Pad Making Instructions

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Belted pads
Not all women have underpants.  This is something we tend not to think about, but in many of the situations where women would need these cloth pads, they may not have underpants to be able to wear conventional pads with.  Perhaps this is one reason that tampons are often used for donations.  So it is worthwhile either donating underpants too (hard to judge size however, and when these wear out the pads will become hard/impossible to use)... or created belted cloth pads.  We have a belted pad design which is not difficult to make, and creates a belted pad that is fully adjustable to the wearer's size.

This simple belted pad is also a "Base+insert" style.  Where there is a longer than normal waterproofed base, with straps that hold an insert in place.   A loop on the ends of the pad section allow a cord to be threaded through.  When worn, this cord can be tied at the waist or hip, wherever is most comfortable for the wearer. The waist belt can be made from something such as wide twill tape, or even elastic.  A tie up version is recommended over an elasticated waist because it can be adjusted to fit most women.

A slight variation on this design is to simply include 2 extra lengths of twill tape/cord/ribbon, which can be used between the belt cord and the loop on the pad holder.  This will allow the belt cord to be worn on the waist rather than lower on the hip, and is useful for larger sized women, where the cord would not sit comfortably or would not stay up. It also allows shorter pads to be worn, so the maker can include long pads and short pads. They can leave this extra piece off if they are not needed.  Our instructions include both diagrams.

In the belted pads we have made, the sizes we have used are strips approx 40cm/16inches long, and about 7cm/2.5in wide.  This length or longer (up to 50cm/20in) would be an appropriate length for belted pads.  To some this may seem very long, but the belted holder needs to be long enough to be able to attach to the waist belt, and it needs to come up at the back to avoid a sort of g-string/thong effect.  You could make a flared back version which would be more comfortable and covering for the wearer.  You would want to make shaped inserts to match the shape of the holder, which would not be able to fold up the same way a rectangular insert.

To make these, simply cut a PUL strip approx 43cm/17in long.  Fold the 2 ends over a little to make a stronger point in which to sew on a small loop of ribbon/twill tape/rick rack.  Cut 2 pieces of ribbon/twill tape/rick rack about 9cm/3.75in wideand attach these to the holder at the front and back which will hold the inserts in place.  As shown in the above pictures.  Make sure these are sewn down securely and treat any edges if they may fray.  (If you wish, you can make a turned and topstitched version of this for a nicer look).

Cut 2 lengths of ribbon/twill tape approx the same length (40cm/16in), and treat the ends to stop them fraying (burn, fold over and stitch etc.).  Cut one length of a wider ribbon/cord etc.  approx 1.5 metres/yards in length.  This should be long enough to span the waist and leave enough to tie up.  They can cut off any extra.

Notes - For the waist, some slightly elastic cord would be great, but it should be around 2cm/1.5in wide for comfort.... where the other ribbon/cord/tape should be about 1cm/1/4in.  Inserts for this could be terry or flannel 3 fold inserts.  Where they would measure approx 40cm/16in long by 21cm/7.5in wide and fold into 3 to fit into the holder.
 

Other option
The belted style can also be made into a pocket or AIO style rather than a holder style.  It can either be made the same way as above - with a small loop on the ends to attach to the belt, or the ends of the pad can be folded over to create a casing for the belt to be threaded through.

The end of the pad is folded over and sewn down (shown in purple), forming a space where the waist cord can be threaded through.  This space needs to be wide enough to easily allow this... and don't forget that the wearer may not have access to safety pins or other methods to help them thread it though if they cannot easily do it by hand. The belt would then thread through the front and back, making a similar effect to that shown on the right. This whole pad could be made as an AIO or pocket, where the whole pad is changed each time.

Yet another option
The belted holder can be made from cloth, that simply allows the wear to use that in place of underpants and attach normal cloth pads to that.