• Remember to wash and pre-shrink your new fabric prior to working with it. This ensures that the end product measures properly.

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• Make sure you have good light and a flat space on which to measure and cut your fabric

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• Remember: Measure TWICE, cut once

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• Examine your fabric closely so that you are measuring and cutting along the grain.  To figure out where the grain is, pull your fabric in several directions. The direction with hardly any stretch is the direction of the grain.

• Tutorial Video Here: https://youtu.be/ykH7ZYUii4k

 

• Do not cut your patterns on the bias, as that will make sewing them more difficult. Learn more about the bias here: https://youtu.be/BE5beRrTXSY

 

• Use scrap material to test your thread tension and stitch length prior to working with the final fabric.

 

• Pin or iron your folds before sewing. 

  • If you're pinning:

    • Have the pin heads (ball side) facing toward you and away from the needle in the sewing machine; as the sewing machine needle gets closer to the pin, you'll be able to pull each pin out easily.

    • Also, keep a container or pin cushion nearby so you don't accidentally lose any of the pins as they're removed.

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• Make several masks fully from beginning-to-end all the way through first to get a sense of what each of the steps are in the process and that the masks are measured properly and viable to use. Once you have a handle on that, you can start to streamline the process. 

 

• Get your kids involved in the process if you feel they will be of help.  This may be a great time to teach them home skills.  

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• Remember, you get better with practice.  If it doesn't come out perfectly, we've all been there and we promise you will be a champion mask maker in no time!  If you are having difficulty with a specific step, reach out to our FB Group The Masked Warriors!