100% Cotton Face Coverings are almost here!
Hello Everyone! We are so excited with the cloth face coverings we have developed for Art of Where! Not only do they tick all the right boxes for CDC and Canadian government regulations (natural fabric, multiple layers, good fit....), they look amazing and you can customize them right down to the lining! Read on to know more!
The fabric: 100% Cotton Sateen
If you've been following our product launches lately you know that we are making most of our new products in natural fabrics. We've been passionate about working with natural fabrics for some time now, but in order to do so, we had to make a significant investment in new machinery. Now that that's been down, natural products are rolling out! We launched wall tapestries, duvet covers, and bed pillows in our home line, and our pure silk scarves are flying off the printer!
So while no one expected the pandemic, we find ourselves uniquely prepared for it by being able to produce permanent prints on natural fabrics. Since almost all organizations suggest natural, woven (non-stretch) fabrics for face coverings, we can meet those standards! Introducing our cotton sateen! At 100% staple cotton fibers, 200 thread count, and a tight weave, cotton sateen is suited for face coverings and also feels comfy to wear! It has a slight surface sheen and withstands washing beautifully. It weights 170 gsm. Our face coverings are double layered and yet still easy to breath through. Cotton sateen really is a wonder fabric...from home goods to face covers, you can't go wrong!
Our Style of Mask
We developed our mask style with many things in mind. First off, we wanted to make it easy for you to put continuous artwork on the front. This is why our masks feature 2 darts to create the face shape instead of a full sewing line down the middle front. We also didn't want to go with the classic rectangle with pleats. While this is a perfectly good style for masks, we found it a bit bulky and again, would be tricky to design for. We settled on a shape that allows for a maximum amount of print area while still being comfortable. And the icing on top of the face covering is our printable lining! In order to make or face coverings as versatile as possible as well as provide the double layer as recommended by health authorities, we make a filter pocket and turned it into a designable element. What better place to put words of encouragement or more artwork than on the inside! Our design is really a labor of love. We figure if people need to wear non-medical masks more and more in their daily lives they not only have to stand up to use, but have to make the wear-er excited to wear them!
Since our launch day is pushed back a couple of days (but oh so soon!!) we're putting the template here as a jpeg to the actual size so you can download it and start dreaming up your line of face coverings! All sizes are generated from this template since sizing is based on scaling. Make sure to avoid putting design features in the gray area as they may be lost in sewing. The black area is printed to indicate to our sewers where to fold so you cannot put artwork on this part!
For now, we are finishing all face covers with black bias tape. We went with black since we were able to stock up on it and usually black is our most popular option across all products we make. If you're interested in other color options for bias, please let us know what! We're eager to add some more to our lineup in the coming weeks.
The Fit
Fit with face coverings is EVERYTHING! A face covering is only effective if it conforms to the wear-ers face shape. How do you create a mask that fits well? An important part is the nose piece. Our noses prevent fabric coverings from lying flat against the middle of our face. To encourage the fabric to conform better to these peaks and valleys, a metal piece needs to be part of the design. Art of Where face covers feature a stainless steel nose piece with a slight curve to follow the curve of the template shape over the nose. We attach the metal piece with rivets so it is fully washable and will never shift. The metal piece is found between the 2 layers of fabric so that maximum comfort is maintained.
What else did we do to get a good fit? We cut our fabric for face coverings on the bias. The bias of a fabric is 45 degrees across the fabric. When you cut pattern pieces on the bias, you give the fabric a special type of stretch. When you receive your face covers, you'll see that the weave looks more like X's instead of crosses. We do this so that the fabric can fit better on your face since the extra bit of stretch created by cutting on the bias allows for better draping on complicated shapes. Our face covers really are all about the details and we thought through the design every step of the way!
Sizes
We are releasing our non-medical masks in adult and youth sizes. It's very important to NEVER put a face covering on a child under 2 years of age, or anyone who cannot remove it themselves!
For adults, we offer Small, Medium, and large. For youth we have 3 sizes as well! We may come out with additional sizing soon depending on the demand for it! Sizes are based off of 2 measurements; the width of your face from ear to ear (and touching the tip of your nose), and the distance from under your nose to the tip of your chin. Since face structures vary so much from person to person and there is no indication as to face size from clothing size, please make sure to measure before you order, or pass on our size chart to your customers so they can order appropriately!
Face coverings, whether we like it or not will be part of our daily wardrobe for the time being. Since that's the case, we developed our face coverings to be something that we would be comfortable with wearing daily. Take care and happy designing!
