Pad making

  Pad making suggestions/Points to Consider | Patterns and Instructions | Advice for gathering cheap fabric | Fabric will you need | Get the most from your fabric.

Waterproofing - Whether or not your personal preference is for waterproofing or not, its probably a good idea to have donated pads waterproofed.  The aim is to try and bring comfort and protection to women who can't make their own pads, or afford to buy them.  So if the pads are waterproofed the women are not going to have as many leakage problems.  While your personal preference may be for non-waterproofed pads, think of all the women who need waterproofed pads around the world..... it's better to make sure they have enough protection, just in case.  If you can't do waterproofing (see cheap ideas below), then you might like to work on making storage bags or work together with someone to make base+insert or belted styles where you can use less waterproofing.

Style - This was discussed when I brought up the idea initially....and there is some debate about what would be best.  Some options are:

	Base + Insert pad This is a winged "base" or "holder" which has inserts sitting on top.  Held in place by pockets on the ends of the pad, or straps.  The advantage of this style is that if the base is made from PUL, it can be wiped clean and just the inserts changed.  Which means that the most expensive fabric component - the PUL can be used sparingly.  It also means that one woman's set can consist of approx 2-3 bases and 6-9 inserts, which will dry faster and offer more adjustability than AIOs.  They also have the advantage that the women can make their own inserts from fabric they have if they need more. See example
	Pocket pad As with the base+Insert pad, this style is adjustable and women can use their own cloth to increase absorbency if they need to, and the inserts and pad can dry faster than an AIO.  However these need to be changed each time, unlike the base+insert, so you would need to provide as many as you would an AIO.
	AIO pad This has the waterproofing and absorbency sewn in.  The advantage of these is that they are used the same way as disposables - no need to add inserts, so are easier to use.  They will take longer to dry and may not wash clean as quickly as styles that can come apart like the pocket or base+insert.
	Belted pad This style is thought of to be old and uncomfortable, but in a situation where women will not have underpants in which to wear the standard pads, these really are a more appropriate option.  Basically they are a style that suspends the pad (either an AIO style, pocket or AIO) from a belt worn at the waist/hips.  So they are worn without underpants.  We have a separate section on these. See

Number of pads needed -  A set of about 6 AIO pads/pocket pads, or 3 base+insert pads (where you can wipe the base clean and reuse it) would be a good number of pads for each woman.  More would be fantastic, but this would be minimum needed.  If possible these sets could include a storage bag and instructions.

Length/Absorbency

An assortment of lengths per set would be optimal to give a variety of options. Ones suitable for day and night use. One reason the above base+insert style is preferred is that absorbency levels are adjustable and don't have to be labelled.  If sending AIO pads, we came up with an idea for marking the absorbency.  Using a system of drop symbols, and corresponding pictures in the instruction sheets, it is easy to obtain iron on clothing labels that you can use to show the absorbency of the pads that should be clear to all.

Fabric Considerations - Something worth noting is that where these pads end up may not be somewhere as culturally diverse or "open" as ours is.  So while flaming skulls, pinup girls and other such fabric prints might be "cool" or interesting for us, they could be viewed differently by the women the pads are being sent to.  So please keep this in mind.

Underpants - as mentioned above, not all women wear underpants (and not just because they can't afford them).  The underwear page has more information on this, but you might like to include underpants with your pad donations, and another option is to make string bikini style underpants with the tie string sides.  This allows the one size garment to be adjusted to fit virtually any sized woman.  As snug fitting underpants are important when using cloth pads, this style of underwear could provide a better fit on a wider range of women than buying regular elasticated underpants when you do not know the size of the women who will be wearing them.

Need patterns and Instructions?

Pad Use Instructions - The women using these pads may never have encountered something like this before, so may need instructions.  However instructions in English may not be able to be understood by everyone.  So we have created instructions in picture form for the types of pad you might want to make. Instructions are in a .gif format and will print several to a page.  These are in a large size for clearer printing, so it is recommended to insert these into a word file to print for best results, where you can drag the image size to the right size for your page.  These are LARGE FILES!

	Instructions for using the Base + Insert pad - .gif  (973kb)
	Instructions for using the Pocket pad - .gif  (1.2mb)
	Instructions for using the AIO pad - .gif  (870kb)
	Instructions for using the Belted pad - .gif  (255kb)

Please note that these instructions were created to be used to go along with the donated pads we were organising, so are using our blood drop absorbency system.  Also, while you may print these and use them with any donated pads you send off to any organisation, you may not copy these and have them for download on your own site.

