COVID-19: How to Make a Mask in Albuquerque NM With Pictures

If you haven't been covering your face when you leave your home, the time has come to start. Since the supply of facemasks is in high demand you may need to know how to make a mask in Albuquerque NM. At Fiesta Kia, we've followed the guidelines set by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and we'd like to share with you what we've learned.

The masks should be worn in areas where social distancing is difficult, such as grocery stores and pharmacies. Wearing a cloth mask will help slow the spread of the coronavirus. It could help protect people around you, if you happen to be infected with COVID-19 but aren't showing symptoms yet. Some people infected with COVID-19 never show symptoms or don't get very sick, especially if they're young. Basically, these masks are mainly to help others, not you-though if used properly, a cloth mask may help you avoid touching your face and infecting yourself while you're out of the house.

Before starting how to make a mask in Albuquerque NM, the CDC states that cloth face coverings should:

• fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face
• be secured with ties or ear loops
• include multiple layers of fabric
• allow for breathing without restriction
• be able to be laundered and machine dried without damage or change to the shape

How to Make a Mask in Albuquerque NM: DIY T-Shirt Mask (No Sewing Required)

This no-sew option is easy to make, but note that these are made using fabric that has been folded to make it several layers thick and fits snugly to your face. You shouldn't use a thin bandana or scarf haphazardly wrapped around your mouth in a single layer. 

You'll need:

• Tightly knit cotton material, like a T-shirt. (A scarf works; the fabric should be big enough to fold several times and cover your nose and mouth.)
• Two rubber bands or hair ties

How to make it: 

1. Cut the bottom 7 to 8 inches off of a T-shirt (cutting horizontally), so that you have a strip of material.
2. Lay the material out flat in front of you, and turn it 90 degrees so that what used to be the bottom hem of the shirt (it's usually double stitched) is facing left or right.
3. Fold it from the bottom to the middle and from the top to the middle. Repeat this step a second time.
4. Loop a rubber band or hair tie around each end (left and right), leaving a few inches of fabric, so each side looks like a candy wrapper.
5. Fold the excess material over the band, with each side meeting in the middle, adding another layer to the mask.
6. Put a band over each ear, making sure the material fits snugly to your face. The pressure on your face should keep the material and rubber bands in place.

DIY Bandana-and-Coffee-Filter Mask

If a bandana is the only fabric you have at home, the next how to make a mask in Albuquerque NM uses a coffee filter in the middle of it to provide some protection. For this one you'll need: 

• a bandana, 
• a cone coffee filter
• 2 rubber bands or hair ties

How to make it:

1. Fold the bandana square in half.
2. Cut the coffee filter horizontally across the middle, as pictured here.
3. Place the wide section of the filter in the middle of the folded bandana.
4. Fold the bottom of the bandana up to the middle, covering the filter, and fold the top down over it again.
5. Loop a rubber band or hair tie around each end (left and right), leaving a few inches of fabric, so each side looks like a candy wrapper.
6. Fold the sides over the band so they meet in the middle and tuck them together.
7. Put a band over each ear, making sure the material fits snugly to your face. The pressure on your face should keep the material and rubber bands in place.

Source: CDC

DIY Sewn Cloth Face Mask

If you want to know how to make a mask in Albuquerque NM and make it a more "real" looking face covering that may feel more comfortable and last longer you'll need:

• Two 10"x6" rectangles of cotton fabric (Use tightly woven cotton, such as quilting fabric or cotton sheets. T-shirt fabric will work in a pinch)
• Two 6" pieces of elastic (or rubber bands, string, cloth strips, or hair ties)
• Needle and thread (or bobby pin)
• Sewing machine

Directions:

1. Stack the two rectangles of fabric.
2. Fold the longer, 10-inch sides 1/4 inch down and sew them together.
3. Fold the shorter, 6-inch sides 1/2 inch over and sew at the edge, leaving a small space open for the elastic to loop in.
4. Thread the elastic through the opening you left in step 3. Tie or sew the ends together.
5. Tuck the knots inside the opening. Gather the short sides together and stitch the elastic into place.

 

DIY Cut T-shirt Face Mask

You can also make a quick cloth face covering that does not require sewing. For this, you will need a T-shirt and scissors.

 

Source: CDC

Now that we've reviewed how to make a mask in Albuquerque NM, we hope you can relax somewhat about what you can do to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Remember N95 masks should continue to be reserved for healthcare workers due to a critically low supply.