Hello and welcome to Kaiya’s Korner brought to you by Girls Make Beats! I joined Girls Make Beats in the summer of 2017 and my musical journey has flourished tremendously since.
The organization’s dedication to teaching young girls the fundamentals of audio engineering, DJing, and production inspired me to enter spaces where my presence as a young woman was challenged. I am now a proud rising sophomore at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA where the skills I was first introduced to in Girls Make Beats are now my ongoing curriculum!
Thanks again GMB for your contribution to girl bosses like me and without further ado, let’s get into this first blog post!
Our world is slowly turning again and while there’s still a lot in question about the fate of our new normal, a sure thing we can count on is our efforts to keep ourselves and others around us safe. So in the spirit of safety and creativity, I’m showing you 3 ways to make your very own DIY mask!
No-Sew Mask
Materials Needed:
T-shirt
Scissors
(…that’s it!... no, really.)
Steps:
Cut and discard the bottom hem of your T-shirt.
To make strings for your mask, cut straight across the bottom of your t-shirt. Snip each end to create two strings, then pull! This should make the material curl.
Cut the sleeve of your T-shirt as close as you can to the seam.
Once you remove the sleeve, position it so that the armpit seam is in the middle.
Fold one side of the sleeve about a half-inch in then use your scissors to snip 6 small holes along the fold. Repeat on the other side.
Weave the strings you created in Step 2 through the holes of the sleeve in an over-under pattern on both sides.
To secure the woven string, knot on each side at a comfortable length to fit behind the ears.
Snip the excess string or (optional) create a bow then rock your new mask!
2. Sewn Mask
Materials Needed:
Fabric
Scissors
Ruler
Paper
Needle & thread
Pins
Elastic (or hair tie)
Pen/Pencil
Steps:
Cut a piece of paper (17cm width, 25 cm length as shown in the video tutorial.) Sizes vary! For width, measure from the middle of your nose to your chin + 6cm. For length, measure from your left to right ear.
Trace your piece of paper along your fabric, then cut your fabric along the traced line. (You will need two pieces of this fabric to make the face mask.)
After cutting the fabric, secure the two pieces together by sewing them along the horizontal edges. Important! Make sure the right sides of the fabric are facing inward when sewing. (The sides of the fabric you’d like to show.)
Turn your sewn fabric inside out.
Draw two straight lines on each side of your fabric 3cm from the edge.
On each side, fold the end of the fabric to the line then begin sewing. This will be the sleeve for your elastic so make sure there’s enough space for your elastic to go through.
Attach a safety pin to the end of your elastic. Use the safety pin to weave your elastic through the sides of the mask.
Sew the ends of your elastic together to form a circle.
After securing the ends, hide the rough seam by rotating it inside the mask for a clean finish.
3. Stitch Witchery Mask
Materials Needed:
Fabric
Scissors
Ruler
Paper
Fusing Adhesive (Ex. Stich Witchery)
Iron
Needle & thread
Pins
Elastic (or hair tie)
Pen/Pencil
Steps:
Cut a piece of paper (17cm width, 25 cm length as shown in the video tutorial.) Sizes vary! For width, measure from the middle of your nose to your chin + 6cm. For length, measure from your left to right ear.
Trace your piece of paper along your fabric, then cut your fabric along the traced line. (You will need two pieces of this fabric to make the face mask.)
After cutting the fabric, secure the two pieces together by placing a fusing adhesive in between the length of the fabrics, then iron for 10-15 seconds. Important! Make sure the right sides of the fabric are facing inward when sewing. (The sides of the fabric you’d like to show.)
Turn your sewn fabric inside out.
Draw two straight lines on each side of your fabric 3cm from the edge.
On each side, fold the end of the fabric to the line then begin sewing. This will be the sleeve for your elastic so make sure there’s enough space for your elastic to go through.
Attach a safety pin to the end of your elastic. Use the safety pin to weave your elastic through the sides of the mask.
Sew the ends of your elastic together to form a circle.
After securing the ends, hide the rough seam by rotating it inside the mask for a clean finish.
Another plus to personalizing your stylish mask is you can make it an activity for your household too. Make a contest out of it! Or have a party with your friends over Zoom (it can be a Mask & Chill situation, lol). Most importantly, creating a mask preserves resources for frontline workers in need.
If you give this a try, post your DIY masks on social media using the hashtag #KaiyasKorner for a repost!
I hope that you and your loved ones are doing well and that you continue to stay positive during and beyond this time.
Peace & blessings,
Kaiya Nyasha (@kaiyanyasha)
(I stand in solidarity with the victims and families of those affected by police brutality in America. Click the link in my Instagram Bio to find out more ways you can get involved in the #BlackLivesMatter movement to dismantle systematic racism.)
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