Facebook page to join us LIVE on weekdays at 2pm Eastern, 1pm Central, 12pm Mountain and 11am Pacific.

And if you've missed any of our previous videos, you can catch up any time on our Facebook video archive —

CLICK HERE to go to the Lee & Pearl Facebook Video Archive to catch up on any Lunch with Lee & Pearl episodes you may have missed!

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