Making Menstrual Pads With Wings (Question)

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Have any of you made menstrual pads with wings? I've made some and I'm having a problem with the flow going out towards the wings before it even goes through the thickness of the pad. I've made several different types of pads, my first ones were really crude, but I finally settled on one design I like it's a rectangular shape with little square wings that go around the crotch of your panties then fasten with a button,snap or safety pin. The outside is flannel, the inside is the all cotton, natural batting. Another material I've found that works real well is old cotton sweatshirts, the good high quality kind.

-- Carol in Tx (cwaldrop@peoplescom.net), November 10, 2000

Answers

You might try making the backing and wings out of some hydrophobic fabric, like polyester, and then sewing the absorbent material pad to the backing. Maybe you could also make the absorbent pad a square and fold both sides toward the middle, leaving a small gap, before sewing the whole shebang to the backing. That would tend to direct the flow into the desired part of the pad, I think.

-- Laura Jensen (lauraj@seedlaw.com), November 10, 2000.

Use a butterfly ballot seems to be a lot laaying around

-- Richard V.Miller (richard.miller@1st.net), November 10, 2000.

Richard could you please tell us all what butterfly ballots are?

-- Carol in Tx (cwaldrop@peoplescom.net), November 10, 2000.

Richard..thank you!!!!!!!!!! That is the only thing since Tuesday that has made me laugh out loud..You are outrageous!

-- Lesley (martchas@gateway.net), November 10, 2000.

Carol, butterfly ballots are what all the hoopa is about in Florida. I'm sorry, I should have left the politics out of this one, but could't resist.

-- Richard V. Miller (richard.miller@1st.net), November 11, 2000.


hahahaha!!!! Way to go Richard! But in all seriousness, could you maybe somehow quilt the middle to make small pockets? I don't sew much, but most of the store bought pads have little dimples in the middle where you want the flow to go.

-- elle (hotging@aol.com), November 12, 2000.

Thanks for the advice ladies, I might try both of them, I can't believe I didn't get any more responses than I did, am I the only one who makes and uses these? The tampons and kotex are so expensive and I'm not sure the chemicals in them are real healthy for our bodies, they're are some studies out there that suggest the commerical ones are responsible for a lot of female problems now. I went with them due to the expense and not having garbage pickup, handling them afterward really isn't that bad, I just put them in a bucket of water with some baking soda, and wash them with the other things in cold water, then dry. Does anyone else use the all cotton reusable pads, whether bought or homemade?

-- Carol in Tx (cwaldrop@peoplescom.net), November 12, 2000.

OK, I didn't want to respond to this because it is kind of personal, but I have made these before, only not with the wings. I used a heavy duty plastic on the bottom layer, for example the kind used on disposable diaper packages.The outside was made of old T shirts (cotton). The main bulk was cotton quilt batting. So you fold the batting to the dimensions you want( use a little more than seems necessary, because they compact a little),cut a rectangle of plastic the size of the pad, and cut a large scrap of T shirt material. Set the plastic and then the batting on the T shirt scrap, and then fold that around the filling, like a tube. Sew a long seam to seal the long siode of the tube, and then close off the ends. I don't do any fancy finish work on them, or even turn the seams in. Then sew through all layers, a line down the center, that stops about an inch from either end. This keeps the layers from sliding around. Or, you can catch the batting and plastic when you sew off the ends, and be sure it will leak very little if at all.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), November 13, 2000.

Thanks Rebekah, I've made some like that but no plastic, I don't want any plastic, and I make them thick enough to where they don't leak through just the ones with wings leak out towards the wings, instead of straight down. Yes, this is personal, but it's also a part of life. I've made them out of cotton T shirts, cotton long johns, high quality sweats, and flannel with cotton batting, so far the sweat shirt material is #1 with the flannel coming in #2. I cut a rectangle piece out of flannel sew it all around leaving an opening to insert the flannel, turn it right side out insert the flannel, sew up the opening, then divide it into thirds and sew a line divideing it so. Oh I forgot to mention the wings, anyway then it folds over twice making a thickness of 6 layers of flannel and cotton batting each.

