As a full-time glasses-wearer, I’m very familiar with the face mask fogging issue!
So I sewed and tested 5 face mask patterns to find the best for glasses. These are all free printable patterns.
I wore each one indoors and outdoors. I used the same fabric and number of layers to make the comparison fairer (2 layers of cotton-linen fabric and no filter).
After testing, the best face mask pattern for glasses is the pleated face mask from Selsey Medical Practise.
Unlike most designs, it has a nose wire that runs along the entire top edge. So it molds around your nose and cheeks, not just your nose. This stops your warm breath from escaping at the top and fogging up your glasses.
The mask is long, so it covers the chin. But it doesn’t fit the chin closely, giving you lots of jaw movement. There’s some gaping at the sides.
My biggest issue with this pattern is that the template and instructions are unconventional, so it takes a while to read and digest. It was created by medical staff, not sewing pattern designers, so I understand why.
The 3d/origami pattern from Japanese Sewing Books also did well in my tests, but for different reasons.
This mask really pops out and stays away from your lips, making it easier to talk.
The fit is excellent. It sits close to the sides of your face and chin without gaping. It allows for some jaw movement.
But you have to add a nose wire along the top or it will fog a lot. The designer gives no instructions for this.
Whatever face mask you decide to make, I highly recommend making the ear loops adjustable. Here are 7 ways to do it.
If the ear loops don’t fit perfectly, your mask might hang loosely from your face and fog anyway.
If you don’t want to use a nose wire, the next best option is to wear your glasses further down your nose. Make your glasses sit on top of your face mask. This will help reduce fogging.
I have also heard good things about anti-fog wipes for glasses, but it’s not your cheapest option. A pack of 30 disposable wipes costs about $6.
I talk more about the pros and cons of each face mask below. And I’ve got fogging photos to share.
Pleated face mask pattern with nose wire
I tested the free pattern from Selsey medical practise.
Download the pdf pattern
Here’s the printable pattern and instructions.
Is it good for glasses wearers?
I placed my glasses at the top of the face mask, and…
It didn’t fog!
I checked this in a snowy outdoor situation (pictured below), during a 1-hour grocery shopping trip, and indoors.
I was really surprised. A ‘standard’ pleated mask isn’t the first thing you think of for glasses-wearers.
I think it worked so well because the nose wire runs along the entire top edge of the mask.
It molded around my nose and cheeks, stopping my breath from escaping at the top.
Other patterns only make the nose wire a few inches long to mold over the nose, but not the cheeks.
The nose wire channel is also narrow, so the wire can’t shift about like it would in a bigger space.
It stayed perfectly at the top edge of the mask, giving me full control when shaping the wire
You also don’t need to cut and sew an extra piece of fabric to make the nose piece.
I was really impressed.
There’s some space in front of the mouth, so it’s comfortable to wear.
It’s not as much space as the 3d/origami mask, but still more than I expected.
When I wore it for an hour whilst grocery shopping, I didn’t have any fabric getting into my mouth.
The mask is long, so it covers the chin. But it doesn’t fit the chin closely, giving you lots of jaw movement. There’s some gaping at the sides.
Design features
- 1 size. I think this would work for most adults. It’s quite wide and tall.
- 3 pleats.
- Optional nose wire.
- Optional filter layer.
- The elastic is sewn directly to the mask.
- No seam in the middle.
I made the adjustable ear loops using pony beads. This wasn’t part of the pattern instructions. Here’s how I did it.
How easy is it to make?
Marking the pleats was a bit fiddly. The pattern makes you measure down from the top and bottom, rather than using notches.
Luckily, the pleat lines are marked on the pattern, so next time I’ll cut notches into the fabric rather than faffing around with a ruler.
I also found the pattern a bit “too much”. It was created by staff at a medical practice, so it doesn’t look like a normal sewing pattern. It takes a while to read it and understand the instructions.
When you sew the pleats, you’ll be going over 6+ layers of fabric which might annoy your sewing machine.
What changes I would make to the pattern
I had to topstitch the pleats twice, so that’s why you can see 2 lines of stitching on both sides. This isn’t part of the original instructions.
Without the extra line of stitching, the pleats didn’t lay flat at the edges. I didn’t like how that looked.
I also made the ear loops adjustable. Heres’ how.
