Fleece Gaiter/Facemasks

Anyone that knows me knows that I don’t like to be cold!  So, with that in mind and with our current situation of necessary mask wearing when we’re out and about, I started thinking about how I could be warm and still make this work.  I started noticing that I was wearing my mask back to my car when I left a store, not just out of forgetfulness to take it off, but because it gave my face a little protection from the cold.  Then, after a recent sledding adventure with the kids, I was thinking that many kids are still going to school and events and people do still go to work, sometimes out all day, in the cold.  Solution….fleece face gaiters!  However, they would need to be lined so they could serve as a suitable face mask as well, so I thought I would use cotton (like t-shirt material) since it’s stretchy and according to the CDC, is a suitable barrier to use.

For anyone that does not have time or feel they can make these, I am going to post a limited amount of these for sale on the Products page since I have some extra fleece and cotton.  After checking online, I’ve seen these available at $10-$30.  Mine are $7 plus shipping (or, free shipping with a $20 minimum purchase).

I started by measuring around my kids heads (nose around to the back of their neck).  Since both fleece and cotton are stretchy fabric, make sure to measure tightly.  Once you have your measurement, add a  ½ inch for your seam to close.  I also measured from the middle of their nose to their upper chest.  For this measurement, add 1 inch so you can seam both ends with a half inch fold.

I then cut the fleece to the measurements, making sure that the direction that has the most give/stretch is the longer measurement (the part that will go over their head and serve as the mask/scarf.

For the cotton lining, I first cut to the same measurement, then found that it’s a little easier when you make your half inch fold if you cut the cotton a half inch shorter on the height side.  So, if your fleece is 19 inches wide by 10 inches long, you would want to cut your cotton at 19 inches wide by 9.5 inches long.  Make sure when you cut the cotton that you are allowing the direction with the most give/stretch for the longer portion just as with the fleece.

Next, lay the cotton down on the back side of the fleece leaving the quarter inch on either edge of the longer side.  Then, fold over the edges about a half inch and pin.  Make sure your fleece fully covers your cotton.

After both sides are pinned, I used a wide zig sag stitch on my machine.  If you have a serger, you could do all of the stitching with it, but I’m not that cool, so the regular old zig sag on a wide setting (to allow for the stretch you need) will work just fine.  If you’re new to sewing, make sure to back stitch once or twice (hold your machine lever in reverse after a few stitches) so your thread is secure.

 After you have both long sides stitched, fold the material in half, right sides together, and pin the short side.  You’ll want to make sure as you pin that you check both sides of the fabric as the cotton can pull back and you’ll miss it when you stitch.

After the short side is pinned, again, I used a wide zig zag stitch to create the seam.  This still allows for some give when you’re putting it on over your head.

After you have all sides stitched, pins removed and threads cut, fold the gaiter right side out and check all seams.  As I mentioned before, sometimes the material (both the cotton and the fleece) can pull out when pinned, so if any areas have not caught well, hold or re-pin and stitch over that area.

Last, I suggest washing before wearing (I’m terrible about washing material before I sew, though I know some suggest it).

This project is fairly easy if you know your way around a sewing machine, it just takes some time to prepare your material, pin and stitch. 

After wearing mine out to the grocery store, I did notice that due to the thickness of the fleece, and how it stretches as you wear it, in order for it to stay up over my nose, I needed to fold an inch or two and tuck it in under the fleece around the back of my neck.  I’ve thought about other alternatives to the pattern, but for simplicity and the intended use, I’m ok with just a simple fold for the few minutes I’m in a store rather than readjusting as I go!