-------------------------------------------] one section shorter than ] the other for folding in -------------------------------------------] the other ones. ^another wing^ ] ] -------------------------------------------] ] ] -------------------------------------------] | | | wing | |______| when folded, looks like this. _______ [ ] [ * ] ______________________[ ]______________________ ] ] ] ______________________ _______________________] [ ] [ __ ] [______] this what mine look like when folded, 6 layers is actually pretty heavy and I need to make some with just 1 layer of batting giving me 6 of flannel 3 of batting. When making with sweat shirt material, I don't use any batting just 2 layers of sweatshirt (high quality all cotton) I usually get them at the Goodwill for 50 cents and the end of winter, you have to feel each one to see if it's good enough, none of the stretchy stuff or current ones they sell at Wal-Mart will do. Well I hope this turns out good, I'm not a very good artist with pencil or computer.

-- Carol in Tx (cwaldrop@peoplescom.net), November 13, 2000.


Oh no!!!! I had them all drawn out all nice and neat and after I hit submit it all messed up, well I give up on the drawing part.

-- Carol in Tx (cwaldrop@peoplescom.net), November 13, 2000.


Hi Carol,

I didn't have it before, but just looked it up. It's a good site with lots of information and a pattern that looks pretty useable. Good luck!

http://www.pacificcoast.net/~manymoons/howto.html

-- Laura Jensen (lauraj@seedlaw.com), November 13, 2000.


Hi Carol! Good for you! I hate buying anything disposable and it's refreshing to read of someone taking the steps to live this way also. If you have a source for old diapers that is good too. Some people save them for rags but I find them too valuable for just that and have invented other "sanitary" uses for them. (Don't ask! Just think.) I greatly admire "thinkers" and not "buyers". We just put out our first bag of garbage in 17 months!

-- Sandy (smd2@netzero.net), November 17, 2000.

Carol, Just came across this in the archives. Since my last child was potty trained, I've been using the prefolded diapers that were left over. T-shirts and old socks make good rags but the diapers make really decent pads. I just fold the sides in to the middle in 1/3's lenghtwise and then fold in 1/2. I end up with about a 3-4" x 7" or so rectangle. Some of the diapers are thinner than others and woven differently, they get used for the light days. I've occaisionaly had trouble with leakage but that is only on about the 2nd or 3rd day when flow is heaviest, I tend to stay home then because of not feeling well anyway. :-{ I've never bothered to do any stitching on them except for when an edge starts to fray.

The pre-folded ones also make pretty good nursing pads too. I cut three circles from the thick part in the middle of the pre-folded diapers and bound the edges with storebought bias tape. My mother and sister got silly and embroidered things on some of them like: a milk carton and a honey bee (milk-n-honey), Big Ben (my son weighed 9# 14oz.) and some other stuff.

-- Heather in MD (heathergorden@hotmail.com), January 08, 2001.


One more thing I forgot to add.....

I use those tummy firming stretchy panties that hold snuggly to me for when I need the pads. No worry about slippage, no snaps, no extra sewing. Walmart sells them or if you are really adventurous you could make your own from cotton/lycra swimsuit material.

-- Heather (heathergorden@hotmail.com), January 08, 2001.


I started using homemade pads from a pattern found at manymoons.com. They are so much better than disposables, I wish I had heard of them earlier. I don't sew a bit, but mine turned out nicely! I just use flannel for the shell, terry for the insert ( using up those old holey towels) and a small rectangle of Ultrex for the bottom as a leak proof barrier. Ultrex is thinner and nicer than Goretex and does the job for me. It's not really that expensive, I think enough for 10 pads cost me a dollar. Thinking of how much you are saving by using homemade washables, this is insignificant.

-- amber (shy_bluesky@yahoo.com), April 29, 2001.


I just want to say that I feel like a real slug for taking the easy way out and using high priced paper towels for pantiliners. You all have inspired me and given me needed motivation.

-- susan buettner (ksbuettner@aol.com), February 15, 2002.

HI everyone-- It`s so great that there are more people who want to be healthier and make their own!! You may also want to try the keeper, which is a menstrual cup made of rubber that`s not harmfull for your body, i think if you search under `keeper`in yahoo, you should find it. It`s about $50 and lasts 10 years...

-- Carmen in Canada (carmenelisabeth@hotmail.com), March 10, 2002.

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