Pad making Patterns - If you need general patterns and pad making instructions, please see www.clothpads.org.  The patterns we suggest using, and basic sewing guides can be found below

	Instructions for sewing the base + Insert pad - .gif  or html Regular Winged AIO/Base+insert pattern Long Winged AIO/Base+insert pattern
	Instructions for sewing the Pocket pad - .gif  or html Regular Winged Pocket back pattern Long Winged Pocket back pattern (You will also need the AIO pattern from above for the pocket pad tops)
	Instructions for sewing the base + Insert pad - (coming) Regular Winged AIO pattern Long Winged AIO pattern
	Instructions for sewing the belted pad - html

Sources of top fabrics for pads - Cotton t-shirts.  Flannel/flannelette sheets, nightgowns or pyjamas.
Sources of absorbent core - Towels, microfibre cleaning cloths, hand towels, flannel/flannelette.
Sources of waterproofing - Cot/Crib protector sheets, thick shower curtains, plastic tablecloths.
Sources of backing fabrics - Cotton sheets, shirts, tablecloths.  Any other non-slippery fabric.

What fabric will you need?
Natural fibres are absorbent, breathable and cooler to wear in hot climates......synthetics tend not to be absorbent and can be hot and sweaty.  So 100% cotton fabrics are good to use for the top layer and internal layers of pads. The softer fabrics like flannel/flannelette and t-shirt "jersey" feel nicer against skin, but any 100% cotton will be good.  Anything can be used as the underneath side of pads, but "shiny" or "slippery" type fabrics are not the best choice as they can make the pads slip around.  Plain cottons, calico, t-shirt material ("Jersey") and cotton/poly blends would make good backing.  Some people use polarfleece or corduroy as it makes the pad very non-slip.

If you want to make a leak-proof/waterproof layer in the pad (recommended), you can look to 100% synthetics.  "Ripstop" nylon and other 100% nylon fabrics, as well as Microfleece and Polarfleece are all water-resistant, in that they will offer some leak protection but are not completely leakproof.  Waterproof cot sheets, plastic tablecloths and even shower curtains can be used as waterproof layers as these are generally waterproof (Thicker tablecloths/shower curtains are probably a better choice to very thin ones that may tear).  You can purchase waterproof fabric called "PUL" from online nappy/diaper making websites, which is a superior "breathable" waterproof fabric used in making cloth nappies and cloth pads.  This is the most ideal fabric, as it is durable and breathable.  We are occasionally given some donations of this fabric to use, so if you need some, feel free to ask.  Remember that these pads will need to last these women for a long time, so it really is a good idea to go to the extra effort of using PUL

As a basic guide, ideally the pads should be made with:

Base + Insert design
Base - PUL with shiny/waterproof side facing up (or top layer of synthetic fleece)
Inserts - Cotton towelling (terry), Cotton flannel/flannelette.  (Either 6-8 layers flannel when folded or 2-3 layers towelling when folded)

Pocket
Top - Cotton Flannel/Flannelette, Cotton jersey, Plain/flat cotton.
Backing - PUL with shiny/waterproof side facing inside (or synthetic fleece)
Inserts - Cotton towelling (terry), Cotton flannel/flannelette.  (Either 6-8 layers flannel when folded or 2-3 layers towelling when folded)

AIO
Top - Cotton Flannel/Flannelette, Cotton jersey, Plain/flat cotton.
Core - Cotton towelling, Cotton flannel/flannelette.
Waterproofing - Anything available.  PUL preffered.
Backing - Anything available (can have waterproofing exposed)

 
Absorbency - Cotton towelling - Generally 1 layer = "light", 2 layers = "medium", 3 layers = "heavy"
Absorbency - Cotton flannel - Generally 4 layer = "light", 8 layers = "medium", 10 layers = "medium-heavy"

How to get the most from your fabric.
Winged pads take more fabric to make than a non-winged pad, but there are a few ways to help you get as many pads as you can from your fabric.

Core - Instead of having all the core layers running through the whole pad, you can cut a full layer of plain cotton (flannel preferably), and strip of the towelling (or several strips of flannel), and sew those strips just down the centre of the extra cotton layer (leaving a large seam allowance around the pad so you won't sew through the core if top stitching), then make up your pad as normal.  This can mean you use much less fabric, having the core just where it is needed down the centre of the pad, and it also makes the wings fold nicely without the extra bulk.

Pattern - If the pattern you use has the wing in the centre of the pad (eg. if when you fold your pattern in half, the front and back line up and the centre of the wing is where the fold is)... and depending on the shape of your pad, then your pattern should fit together on the fabric (or "tessellate").  That means that if you trace your pattern out across the fabric, you should be able to make another layer under this where the wing fits into the gap formed between the front and back of the pads, so you get very little wastage.