My mom, Mama Resourceful taught me to use a sewing machine, in my teens. That skill has come in very handy for me. So when the face mask making took off this year, my husband asked was I going to make a face mask pattern for my blog. No, I wasn’t. If you land on my site, you will know that my blog is DIY for the non- creative, not-so crafty type. Most of my readers aren’t interested in sewing. I’m glad because I don’t want to create sewing patterns. I don’t know if I would be good at it.
Don’t get me wrong I have been sewing face masks like crazy. I even decided to retire because it is a lot of work! What I found was that I was able to personalize the face masks I created, and I am going to show you how to add pictures to your face mask with or without a cutting machine.
You can do this for any face mask that has a smooth surface. In other words, no accordion type fold similar to the disposable ones. Your picture won’t look right.
Personalize Your Face Mask With Iron-On Paper
Before the Cricut, we printed out an image and used iron-on transfer paper. It did the job, but you could always tell that it was inkjet iron-on paper because of that white film surrounding the image. You knew the shirt was homemade. Let’s not forget that if your iron isn’t on the right setting, you get a faded picture.
“Well, why are you suggesting iron-on paper, Nikki?” So I tried to create the joker smile on a face mask for someone, and I used the iron-on paper for white t-shirts. It didn’t work because my fabric was a dark color. I had never used the iron-on paper for dark fabric before. It was like a heavenly light shone on the paper, and I heard angelic voices singing! As long as you have an object that is easy to cut out, this is by far the best way to create an iron-on transfer without using a Cricut or Silhouette. You don’t have to worry about the image partially transferring due to an improper application. As a bonus, you do not have to remember to “mirror” the image.
It works like printable vinyl. Select your image. You can insert it as a picture file into an MS Word document. There you can resize it to fit your mask.
Print it, cut it out, and peel off the back. Then iron it onto your fabric.
If you don’t have a cutting machine like a Cricut, the key is to keep the shapes simple. “I want my initials in cursive and—” I’m going to stop you, friend, and bring you down from the mountain because you are trying to cut a complicated design. Circles, squares, hearts, stars! No, I’m not talking about Lucky Charms cereal I am talking about easy to cut shapes. For example, a smile shape is easy to cut. Most fancy letters are not.
You can find images online, and then you can print them out on the paper. Peel off the backing and iron it on according to the directions. It’s that simple to add pictures to your face mask! If you subscribe to my blog, you can also access my freebie library, where I have some free face mask picture templates you can use with the transfer paper or with a cutting machine. I created both just for you in case you have a cutting machine and know how to use it.
Use Iron-Ons and Appliqués
If you are dead set on having fancy initials, use an appliqué. I like the word appliqué. It sounds so sophisticated and better than saying “those iron-on patches that your grandma used to cover up the holes in your jeans!” Either way, you can find iron patches in places like Walmart, JoAnn’s Fabric or Michaels for less than $5 depending on the image.
I added an “N” to my face mask. I purchased this letter for .99 cents, woohoo!
Draw Your Pictures On Your Face Mask
“I can’t draw, Nikki. That’s why I read your blog in the first place.” Okay, so I shouldn’t say “draw.” I’m not asking you to create a masterpiece, but you can draw better than you think. If I ask you to draw a square, you could. It may not be a perfect square, but if you read my post on abstract flower art, you will understand that drawing is about creating an illusion. Four closely even sides all connected at roughly 90 degrees is a square, no matter how shaky it looks.
So, as I was thinking of some easy templates to make face masks with pictures, I thought about images that make sense on a face mask. I thought about superheroes because I am a comic book fan. Which superhero transfers best to a face mask? Spiderman! Spiderman’s mask doesn’t have a mouth; it’s all webbing. All you are doing is drawing lines and humps! It’s easy.
I started with a center point where my web will “gather.” Then, I took a ruler and drew lines out using a sharpie marker. To look like Spiderman’s mask, make sure the lines are spaced roughly 1″- 1.5″ apart at the widest part. If you space them wider than 1.5″ it won’t translate to being Spiderman’s mask. Next, draw humps in between the lines to create the web. Each row of humps should be spaced 3/4″ apart. I have a video below to show how it is done.
Try it out first on a piece of paper. Even I tested this drawing out on a scrap piece of fabric. Because we are friends, I will show you, and I hope it will give you the confidence to draw this web design.
Creatives don’t do things right the first time, but we also don’t give up, we rework the design until it meets our approval. Keep working it!
I actually like how the design came out! All I need is the suit and some web-shooters and I can…never mind!
It’s very easy to add pictures to your face masks, even without a cutting machine! All of these options are affordable and quick to apply. Please share this post with someone you know who may want an easy way to personalize their face mask.
