Cloth Pads: 6 Steps - Instructables.com

Apparently the average woman will use around 17,000 pads or tampons in her lifetime, the majority of which are flushed down the toilet, a terrible though huh? Just imagine the waste they produce, damage they cause and the money they cost us. After having my second child i breastfed until she was around 15 months old therefore i didn't menstruate, it was great. Soon after i weaned her from the boob my cycle returned, ugh, i started using tampons again and i hate them. So, i have stared to make my own cloth pads.Made from cotton flannel these can be made in many sizes to suit, panty liners, regular pads with inserts or night-time pads with inserts. They have 'wings' to keep them in place which fasten with a press stud.Why not save money, create less waste and be kinder to your body (disposable's contain chemicals that can affect your body such as cramping) and make yourself some of these pads. You can find the pattern here.You will need:

flannel for outer flannel for inner scissors pins sewing machine Wash, dry and press your fabric. I have used half a metre of flannel and folded it to cut out 4 pads at once.Cut out your pattern pieces and taking each of the bottom pieces fold their opening edges over 1/4 inch, press then fold over again, press and sew in place.Take each of the bottom pieces and fold the opening edge over 1/4 inch, press then fold over again, press and sew in place.Press. Top stitch around the edge and sew down each side to form the wings. Add press studs to the wings.Make a pad to fit inside, i have recycled a flannel bed sheet. I sewed 2 pieces together, turned right sides out and top stitched all the way around. I made it large enough to be folded into 4 layers and quilted it randomly to keep it in shape.All finished!