Homemade feminine products!

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I suppose this post should have at least some bit of a disclaimer along the lines of "do not view if you are offended by a woman's body and her natural cycle" - so.. whatever. I made homemade pads, view them if you want, move on if you don't :-)

Size comparison - I compared with a few generic ultra thin pads and a few regulars... the width is pretty good. When I start cutting out the pieces, I thought maybe my calculations and pattern were off... but it appeared to work out!


Underside and upperside... the "retro tv" fabric is the upperside.. it's made of a cotton flannel... the underside is just your everyday calico.. there's a slit down the middle for an insert



My first insert came out a bit wonky, I didn't go to the edges and I wasn't careful with my needle.. la dee da. I am sure it's still usable.


The other 3 inner pads that I have made - the white card fabric has 3 layers... the top flannel you see, an inner terry cloth, and a red non-absorbing polyester/nylon on the bottom... for heavy days! the purple is just that flannel on both sides with nothing in between... for lighter/end of period days! and the retro tv is that flannel layer, a cheap flannel inner layer and a red non-absorbing polyester/nylon on the bottom... for regular days!


The inner layer just slips in and under the two flaps and as shown above, the wings are pinned together underneath!
-- 4 Fairly Large Pictures Under the Cut

I had been throwing the idea in my head for some time... a friend mentioned wanting homemade pads, and well - I stole the idea for myself. So far, I have inspired a few people to begin making their own... they are sooo comfortable. I wore one without my period for a little bit, just to see how it would feel - and it feels like my regular panties - definitely an improvement from the plasticy/sticky feeling that a disposable pad may give you. In the long (and short!) run, they are cheaper, more comfortable and DEFINITELY waste-reducing... just think about how much plastic and other sorts of materials we waste on our disposable pads - the packaging included!

I got the inspiration to make them through the following websites: Hillbilly Housewife, Lunapads and GladRags.... I mainly adapted my pattern from Hillbilly Housewife and just changed the measurements and how i stitched it together... I stitched right sides together and turned it - so it would be a bit smaller, more finished looking and i wouldn't feel the stitches against my skin... it turned out better than i imagined!