3D / origami face mask pattern
I used the free printable pattern from Japanese Sewing Books.
Download the pdf pattern
Here’s the printable file. It only uses 1 page.
Is it good for glasses wearers?
The original design has no nose wire. When I wore my glasses near the top, they fogged up immediately.
The fit at the sides and chin is also excellent, so my breath couldn’t escape there. It went for the path of least resistance and came out from the top.
So I put in a long nose wire and tried again. This stopped the fogging issues.
Overall, I think it’s a great mask, but you need to add the nose wire yourself to make it glasses-friendly.
Design features
- 6 sizes.
- 3d shape that pops away from your mouth, giving you more breathing room.
- The face mask fits closely to the sides of the face and chin. There’s no gaping there.
- No nose wire. For glasses-wearers, you need to find a way to add it yourself.
- No filter pocket.
- Side channels for your elastic. You don’t sew the elastic directly to the mask.
- No seam in the middle.
What I liked about this face mask
My favorite thing is how much space there is in front of the mouth. The ‘origami’ shape and topstitching makes it stand away from your face.
Even with no stiff interfacing, it’s almost as tall as my 1094 yard spool of thread (1000 meters).
There’s good coverage for the chin.
And the sides are just the right length to avoid gaping.
How easy is it to make?
This mask design is a more involved make. There’s a lot of folding, ironing, and topstitching. I counted 10 lines of stitching in the video tutorial.
Most of it is straight-forward (if you can already sew). I’m not sure a brand new sewist would enjoy all the topstitching and curved edges.
The hardest part is folding the ‘origami’ shape correctly at the end. I got a bit confused the first time and ended up with a boxy shape at the top, not a curved shape. Whoops.
The last step is to fold the side channels twice and stitch them down. There’s a lot of bulky fabric to sew at this point, so it might be hard on your sewing machine.
What changes I would make to the pattern
In my experience, the side channels were too small.
Trying to shimmy 1/4″ elastic through it, with all that bulky fabric in there, was tricky. There was some wrestling involved to hide the elastic knot in there!
Next time, I’ll make the side channels a bit wider.
I also made the elastic ear loops adjustable which really helped with fit. Here’s how I made DIY adjustable ears using pony beads.
Sewing instructions
There are no written instructions (that I’ve seen). Here’s the video tutorial:
‘Beak’ face mask pattern
I tested the free pattern called the ‘Jesse’ mask. This was made available via The Fabric Patch store.
Download the pdf pattern
Here’s the printable file. You need to choose a size based on your face measurements. This is explained on page 29.
Is it good for glasses wearers?
This face mask curves more at the top to stop it from riding up into your eyes.
For the most part, my glasses didn’t steam up. This required a bit of messing about with the nose wire.
Because the casing for the wire was larger than needed, my wire shifted about. It didn’t sit perfectly along the top edge, which caused some gaps and therefore fogging.
The mask pops away from the mouth, so it gives you more breathing room. But not as much as the 3d/origami mask.
The mask fits closely over the cheek and sides.
I had a small gap at the chin which allowed breath to escape. However, it also allowed me to move my jaw up and down without pulling the whole mask off. Hmmm, compromises…
Design features
- 24 sizes! You choose based on your nose-to-ear measurement and nose-to-chin measurement.
- It has a beak shape, giving you more ‘breathing room’ in front of your mouth.
- Optional nose wire.
- A permanent filter layer.
- The elastic is sewn directly to the mask.
- Seam in the middle.
How easy is it to make?
I didn’t have any major problems sewing the mask.
The pattern itself has some brief instructions written on it. If you’re new to sewing, or more of a visual person, you might struggle to follow it.
The Fabric Patch has a video tutorial which will help. It’s about 35 minutes long. Skip to 25:21 for the actual sewing.
What changes I would make to the pattern
The mask was too wide for my face. The fabric extended past my actual ears, so I had to cut it shorter.
The sides are also a diagonal line. This makes it harder to fold the raw edges in and stitch, as per the instructions. I would change the edges to a straight line next time.
Because the casing for the wire was larger than needed, my wire shifted about. It didn’t sit perfectly along the top edge, which caused some gaps and therefore fogging.
I would make the nose wire casing narrower next time.
If you’re using a flat metal nose piece, this probably won’t be a problem for you.
