The current CDC recommendations (and my local requirements) are that people are supposed to wear masks when going outside, but I haven’t really seen ANY mask patterns that are made to fit children and especially not that are quick and easy for caregivers who are already dealing with homeschooling, homeworking, and maybe not the world’s best sewing skills. I did see a mask made from lularoe leggings, but they have earholes. I don’t know whose kids these work for, or if my kids have especially soft/sensitive ears, but my kids won’t even wear them out to the car without complaining or them falling off. They need head straps.
Necessity is the mother of invention, though. So I tied on my best Rosie the Riveter turban, grabbed an old pair of (adult) leggings, and got to work.
(Unfortunately, I decluttered all my non favorite lularoe right before Coronavirus struck. So we’re using plain black. It’s fine. My kids will look like ninjas.)
First, the leggings:
Standard fleece lined leggings, Size… I think 8-10? Lularoe standard, even though these are generic. For the bigger kids (8-12), use the thigh area. For the little kids (3-8) use the lower leg. I got four masks out of this pair of leggings.
Measure a 9 inch segment beneath the crotch, and cut. (For the little kid, maybe 8 inch on the next section of leg down.)
Here it is cut.
My leggings have a single seam, so I chose to make that the “back” of the mask, in order to cut down on the chance of it irritating their faces. If you have double-seamed leggings I’d probably make it the side, you don’t want the seam to go over their noses/mouths.
Fold the segment in on itself from the “bottom” up so the “pocket” is open on the top. I kept the fleecey inside part on the inside of the fold because I thought it would grip itself better. The seam or seams will align with themselves.
To be clear, you will be left with a double thick ring of material that is open along the top. Like a fleece-lined bundt pan. (That is really difficult to photograph in black, but oh well.)
Cut a small v-shape into the SIDE of the legging-tube on whatever side you’ve decided to make the back, Voila! You have double headstraps!
You can then kind of stretch out the headstraps until they are the right shape/diameter for your kids heads. I have one kid with a large noggin and one with a regular sized one, but leggings are stretchy. If you need to make it wider, cut the v a bit “deeper” into the tube. Here’s a picture of the “little kid” version, which was an 8-inch cut out of the knee/above-the-knee area:
This is how it looks on. Here is Starfire, doing her Best Princess in Black impression. You can put a coffee or furnace, or even a medical filter (if you can get one) in the front pocket. I made four from one set of leggings. I tried to do the “ear hole” version with the lower legs part that was left, but the kids rebelled.
And from the back. You can see that you can adjust the two sets of double head straps to whatever is most secure and comfy for the kids.
Good luck! Stay safe! Stay home as much as you can!
