One Common Thread Hexie Masks

People have been sewing for thousands of years, passing down the craft from one generation to the next. It is a way for us to connect to one another across the globe. For many of us it is a passion and an engaging hobby. For women living in the “Bordo” of Central America it is a way to feed their families. One Common Thread is an amazing organization that helps women in Honduras by giving them dignified work to support their families. Cotton Cuts has teamed up with this amazing company to bring you a hexi mask kit in your November Classic box.

You will receive a bag of brightly colored hand sewn hexagons ready to stitch together on your machine or by hand. I will show you how I made two one-of-a-kind masks, ready to wear or give to a friend. Pictured below, are the supplies you will receive. You will need a 60 weight neutral thread and Pellon 911 FF fusible featherweight.

I decided to machine sew the hexagons together using a 60 weight neutral colored thread and a small zigzag stitch. You may also hand stitch the hexagons together. To prepare the hexagons, I starched the hexagons and then removed the paper from the inside so it would not get caught in the machine stitching. The starch will keep the fabric folded in the hexagon shape as you sew.

I practiced the stitch ahead of time to determine the settings on my machine to keep the stitching small and nearly invisible. I kept adding one to the next creating a circle.

As you sew you can leave some seams to sew later after you achieve the circle shape. I would lay the lining circle underneath to check my progress to see where I needed to add more hexagons.

Continue to sew until the hexagon circle is the same size as the lining, sewing all the seams at the junction of two hexagons.

Next, turn it over and trim the back of the hexagons so that only ¼” remains around the shape on the wrong side of the fabric.

Cut a piece of 911FF to fit the circle and press onto the wrong side of the fabric.

Take the lining piece and fold it in half and then in half again and press. Open it up and cut along the press lines to create four pieces. Do the same with the hexagons.

Sew two halves together along the curved sides, do the same for the lining pieces. You should now have a mask shape.

Match the right sides together of the outer fabric and lining pin together and sew the ¼” seam all the way around leaving an opening by the ear to turn the fabric right sides out. To help the mask keep its shape top stitch along the edges and down the center seam. This also gives it a more finished look.

The last step is to add the ear loops. Place the loop on the “V” shape and fold back towards the lining and topstitch, back tact at the start and end to secure the thread.

Now you have a one-of-a-kind face mask to protect you as you are out and about. If someone asks about your colorful mask be sure to spread the word about One Common Thread. Check out their website to see all the great kits and finished quiltsavailable for purchase just in time for the holidays! You can also donate to help these amazing women! Any donation would be truly appreciated, as Honduras is currently being hit with a hurricane.