Contoured ‘Olson’ face mask pattern with nose wire
I tested the free pattern from Craft Passion.
Download the pdf pattern
Pdf pattern with NO filter pocket:
Pdf pattern WITH filter pocket:
Is it good for glasses wearers?
Even with a nose wire, my glasses steamed up when I positioned them above the mask.
However, it was less steam than the face mask I tested with no nose wire.
I was really struggling to fit the nose wire to my nose. My nose is quite big and wide, so that didn’t help lol.
I found the casing for the wire was too big, so the wire kept shifting up and down.
It wouldn’t stay at the top, so I had a harder time molding it around my nose and cheeks.
The wire also stops about halfway across my cheek.
I think that’s what caused the steaming. Some of my breath probably escaped through the top of the mask where there was no wire.
Design features
- 4 sizes.
- Optional nose wire.
- Optional filter pocket.
- Side channels for your elastic. You don’t sew the elastic directly to the mask.
- A seam in the middle.
What I liked about this face mask
The curved shape makes room for your nose, so it doesn’t feel tight there.
I like that the elastic is not sewn directly to the mask. You slide it through the side channels and knot it. This allows you to swap the elastic if it becomes worn or uncomfortable.
Ps. here’s how I made the ears adjustable.
How easy is it to make?
If you can already sew, it’s simple to make. You’re just sewing straight lines and curves. There are no tricky folds or pleats to create.
I counted 10 lines of stitching in the instructions. If you include a nose wire, then add another 3.
What changes I would make to the pattern
I had problems with my nose wire shifting all over the place inside the nose wire channel.
Next time, I would make the channel much narrower. Probably so that it’s only 1/4″ wide (finished measurement) for my 1/8″(-ish) wire.
If you’re using a flat metal nose piece, this probably won’t be a problem for you.
I would also make the wire longer so that it runs across the top of the face mask completely (remembering to ignore the side channels, of course).
I would also make the sides shorter. When I wear the mask with ear loops, the sides gape a lot.
Sewing instructions
Written sewing instructions are on the Craft Passion blog.
The video tutorial is below:
Face mask pattern with nose & chin darts
I tested the free face mask pattern from Dhurata Davies.
Download the pdf pattern
Here’s the printable file. Page 1 is in cm’s and page 2 in inches. You only need to print 1 page.
Is it good for glasses wearers?
Even with a nose wire, my glasses steamed up a bit when I positioned them above the mask.
I tested this mask indoors and outdoors and had the same fogging issue.
The wire stops about halfway across my cheek which I think is the cause.
I think some of my breath escaped through the top where there’s no wire, causing the fogging.
I had to move my glasses down to stop the fogging, the same way I do to masks with no nose wires.
The mask gapes a little at the sides if you add elastic ear loops. If you’re using elastic around the head, I don’t think this will be an issue.
Design features
- 5 sizes.
- Darts are used to make the mask fit close to the nose and chin. The fit is good, but it does reduce jaw movement a little.
- The fabric sits near the mouth. It doesn’t pop away a lot, giving you less ‘breathing room’.
- Optional nose wire.
- Optional filter pocket.
- Side channels for your elastic. You don’t sew the elastic directly to the mask.
- No seam in the middle.
What I liked about this face mask
There are good written instructions for this mask.
The face mask has good chin coverage.
I like that the elastic is not sewn directly to the mask. You slide it through the side channels and knot it. This allows you to swap the elastic if it becomes worn or uncomfortable.
Ps. here’s how I made the ears adjustable.
How easy is it to make?
Most of the construction was easy enough.
Sewing the nose wire was really tricky. The pattern designer suggests zig-zagging it to the seam allowance at the top of the mask.
Zigzagging over a 3d wire that’s bending all over the place isn’t fun.
I had to sew really slowly to stop the machine needle from hitting the wire.
What changes I would make to the pattern
I would make the nose wire longer.
The wire stops about halfway across the cheek. I think this is the reason for the fogging. It allowed some of my breath to escape through the top where there’s no wire.
I would also use a different method for attaching the nose wire. Zig-zagging the wire directly to the mask is fiddly and takes longer.
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Related posts:
All my face mask resources(including free patterns)
The best types of elastic for face masks: 7 TESTED
