About our Irish Face Masks

All our face masks are made in Scottsdale, Arizona by hand. I started making masks for my family and friends in March when it was practically impossible to find masks in the stores. I got excellent feedback and since my work had practically dissapeared due to Covid I decided to give making masks as a business a try. I can build websites so I did not have the expense of building a website to get started.

Fabric

We buy our fabric from a few local sources. We go to JoAnn’s or Hobby Lobby. The stores have had a lot of problems keeping up with the demand for fabric with everybody home and many sewing and crafting. We know that the fabric comes from China or Vietnam but by buying locally and not online we are supporting local stores and workers. We buy all products we need locally some we cannot find such as bulk elastic and we buy that from Amazon. We also buy fabric in thrift stores which we wash and sterilize then dry in the very hot Arizona sun. I have also found some great fabrics in XL shirts at Dillard’s clearance rack. I only look for cotton fabrics as polyester is too hot and cotton is cool and more breathable. The lining of the masks is made from non – woven interface. We updated the lining for 600 thread count cotton to a more dense non woven fabric to increase protection.

Process

We have created round and rectangular templates for our face masks and we cut our fabric with the templates. All our masks are fully lined and have 3 layers of fabric which complies with CDC guidelines. But please note no cloth mask provides the coverage of N-95 medical grade masks. These masks need to be preserved for our first line respondents. All our masks have a metal nose bridge for added security and to prevent your glasses fogging. Masks can be hot to wear. I wear mine all the time when outside the house with the nose band loose then when I cannot avoid being close to people I cinch the nose band tightly. It is important not to keep touching your mask when mixing with other people especially indoors. A simple setting of your nose band with two fingers will not create too much handling of the mask. Almost all of our masks are reversible but it is very important not to reverse your mask unless it has been washed an sanitized. We deliberately put contrasting fabric on one side of the mask to prevent mistakenly putting the mask back on with the side which has been exposed next to your face. Masks are stitched and ironed. Yes call me old fashioned but I do not believe that a cotton product is complete without ironing. We add top-stitching and a casing for the elastic. We add elastic when we fill an order as the length of the elastic depends on the size required. If we are unsure we add a generous amount of elastic which can be adjusted for a perfect fit. We use thin comfort elastic similar to what is in the non-surgical disposable masks.

Sizes

Our masks come in 4 sizes

• XS-toddler 2-5
• Small – Kids 6-12
• Medium – Female adults and young adults
• Large- Males and anyone who finds other masks a bit small for their face
• XL- This is not on the site but if you feel you have a very large face tell us in the notes and we will make a bit bigger.

Shape

Our masks come in two shapes rectangle and oval. Oval easily fits snug to the face as does the rectangular shape I find the oval easier in the heat since it is not as much fabric.

Custom Face Masks

We make masks with custom logo’s or insignia’s. Masks are often made in two tone and the logo in placed on the masks after it is complete. Logo’s or images are ironed on therefore, care needs to be taken when washing not to rub with soap or scrub. Note we cannot use a logo or image which has a copyright.

Caring for your Face Mask

It is best to wash your mask by hand in warm soapy water sterilize rinse and dry naturally. Masks should be washed every day or use a different one every day then wash in bulk. You can put masks in the machine in a pillow case like you do for delicate garments. I do not recommend it as it may damage the nose band over time or the elastic. Do not put custom masks with transferred images in the machine. Your masks with images will look good for a longer period of time if you hand wash them. All of our masks has an elastic casing which allows you replace the elastic if it gets damaged. Joann’s has elastic now and a yard costs 0.99c