Handmade Masks

New CDC recommendations

Due to the increased risk of virus transmission with the Omicron variant, the CDC now recommends better-quality masks over cloth coverings to protect against COVID-19, including surgical/procedural, N-95, KN-95 or KF94 masks.

To help protect our communities from COVID-19, the CDC has suggested the most vulnerable populations should wear handmade cloth masks in public.

DIY cloth face masks

This pattern has the information you need to make a cloth mask – whether for yourself and your family or to donate for use by our cargivers.

Download our cloth mask instructions [PDF, 75 KB].

No-sew face masks

Need a face mask that you don’t have to sew? You can quickly convert a T-shirt or bandana to a mask.

Download our no-sew mask instructions [PDF, 110 KB].

How to wear and wash your handmade mask

This video provides important instruction from Ballad Health’s chief nurse executive Lisa Smithgall about using a DIY face mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Cleaning your mask

Proper laundering instructions for the masks are included below:

• Before leaving your home and coming in contact with another individual, wash your hands and put on your mask.
• Avoid touching your mask and face while in public.
• When you return home, wash your hands, remove your mask and wash it in hot water in your washing machine.
• Ensure the mask is totally dry before you wear it again.