We receive a lot of questions about our masks including the materials, mask design, how to get supplies, drop off masks and how people can help. Please take a look in the FAQs below to see if we have already answered your question. If not, please reach out via Facebook or email.
Learn about the requirements and recommended mask design for the masks we donate.
Find out what you need to know about mask materials, including nonwoven material.
Get answers about how to prepare your completed masks for distribution.
Learn who can request masks, how we distribute them and how long it might take.
MASK DESIGN faqs
- What are the requirements for the mask?
- Do you have a required mask design?
- What size should I cut my fabric to? Do you have a pattern?
- How many layers should my mask have?
- Does my mask have to have pleats?
- How many pleats do I have to have?
- Do I have to use nonwoven material in my mask?
- If I have a bunch of masks that don’t have one of the components will you still donate them?
- Can I still donate masks I’ve completed a different design?
- Other places are accepting cotton only masks. Why do you have such strict requirements for your masks?
- Do I need a cotton layer on the inside of the mask?
- Can I use darts instead of a nose piece?
- What if my nose pieces are poking through the fabric?
- Does my mask have to have a pocket?
What are the requirements for the mask?
Each Chicago Mask Makers mask MUST have the following components:
- A nonwoven inner filter liner that lays against the face
- A lightweight, tightly woven cotton outer layer
- Ties or elastic
- A metal nose piece.
Do you have a required mask design?
We provide tutorials on our recommended mask design that we have learned fits a wider variety of faces. This design includes the requirements listed above, 3-4 pleats which results in a finished size of 3.5″- 3.75″ by 8″, and a filter pocket that is accessed through the bottom of the mask.
What size should I cut my fabric to? Do you have a pattern?
For the mask design we recommend, you will need:
- 1 x 9″ x 9″ square tight woven cotton
- 1 x 9″ x 9″ square of nonwoven material
- 2 x 6.5″ – 7″ 2mm elastic cord or 1/8″ flat elastic -OR- 4 x 18″ ties
- 1 x 3′ – 4″ metal nose piece
- Thread
For additional information on the materials mentioned above, please reference our Materials FAQs.
How many layers should my mask have?
Your mask should have two layers – a lightweight tightly woven cotton outer layer and an inner filter layer of nonwoven material.
Does my mask have to have pleats?
Chicago Mask Makers recommends a simple design that includes pleats because through experience we have found it provides for a suitable fit for a wide variety of faces. We do receive other mask designs from our mask makers. However, whichever mask design you use, it must have the following elements: metal nosepiece, lightweight tightly woven cotton outer layer, nonwoven inner layer, and elastic or ties to fasten to the head.
How many pleats do I have to have?
We recommend 3-4 pleats. The most important aspect of this is that your finished mask should be approximately 3.5-3.75 inches x 8 inches.
Do I have to use nonwoven material in my mask?
Yes. Masks received without a nonwoven inner layer will not be donated to frontline healthcare professionals.
If I have a bunch of masks that don’t have one of the components will you still donate them?
For any recipient of our donated masks, we want to provide the highest standard of protection we can with our fabric masks. Unfortunately, we do not donate masks to healthcare professionals that don’t meet our standards. If we receive masks that do not have the required components, we may ask you to come back and pick them up to fix them.
Can I still donate masks I’ve completed a different design?
We do accept other mask designs as long as they include the required elements: metal nose piece, lightweight tightly woven cotton outer layer, nonwoven inner layer, and elastic or ties to fasten to the head.
We do require that the masks contain an integrated (sewn into the mask) nonwoven layer. This is due to a couple of reasons.
- First, while our masks can be used over N95 masks to extend the life of the N95, sadly many of the healthcare professionals receiving our masks have no other mask but the one we have donated.
- The healthcare professionals receiving these masks are so busy they don’t have time to switch filters, and if they do have time, the act of switching out filters may cause contamination of the masks.
We also request that the alternate design does not include a filter pocket in the middle of the inside layer of the mask as we have received feedback that this causes friction and thus discomfort on the skin.
Other places are accepting cotton only masks. Why do you have such strict requirements for your masks?
