Featured PPE Patterns and Designs

This easy to sew, cotton duckbill style mask by Nan Fulcher  has edges that fit closely to the face. The duckbill style improves airflow and reduces moisture build-up by keeping the fabric away from the nose and mouth. It’s also easy to add a filter to make the mask more protective. The innovative strap loops give the wearer multiple options to secure the mask to the face.

Promedica Health recommends this cloth n95 mask cover adapted from a design by ArtfullyQuilted.com. Many frontline personnel are by necessity wearing n95 masks for more than a single use. An n95 cover can help protect the surface of a regulation mask and extend its usable life. 

Michigan Health Improvement Alliance features this mask pattern which follows the contours of the face for a snug and secure fit. 

Michigan Facemask Warriors has a helpful video that demonstrates how to make the popular, simple pleated mask style with a filter pocket and optional nose wire.

The University of Florida’s Prototype 2 mask is made with Halyard H600, a surgical sterilization wrap. No homemade mask can provide the protection of an n95 mask and this mask is not FDA approved; but this style is in high demand in COVID-19 hotspots in which regulation n95s are in short supply. Some recipients wear this as a standalone mask while others wear it to cover and extend the life of a regulation n95 or surgical mask. 

Nan Fulcher's simple, sewn surgical wrap mask in the popular duckbill style fits snugly to the face, attaches straps with simple loops, and offers improved airflow and moisture resistance over pleated mask styles. 

"Orikamo," an innovative surgical-wrap design by Nan Fulcher, requires no sewing and uses origami folding techniques to create the mask. The straps are secured to the face with reusable 3D printed clips . This design reduces the burden of labor of sewists and allows medical personnel with access to surgical wrap to quickly make and replace their own masks. 

Sweet Red Poppy has a helpful tutorial and video for sewing three different kinds of ear savers to secure an elastic face mask to the head: an ear saver with buttons, a headband ear saver with buttons, and a scrub cap with ear saver buttons. 

Mattias Jonnson developed this 3D printed ear saver  with the following innovation goals in mind: to improve safety by allowing the user to put on and take off the mask without touching it; to reduce the risk of losing the ear saver by securely attaching it to the mask; to reduce tangling in hair, particularly for users with curly hair; to make the ear saver easily pocketable; and to make the ear saver easily extendable to allow for a range of size needs. 

This 3D printed ear saver design by W. Stadolnik has been reviewed by the NIH 3D Print Exchange and approved for clinical settings.