Sarah Jane's Craft Blog

When the pandemic started, I did a little research and found a pattern from a local hospital to make some masks. Those masks turned out well, but took quite a while to put together and sometimes felt a bit small. So, when I realized I would need to make more masks, I went looking for another pattern. There is no shortage of face mask patterns out there these days. So I found a new mask pattern , but when I did, I realized I could easily modify the old Olson mask pattern to sew up more quickly and keep it's shape better. So, earlier this week I showed you how I made the new pattern . A the same time, I cut out the front face piece from the old Olson mask pattern so that I could try a more streamlined version. I cut out 4 pieces from one of the front pattern pieces (on the right). Then I placed two pieces of fabric right sides together and stitched the curved seam that runs from nose to chin. Then I repeated the process with the other two pieces o...

Towards the beginning of the pandemic, I made some face masks to wear when going to the grocery store. They turned out pretty well, but as this crisis has continued, it became clear that we would need more masks. So, I set out to find a pattern that I could sew more quickly and that fit a bit better. I wanted one that was a little bit longer from nose to chin than the Olson mask I made last time so I felt comfortable talking while wearing it and wouldn’t worry about it slipping off my nose or chin. I also wanted a pattern that had fewer steps to sew so I could crank out a few in a sitting. As I was searching online, I came across a pattern from Made by Barb that seemed to do the trick. I made a test mask and found that it was actually a bit big. after the first mask, I cut the bottom of the pattern off at the seam allowance line on the paper pattern to make it a quarter of an inch shorter. Everyone's face is a bit different, so when you find a pattern that seems clos...

I don't sew too much. I learned when I was a kid, but I always hated following patterns, so I bought one of those little sewing machines (that is intended for teenagers to use) on a Black Friday sale and used it to mend the occasional clothes and make neck coolers and other little projects. But, last year, I decided it was time to buy an adult sewing machine. Since I wasn't going to suddenly become an avid sewist, it didn't make sense to spend a ton of money. So, I had narrowed it down to two possible machines that were under $200. Then one of them went on sale on Amazon, and I bit the bullet and bought the machine. Then it sat in the box for a year. Because who wants to learn how to thread a new machine? Well, this crazy crisis hit and I knew it was finally time. They were now recommending fabric masks for running errands and any other time you wouldn't be able to maintain 6 feet of social distancing. So, it was time to make some masks (oh and the sewing machine w...