We are providing masks to healthcare workers on the front lines of this pandemic, and based on both research and user feedback, these components make for a mask that has better filtration than a cotton-only mask, fit better to the face and fit a wider variety of faces shapes and sizes. We are very committed to making sure that we are providing the best chance we can for our healthcare providers of avoiding the virus.
Do I need a cotton layer on the inside of the mask?
No. Just two layers – the outer tightly woven lightweight cotton layer and inner nonwoven layer are necessary. Additional layers only provide decreased breathability and increased heat!
Can I use darts instead of a nose piece?
While darts provide a better fit around the nose than a mask with a straight edge, a metal nose piece does the best job of keeping the mask against the face. This is important for reducing the amount of unfiltered air, and is particularly helpful for people with glasses (masks without a nose piece result in fogged up glasses).
What if my nose pieces are poking through the fabric?
You may find that after washing, your metal nose piece is poking through your fabric. We have found that placing the metal piece inside another small piece of cotton or bias tape before sewing into place helps prevent the metal from poking out through the mask.
Does my mask have to have a pocket?
While we don’t require that the masks contain a pocket, we do prefer that they do to allow the most flexibility for the desired level of protection by our healthcare professionals. The pocket should be at the bottom of the mask.
We have received feedback that masks containing a pocket in the middle of the inside layer of the mask cause uncomfortable friction on the skin resulting in sores, so please be sure the pocket is at the bottom.
MATERIALS faqs
- What is nonwoven material?
- What types of nonwoven material are acceptable?
- Do I have to wash the nonwoven material before I sew it?
- Can I wash the nonwoven material in hot water?
- Can I iron the nonwoven material?
- Can I use the printed portion of my reusable bag?
- Can the nonwoven bag have holes from removing the straps?
- Can I use flannel?
- What can I use for a nose piece?
- What cotton materials are acceptable?
- I have some sheets that I could donate… as long as they’re 100% cotton, that should work, correct?
- Should I wash materials that I pick up from the hubs?
What is nonwoven material?
Nonwoven fabric is made from short and long fibers bonded together by chemical, mechanical, heat or solvent treatment (not woven). The nonwoven materials we are using are made from plastic fibers.
What types of nonwoven material are acceptable?
We use a heavyweight nonwoven material like that found in reusable bags, or two layers of a lighter nonwoven material like non-fusible sew-in interfacing. However, there are of course variations in quality of all these fabrics. Therefore, we recommend you pick up nonwoven material from one of our hubs.
We have a large quantity of nonwoven material pre-cut by our preppers to 9” x 9” for our mask makers to help reduce the amount of prep time and maximize sewing time! Picking up nonwoven material from one of our hubs will save you time and you will know the nonwoven you are using is acceptable.
The following nonwoven materials are NOT acceptable to use in our masks because either they do not provide adequate filtration and do not hold up in the wash, or they contain chemicals we don’t want our healthcare workers breathing through all day!
NOT ACCEPTED:
- Fusible interfacing
- Disposable table-top covers for massage tables, etc.
- Black landscaping fabric
Do I have to wash the nonwoven material before I sew it?
Nonwoven material will not shrink in the wash; therefore, you do not have to prewash. However, if you are cutting nonwoven material from used reusable bags for example, we recommend doing an initial wash to get residual dirt out before starting.
Can I wash the nonwoven material in hot water?
Nonwoven reusable bags and sew-in interfacing will withstand a hot water wash.
Can I iron the nonwoven material?
Nonwoven material is made from plastic. Do NOT place a hot iron directly on nonwoven material! It will melt to your iron and make a mess. If you’d like to iron your masks, iron from the cotton side on a lower heat setting.
Can I use the printed portion of my reusable bag?
Yes, you can use the printed portion of the reusable bag. We ask that you put the printed-on side toward the inside of the mask, so the unprinted side is against the face.
Can the nonwoven bag have holes from removing the straps?
Small holes from strap removal are acceptable if they are not too big and are covered by sewing the pleats.
Can I use flannel?
We do not accept masks with flannel. Based on user experience, flannel is very hot against the face. Flannel also does not have significant filtering qualities and cannot be used as the filter layer.
What can I use for a nose piece?
We recommend the following materials for nose pieces in order of preference. We provide these materials at our material hubs when available.
