COVID-19 | How To Sew An Effective Reusable Face Mask With Pocket | Cook Children's

Thank you for standing with us to help protect our health care heroes and yourselves. We appreciate all mask donations you have the time to aid us with. Your help in protecting our staff and patient families is critical and appreciated.

Items you will need:
• 100% cotton fabric, unused
• Wash and dry fabric without fragrance or dyes prior to sewing
• 1/8” flat elastic
• Fabric pen, or any pen
• Pinking shears or serger
• Pins
• Plastic twist ties

Directions:
1. Fabric design should be placed horizontally.
2. Cut fabric 10 inch x 14 inch
3. Use pinking shears or serger on the 10 inch side to keep the fabric from fraying
4. Place 10 inch sides together with fabric inside out and iron flat
5. Using a ruler and fabric pen, mark 2 ½ inch on either side of the open 10 inch side. The opening in the middle will not be sewn to create pocket
6. Starting ½ inch from the edge, sew to the 2 ½ inch mark on each side. Don’t forget to backstitch. This creates an opening in the middle for pocket
7. Move what was just sewn to the center. Iron sides flat to keep in place.
8. Iron sewn edge open.
9. Mark 1 ¾ inch on each side of each corner
10. Connect the dots on each corner
11. Starting at the top corner, sew along the marked 1 ¾ inch line. Stop ½ inch short of edge of fabric.
12. Turn mask horizontally. Sew ½ inch and stop.
13. Insert twist tie in the opening and place at the top of the mask.
14. Sew tightly around twist tie to keep in place, being careful not to sew through it.
15. When you get to the end of twist tie, finish sewing to the next marked corner.
16. Rotate and keep sewing around mask, leaving 1/8 inch fabric from the edge.
17. Don’t forget to backstitch once you reach starting corner.
18. Cut off excess corners, about ¼ inch from the stitching.
19. Turn mask right side out. Be sure to push out the corners. Mask should be showing right side of fabric now.
20. Iron mask flat
21. Lay mask flat with pocket side up
22. Fold corner to middle of mask and fold back again. Pin in place.
23. Repeat this for all corners.
24. Fold edge up to be parallel with edge of mask.

For more information about COVID-19 from Cook Children's experts, visit: cookchildrens.org/coronavirus
25. Fold edge mask in one, on the side where elastic will be
26. Sew 1/8 inch along the edges where elastic will be, don’t forget to back stitch
27. Cut two 12” pieces of elastic and tie ends into a knot.
28. Take one elastic loop and place on edge. Fold end over elastic, remove pins and sew in place.
29. Repeat on other side.

Donation:
• Masks can be mailed to the following address
Cook Children’s Medical Center
Attn: Alison Vrba
801 7th Ave
Fort Worth, TX 76104

• Masks can be dropped off outside the main entrance Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. A bin will be available to place masks in.