Staysfit - I have been pondering the same question for my 85 year old MIL who also has limited arm raising capabilityfrom two blown out rotator cuffs. (BTW - the long handled brush and comb I got her for Christmas were a huge hit! https://www.amazon.com/Handled.....3TZ?ref_=s )
I decided on soft ear loops. You only have to raise your hand to ear level, not over the head. The t shirt yarn I mentioned (Chris987's DIY Facemask thread) seems to work well. The blue and white version is DD-approved for comfort. I used safety pins to fit the loops and just tucked them inside the casing as shown on the other side, but you could sew them once fitted.
My nose wire in #1/2 is soft copper 20 gauge jewelry wire. I have also twisted together two or three strands of lighter (26 G?) wire in the brown mask #5. I use pliers to make a spiral on one end that I can pinch on to to the outside of the nose casing to keep it in place, yet easily removed for washing or replacing (like Carla's bendy ties. I close one end of the casing, but you could leave open on do the bendy tie or wire spiral on both ends.
The blue one (#3 shows lining side) is from the original Olson mask pattern that has the filter pocket open on both ends. The brown #4 is my modification where I only have one filter pocket end open, and if I have the right fabric, I use the selvage edge instead of hemming the opening edge to reduce bulk. just line up what would be the hemmed length of the two side lining pieces on the selvage and check twice before cutting because the proper end is not intuitive!)
This is not a super snug fitting mask like an N95, but it is pretty comfortable and easy to wear. Honestly, no home made fabric mask is going to protect against significant exposure no matter how snug).
One advantage if you are taking on and off frequently over a period of time, you can remove one end from you ear and let it dangle off the other ear, then put back on swiftly with having to touch the front of the mask. It takes a bit of practice, and I would not exert with it dangling, but it has been pretty effective for my short forays into the Post Office, car repair and such.
I will have my MIL test when we do the grocery resupply and M-Day celebration later this week.
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