Plague doctor mask

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Plague Doctor Mask (Step By Step Guide) Anna Brown

Transcript of Plague doctor mask

Page 1: Plague doctor mask

Plague Doctor Mask

(Step By Step Guide)

Anna Brown

Page 2: Plague doctor mask

Key Features I considered when making my mask.• The length of the

‘beak’.• Eye Sockets.• Strap to hold the mask

on the face.

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First I decided to order some material for my mask. I searched a few websites and visited a textile shop until I found a cheep yet sturdy looking material I could use. I decided to use Faux Leather brown material as it was the best material to achieve the rustic leather look I wanted.

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Once the material arrived I decided to use a stencil to cut out the shapes for the structure of my mask. I used paper to draw round so that the size of the mask would be constant. I then used sharp fabric scissors to cut the sections of fabric out. I then pinned them together ready to be stitched together.

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Here is some pictures of the template that I created with the fabric once it was stitched together. Once I had stitched the fabric together and placed it out flat on the table I attempted to fold the two sides round so that it created the beak. However I felt that it would be too slack and not support it’s self so I decided to used grey board to make the mask more sturdy. I used grey board because even though it is very stiff because it is made of compressed paper sheets it was still some what flexible and was easy to shape once I had placed the sections on the mask.

Slip Stitch or Ladder Stitch

I wanted to create a seamless and almost invisible seem for the panels of the material. A slip stitch is used to create an invisible seam between two folded edges, or a folded edge and a flat edge. You can use slip stitching for bindings, to close a lining, or to apply applique invisibly.

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Once I had cut out the grey card I needed to find a glue that would be able to securely fix the card to the fabric. So I asked the Art Technician and she recommended the glue you can see in the picture to the right as it was a strong all purpose glue that would work fast and allow me to continue working on my mask.

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Once I had stitched the masked together I could finally see the mask coming together. I then decided that I needed to test the mask on someone to see if it would fit and look the way I wanted it too.

I decided that I needed to add a section of material around the edges of the mask so that it would be more sturdy and not sag on the face.

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These are some pictures that I took of the mask on someone’s face.

I am going to stitch round the edges of the top and side of the mask to make it more durable and sturdy. Here you can see

that the mask sags on her face around the eyes. I am there for going to cut out larger rings of the same material and stich them round the eye holes so that it becomes more sturdy and also looks better.

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BackstitchThe backstitch creates a very strong seam. It's used on heavy or dense fabrics and often to repair a seam. Begin at the right end.

I then cut a length of material no more than 2cm wide so that I could create a stonger and cleaner edge to the mask. I used a backstitch for this as it enabled me to stitch through 3 layers of the heavy material with ease.

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Overcast StitchThe overcast stitch is used to finish cut edges on fabrics that tend to ravel, such as linens and gabardines.

I also needed to make the eye holes stronger and also more detailed and they felt quite minimal. So I decided to cut out rings on material that I then stitched over the existing holes. I did this by using a variant on the overcast stitch. I slightly changed it because it was an exterior decoration as well as an additional practical element. I also felt that this style of stitch went with the circular pattern of the fabric I was adding.