Clancy Mask (Twenty One Pilots Tyler Joseph Balaclava)

I have returned after many years to bring you an Instructable for the balaclava type mask worn by Tyler Joseph as Clancy in Twenty One Pilots’ newest album, Clancy! As a member of the Clique, and with this album quickly becoming my favorite of theirs, I decided to assemble a Clancy cosplay. And of course, I had to start with the mask. There’s various versions floating around the web, including a crochet pattern and an infographic, but no solid tutorial. So I used bits and pieces of advice found around Reddit and created my own pattern, with the goal of being as screen accurate as I can.

The stripes are certainly the hardest part of this, as there are no visible external seams on the mask, so this part took a lot of work to figure out, but hopefully this guide will make it easier for you!

Fabric:

1. Black mottled fabric — recommended and most popular is the Black Distressed keepsake calico cotton from JoAnn Fabric (https://www.joann.com/black-distressed-quilt-cotton-fabric-by-keepsake-calico/16679094.html)
2. Dark grey ribbed fabric — I used this ribbed sweater trim from Amazon in the 47 Navy Blue color (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BGSV55DM?)
3. The greys were all too light or too purplish so I went with this color. If you want to be certain that you get the perfect color, you can order a fabric swatch book from this seller.
4. Red ribbed fabric — I found a red sweater at a thrift store for this.
5. (OPTIONAL) scrap fabric such as an old sheet for making a pattern draft

1. Trim: 1/8” ribbed flat elastic trim (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNF2DX8T)

Additional Supplies:

1. Black and red paint (fabric or acrylic)
2. Black, white, and red thread
3. Sewing machine
4. Scissors
5. Sewing pins
6. Something for marking seams (I used a Sharpie and a red oil pastel)
7. Seam ripper (optional but always recommended for sewing)
8. Measuring tape (optional but recommended)

MAKING THE PATTERN

1. Make the mask shape. The image pictured and linked PDF are the pattern shape I used. I recommend using some kind of scrap fabric to test a shape and try it on to make sure it fits and the eyehole aligns properly.
2. Once you have your mask shape, pin your pattern on the fold of the fabric as shown and cut it out.
3. Cut down the front of the mask from the top to the eyes.

SEWING THE TOP SEAM

1. Turn the fabric so right sides are facing.
2. Fold the mask so the center seams of the front and back are lined up on each side (the eye opening should be fully opened up).
3. Shift the alignment slightly so that the edges of the front half of the mask go slightly past the back. This will cause the top edge of the mask to skew slightly towards the front and fit correctly.
4. For each side, sew a diagonal line along the top edge, making sure the sides will match at the center.

MAKING THE RED STRIPES

1. Paint the fabric. Unless you are exceptionally lucky and managed to find already mottled red fabric, you will need to use a mix of the black and red paint to smear over the red ribbed fabric to get the appropriate mottled look. Let it dry.
2. Take a moment when you’re done and look at your hands. You’ve been smeared! (Jumpsuit, jumpsuit, cover me!)
3. TOP STRIPE
4. Cut two strips of the fabric, about 2.5” by 16.5”.
5. On the wrong side, mark the fabric hem where it will be sewn to the mask, about 3/8” from the edge
6. Mark another line about 7/8” from the hem line and 1 1/4” from the other edge. This is where the trim will go, which will be the center of the stripe when the center seam is complete.
7. Cut strips of trim that are the same length as your fabric. If using a wider trim, cut it down to about 1/4”.
8. If using the burlap trim, this is about three strands wide. Smear the length with glue and let it dry, as otherwise it will come apart and be a nightmare to work with.
9. Pin the trim down the right side length of the red ribbed fabric down the measured line and sew it. I recommend using a zigzag stitch for this.
10. Turn the mask right side out. Place each assembled stripe face-down on the outside of the mask along the length of the center seam. Pin it 1/2” from the edge of the stripe, with that edge being placed about 1.75” from the mask fabric edge.
11. Marking a line about 1.5” from the center on each side of the mask can be helpful here, providing a guide to line up with the edge of the wrong side of the red stripe.
12. Sew the seam, then fold along the seam to turn the stripe inside out.
13. Some top stitching over the center trim stripe and the edge of the red knit fabric to tack it to the cotton underneath and hold it in place is a good idea here.
14. Fold over at the mouth opening and hem it by hand.
15. CHIN STRIPE
16. Cut two strips of the fabric, about 2.5” by 5.5” and 3” by 5.5”
17. Repeat steps b-d of 2 with these pieces
18. hem seams= 3/8”; trim= 7/8” from outer hem seam line
19. Pin the long sides of these pieces to each other and sew together down the center.
20. Set this piece aside.

SEWING THE NECK

1. Cut the ribbed grey fabric as shown. The center front cutout should be a 3” wide, 5” long rectangle.
2. Add the stripe: line up the edges of the red and grey fabric where there is about 1/4-3/8” hem so that the seam will be invisible on the outside. Pin and sew.
3. Cut the cotton in a straight line down the center of the bottom front.
4. Pin everything but the eye opening edge in the same fashion as the red stripe. The sides at the back should overlap the red stripes. Sew the seam.
5. Trim the excess cotton fabric.
6. Fold over the bottom red stripe at the mouth opening and hem it by hand.

SEWING THE REMAINING SEAMS

1. Turn the mask inside out and pin the center seam down to an inch above where the red stripe ends.
2. Sew the center seam. The seam should be at 3/8” from the raw edge.
3. At this point, try on the mask and make any necessary adjustments to the top edge to get the correct shaping.

FINISHING THE EYE OPENING

1. Pin the hem of the eye opening.
2. Sew the hem on either side of the stripes.
3. Sew a few stitches down the center of the seams on the red stripes to pin the hem there.
4. For added security stitch over the red trim a little bit.

Enjoy your mask!