Comments | diy_pads: Advice for a first timer

joy1989 in diy_pads

Advice for a first timer

Aug 31, 2012 20:28

Hey Lovely Menstruators!
I'm thinking about making my own cloth menstrual pads. Can you give some useful advice from things you've learned making your own? Thanks.

sewing machines, fabric choices, where to buy fabric - joann's, surging/overlocking, where to buy fabric - online, patterns, wingless, wings, making your own pattern, cloth pad information, style: foldable, style: aio, style: envelope, pad construction, wet bag, style: circle, style: panty liner, hand sewing, where to buy fabric - walmart, turned and topstitched, style: without wings, style: base + top-loading liner, style: thong, tutorials

Comments 5

rearranged September 1 2012, 13:52:18 UTC

I tried lots of different patterns to find something I liked, and I drafted a few of my own. I played a lot with different sizes and thickness - for overnights, I need something longer, wider and very thick/absorbent. For day wear, I want something more comfortable.

I use pads as a back-up to a menstrual cup, so my daytime pads can be thinner. I even made some that are more like panty liners for lighter days, when I don't want to wear the cup.

So... my main advice is experiment! Try lots of different sizes, shapes, thicknesses. Fabrics, too. I made some of my own cloth diapers, so I had a bunch of scraps and flannel receiving blankets that I used for my pads. Some of my heavy duty pads have a waterproof layer of PUL. I used flannel and bamboo fleece for absorbent layers, and my top layers were usually flannel or bamboo velour. I bought a cheap metal snap kit that I used with a hammer to set my own snaps, too, so I could have wings that snapped together so the pads wouldn't move.

Hope this helps! :) Have fun! They are a blast to

joy1989 September 1 2012, 23:15:32 UTC

Thank you very much. I think I'm going to see if I can find a metal snap kit for cheap somewhere too. It seems like the best option. I haven't sewn since I was in home ec class in high school, so I'm a little apprehensive, but also excited. I'm going to maybe have my mother help me because she's been doing it forever and still does it. I was thinking a simple pattern like a circle pattern would be cool. Or a square one.

joy1989 September 1 2012, 23:21:41 UTC

Also I was thinking of doing a fleece bottom layer that would have the snaps on it. Then a couple layers of flannel on top for the absorbant part.

rearranged September 2 2012, 01:47:17 UTC

I made some circles! And some plain rectangles with "wings". If you don't go the snap route, velcro works, too... but where I cloth diapered, I liked the idea of snaps better. :)

No problem! I had a lot of fun making mine, so I hope you enjoy! Just dive in and go for it... since I was the only one seeing mine, I didn't mine if I made mistakes. :D

oceansolitude September 2 2012, 13:34:58 UTC

I made my first batch of pads with flannel I had in my sewing stash and older terry cloth towels, you can buy fancy fabric, but you definately don't have to. I made them over 4 years ago, and they still work just fine. I also used buttons on the wings instead of snaps. Buttons were what I had and I was trying not to spend much money. I have used the metal snap kit more recently to make some baby clothes and it is not too complicated or expensive ( ... )