cloth pads=happy period

[the noodle princess]

i'm obsessed with making these! i finally found a pattern that is simple yet looks pretty and works great.

here is a bunch o pads i made for a friend:


here are the 3 different styles-11", 9", and 7.5" circle pad. the circle one is a new experiment.

 




here is the tutorial i used, only i made my own patterns:http://shewhorunsintheforest.googlepages.com/

thanks for looking!
if you want to know more about cloth pads go to:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloth_menstrual_pads

[claratron]

Making your own pads=awesomest ever. Lots of people would consider it gross, but they're losers that don't care about the environment. Go team! <3

[macaulkv]

this is such a cool idea!

but ladies, what i want to know is, how absorbent are they? do they really work just as well as my beloved always with dri-weave?

curious,
kari

[claratron]

I find that they're even more absorbant than a regular pad, especially if you make little terrycloth inserts for them or make them out of terrycloth. With all the plastic products in storebought pads, the absorbancy level is none too awesome.
Another fun fact: odor problems are non existant because fabric absorbs better than plastic and synthetics (possibly TMI; I'm sorry).

[KatAutumn]

Those are freakin' fabulous!  I love the one you made with the green circles fabric.  I'm still using my pads that I made almost a year ago.  Aside from a bit of fading, they are still just as awesome as the day I made them.  I'll have to sew up some fresh ones and post pics.

Kari, I have found that the absorbancy of my cloth pads is far superior to any menstrual product you buy in the store.  With disposable pads, they would bunch up, ride up and shift causing me to have to change them every hour lest I should leak on my clothes.  Tampons I could sometimes go four hours before having to change them.  My cloth pads - without getting too graphic here, I had a day where changing it was not possible and I went eighteen hours on one of my heaviest flow days without the first leak through.  I use a strip from a cloth baby diaper wrapped in one layer of cotton flannel and it's perfect.  And you don't get that *coughs* sticky, slippery feeling because the inserts combined with a flannel or fleece top of the pad really wicks away the moisture and absorbs it into the insert of the pad.  There also isn't any skin irritation or odor so I am so totally in love with cloth menstrual pads.  Besides, how many people get to say that their pads have fun little designs on them?  

Here is a great website that discusses not only the health issues, but environmental as well that come with using disposable feminine hygiene products.

[Stars_Fire_17]

Aww and they are pretty.  So much better looking than the store bought ones.  I bet they would be less likely to scare guys too

[snowyangel]

Gotta admit you make periods look pretty darn cute! With those festive prints, I'd be looking forward to it. It's a wardrobe for your rag, i love it.

[princesssmile]

thats really smart im 14 and i dont have my period yet YEAH
but im scared of if i do get it thatit will be heavy
awesomeness!

[mzgorightry]

While I use cloth pads for *myself*, and don't care if other people think they're gross, I do feel the need to share that my hubby is totally down with the cloth pads. And I know several other men whose partners use cloth pads, and they (the dudes) aren't disgusted, either.

I'm just saying, don't let worrying about what a potential partner would think deter you from trying cloth pads. They are the bomb. Also, if said potential partner is so grossed out by your period, you probably don't want to sleep with him/her anyway.

[KatAutumn]

One of my exs used these and would wash them in the bathroom sink.

Her cat would lap at the ruddy water.

Which is why today, she is an ex, I hate cats, and I can't look at sinks in the same way.

Ladies: Men don't want to enjoy your period like that. We hate the environment *that much*.

LOL Reminds me of the time I placed my soaking bowl in the bathtub and my hubby jumped in the shower only to step all in it.  He handled it really well.  I dunno, maybe my husband is a freak who does enjoy my period "like that"...minus the cats because I'm allergic to them  

Princesssmile, don't be scared of your period.  It's really not so scary if you approach it with the right mentality.  Sadly, the media tries to push the message that periods are a curse.  Just the term "sanitary napkin" evokes emotions in a woman that makes her feel insecure, as if her periods are somehow unsanitary when really it's a natural function.  And hey, it's one of the few things women can have just to themselves.  For centuries, women on their periods were revered and considered at their most powerful.   According to Pagan history, when a woman is having her "moon time" it is when she can work the most powerful magic.