Intermedia

Remy Farrell

Comfort Mask

T-shirt bottom, bathing suit pad, paperclip, scissors, needle and thread (or sewing machine)

May 2020

My goal for this mask was to use materials around the house to make a simple mask that is comfortable and provides the necessary elements of a functional face mask. I focused on three issues that myself and others run into with face masks; comfort around the ears, spacious, structure and coverage around the mouth, and color that can be worn with confidence; essentially I wanted to make a mask that people would feel comfortable in and not be inclined to touch and adjust. I find that when I wear face masks I feel crowded and claustrophobic around my mouth and irritated by the finicky ties. I do not enjoy wearing the medical masks because they are too bland and stigmatized, I wanted comfortable coverage that I could slip on over my face like a turtleneck or ski mask. I gathered some closed material that I had cut off the bottom of a cotton t-shirt and sewed down the center, this provided me with a band of clothing that I could pull over my head. This brought me to problem solve, how could I make trusty ear holes and structure around the mouth? I instantly thought of bathing suit padding that has the nearly perfect structure and thick material. I sewed a dart (a fold that comes to a point and sewn to create shape) in the pad to create the structure necessary for it to rest nicely on my nose and then sewed it into the fabric. Where my ears attach to my head, I cut vertical holes into the fabric and embroidered/enforced the edges to the slits did not continue to propagate and to provide structure so that it does not fall. This threading also provides a pop of color. The last predicament I ran into was the flimsy space under my eyes and around my nose, for this, I unfolded a paper clip and refolded it to fit to my nose, this provides adjustable structure for a more trusty face mask. It can be worn and washed by all genders with all different hairstyles. This face mask is comfortable, easy to make, customizable, and requires common household materials, in only a few steps.