Masks — so simple, so essential, so bothersome! In cold weather, it’s a pain juggling a hat, hair, maybe glasses, and maybe other behind-the-ear gadgets.
Canadian pattern maker Jalie has come up with a sleek, clever solution to the behind-the-ears problem.
Jalie’s Flair pattern 4026 takes about 20 minutes to make, start to finish. (That may even include tracing the pattern.) There’s only one pattern piece: You’ll need stretchy fabric (I used some cotton/lycra scraps) and two buttons. The pattern comes in three sizes; I made M at first (guessing, not measuring, shame on me!) and it was too big, so these are the small.
I like these stemmed buttons; the elastic
holds better hooked over these than
over flat buttons.
Assembly is super simple, if a little counter-intuitive the first time. Basically, you’re making a headband onto which you stitch two buttons. The mask’s ear elastic pops over the buttons, so the headband, not your ears, keeps the mask in place.
Cleverly placed darts reinforce the buttons, and shaping makes the band comfortable to wear. I’m not sure how this will work once summer comes, but in winter I’m finding this a perfect level of warmth.
One change I did make which was specific to the Jalie headband was to make the sleeves for the elastic shorter since they didn’t need the depth required if the elastic was to go around ears. That made the fit between mask and headband exactly what it should be, and kept the mask from bunching at the sides.
I’ve been really happy with the mask inserts/nose bridge supports from DIY Masks. I bought both types, but in practice have only used the straight ones. They are sturdy, easily adjusted, and survive washing perfectly.
I haven’t made Jalie’s masks yet. These are the Dhurata Davies ones, which I’ve been quite happy with. I just shortened the elastic, and added cord locks to allow for adjustments. And yes, that’s Manhattan on display — it’s a lousy time in history; why not have some fun?
Also on the fun front, I needed a way to distinguish these masks, which have a silk inner layer for more effective filtering, from masks I made previously, so I added these Kylie and the Machine labels. They’re an Australian company, but their labels are available on Etsy for USA and North America shipping. The labels are a little silly, but give a weirdly professional look to the masks, don’t you think?
Previous mask post here, with various other tidbits of information.