Recycled cloth pads

[Annchen]

There are lots of cloth pad tutorials on the internet, but this is my take on it. An added bonus is that it uses old clothes and towels and no new fabric. Extra eco friendly!

What you'll need:
I used three different fabrics to make the pad.

Old terrycloth towel (lining)
Old kitchen towel (bottom)
Old t-shirt or other cotton fabric that has been washed so many times it's soft. (top)

Other things you’ll need: thread, a sewing machine, scissors, pins and paper for the pattern.

Pattern
To make the pattern you can use a disposable pad and trace it or just draw a size and shape you'd like. The simplest shape is just a rectangle, but I like to make my pads a bit rounded at the ends. This pad doesn't have wings, but it will stay in place anyway.

For one pad:
Cut one pad-shape each from the kitchen towel and the t-shirt. Cut a smaller shape from the terrycloth (this can wait until you know how big your pocket is going to be). Zigzag around the parts to prevent unravelling of the fabric.

Pin top and bottom together with the wrong side out. Sew around the two parts but leave an opening in one end. Turn the "pocket" right side out and place the lining inside. Hold the lining in place using a pin while you sew the opening closed. Sew some seams along the middle of the pad to keep the lining in place.

That wasn’t hard, was it?


The old kitchen towel will provide friction against your panties and keep the pad in place while the t-shirt fabric is nice and soft.

For extra absorption extra layers can be added (double bottom fabric, double lining and so on).

It might be a good idea to soak the used pads in cold water to get rid of stains before washing them.
 

[CassieConnors11]

This is a great idea! Woman have used it for centuries!  

[Rum N Coke]

This is kinda neat but at the same time my main worry is obviously you have to change it.. so what happens when you're spending the night at someones house or whatever  

[Annchen]

You'd need something waterproof to store them in until you can rinse them out. I have used a ziplock bag for this purpose but I recently got a neat waterproof zippered bag to use instead.

The main difference is that you have to take the used pads with you instead of tossing them out. I usually fold them with the messy side in and put them in the bag.

At home I use a small plastic bucket that used to hold youghurt. When I change I put the used one in there together with cold water. When I change the next time I rinse the pad and the bucket, hang the soaked one to dry and place the next one + cold water in the bucket. If I need to I can handwash the pads at the end of the day and have them dry overnight, or just toss them in the laundry basket and wash them all in the machine at the end of the week.