The group here had a post of cutting fold over elastic in half and it didn’t fray. There have been so many patterns posted lately- all very similar. Some use bias ties and Some use straight grain. My guess is the ones donated to hospitals aren’t going to be
considered long lasting anyway - they aren’t going to survive so Many launderings. I’ve made them several ways for family members and they all seem to work. Read an article today that said high quality quilting cotton in two layers is good for the non medical population. And yes nothing is as good as a fresh N95