- Aluminum or copper jewelry wire or sheeting cut into approx. 1/8” x 4” strips.
- Pipe cleaners
- Plastic coated ties.
We also recommend placing the metal piece inside another small piece of cotton or bias tape before sewing into place to help prevent the metal from poking out through the mask.
What cotton materials are acceptable?
The outer layer should be a lightweight tightly woven cotton such as the cotton used for button up collared shirts and quilts. Cotton materials that are NOT ACCEPTABLE as an outer layer for the mask include flannel, denim, corduroy, etc.
I have some sheets that I could donate… as long as they’re 100% cotton, that should work, correct?
Sheets are ok if they are new or gently used, and do not have any type of stains or contain flame retardants.
Should I wash materials that I pick up from the hubs?
To prevent the spread of COVD-19, we recommend that all participants use gloves or wash hands thoroughly when dealing with materials from outside the home. We recommend washing in hot water all materials picked up at the hubs before using.
COMPLETED MASKS faqs
- How should I prepare my masks for dropoff?
- Do I need to wash my masks before dropping them off or will you do it?
- Do I have to iron my masks when they come out of the dryer?
- Where can I take my finished masks?
- Will you let me know if there’s an issue with my masks?
How should I prepare my masks for dropoff?
Each mask maker must:
- Wash in hot water and dry masks completely before placing in a clean, Ziploc bag. Please make sure that the ties are fully dried before placing them in the bag – sometimes when they get tangled they do not get fully dry).
- Use clean hands or gloves to pack masks from the dryer directly into bags.
- You can help us by remembering to put the following on the outside of your Ziploc bags:
- Your name
- Type of masks (ties or elastic)
- Number of each type of mask
Back to Completed Masks questions
Do I need to wash my masks before dropping them off or will you do it?
Yes. Each mask maker must:
- Wash in hot water and dry masks completely before placing in a clean, Ziploc bag Please make sure that the ties are fully dried before placing them in the bag – sometimes when they get tangled they do not get fully dry).
- Use clean hands or gloves to pack masks from the dryer directly into bags.
- You can help us by remembering to put the following on the outside of your Ziploc bags:
- Your name
- Type of masks
- Number of each type of mask
Back to Completed Masks questions
Do I have to iron my masks when they come out of the dryer?
No you do not. If you want to iron them, be sure to iron on the cotton side, NOT the nonwoven side!
Back to Completed Masks questions
Where can I take my finished masks?
Chicago Mask Makers has set up centralized hubs that serve as drop-off locations for finished masks and pickup of masks supplies for our mask makers. These locations also serve as pickup locations for our healthcare professionals.
When a mask maker has completed masks to drop off, they fill out a form to let us know they are coming and to let us know if they will be picking up supplies. This form is accessed through our Facebook group.
This process helps us in several ways – to more quickly distribute our masks to healthcare professionals by knowing what’s coming when, and to manage the quantity of materials maintained at our hubs to do our best to keep supplies available to mask makers.
Back to Completed Masks questions
Will you let me know if there’s an issue with my masks?
Yes. As long as you provide your name on your completed mask bags, if we find a major issue with your masks we will reach out. If you don’t hear from us, your masks are great!
Back to Completed Masks questions
MASK REQUESTS faqs
- I submitted my mask request form. How long does it usually take to get fulfilled?
- How do you distribute masks?
- Can anyone get one of your masks?
I submitted my mask request form. How long does it usually take to get fulfilled?
We prioritize healthcare workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, depending on your request, it may take several days to fulfill your request. We do our best to fulfill both large and small requests, but currently the demand is much higher than our mask making output!
Back to Mask Requests questions
How do you distribute masks?
We have centralized hubs for mask drop-off and pickup. When we have a batch ready for a request, we contact the healthcare professional to coordinate pickup of the masks.
Back to Mask Requests questions
Can anyone get one of your masks?
We take any and all requests on our request form, however we prioritize healthcare professionals when we distribute. We still welcome anyone to fill out the request and we will try to get to them, but asking the community for help fulfilling those might be faster. With so many hospitals and clinics in the area, the need for healthcare workers on the front lines is huge.