No Sew Mardi Gras Masks

The biggest party of the year is coming up in just a couple of weeks. I’m talking about Mardi Gras, of course! Whether you’re celebrating in New Orleans or at home, you’ll want to whip up a few of these Mardi Gras masks. Especially when you see how easy they are to make AND don’t involve any sewing!

To begin the mask making process, download my mask template. It comes with the two mask styles shown above. They are scaled-to-fit and can easily be altered for other design styles.

Once you have printed the masks and cut them out, cut rectangles of fabric slightly larger than the masks. I am using decorative polyester materials (I refer to them non-technically as fakey satins) for the front of the masks and felt for the back. My fabrics came straight from the remnants section of my local craft store. That really helps keeps the cost down, especially for projects like this that do not require a lot of material.

Now comes the magic part of the tutorial… You will need a thick two-sided fusible interface to place between the fabric on the front of the mask and the felt on the back. This will prevent our project from needing any sewing. Cut pieces of the interface just a touch smaller than the rectangles of fabric. Layer the felt, face down on your surface, then the interface, then the fabric, face up. Follow the directions on the back of the interface package for ironing the pieces together. As an extra precaution, I placed an extra piece of scrap fabric between what I was ironing and the iron itself.

Pin or clip the mask template to the top of the fabric that has now been fused to the felt. Cut out the shape of the mask. I used pinking shears to help prevent the fabric from fraying. I also love the look it gives the mask!

Trace the eye holes on the felt side of the mask. If you’re using black felt then a piece of chalk will work great, otherwise just use a disappearing ink pen. Carefully cut out the eye holes using a pair of precision scissors.

I applied Fray Check to the cut edges to further ensure none of them would fray in the future.

I keep a package of small dowel rods on hand in my craft stash. You just never know when you might need them! And they are the perfect handles for the Mardi Gras masks.

To dress them up you can paint or stain them. I have a great trick to use distress ink to stain small wood projects. Here I used black distress ink on a couple of the dowels (only one shown). I ended up painting the third with gold glitter paint.

Wrap one end of the dowel rod with extra felt, gluing it in place. Then glue the felt to the back of the mask.

The fusible interface between the fabric makes the masks stiff enough to stand up and not flap around when being used.

Now comes the really fun part! Its time to decorate the masks! I used an assortment of ribbon, feathers, and brooches.

Decorate as you see fit! I love the brooch centered on the front of this mask with the feathers standing up behind it. I also wrapped the handle with silver ribbon for an extra decorative look. How you choose to decorate is completely up to you! All pieces were simply glued on to the mask.

Aren’t these fun? Perfect for a Mardi Gras themed party or even a masquerade ball. I’m thinking of photo booth fun!

You might also enjoy this round up of decadent Mardi Gras desserts!