Cloth menstrual care update

Well, i've spent some time (and a very small amount of money) on getting my 'ducks in a row' and making myself cloth pads. I also threw together some handkerchiefs (mostly for my snot-nosed little darlings. i love cold and flu season) and some cloth 'wipes' for baby butts and other small messes.

i decided to use my serger for as much of the creation process as possible. after looking about online, i decided to use This Pattern for my pads, making them pretty much as described. 

they look like this, in various fabrics.  The middle sections pull out for quicker drying time. there are also optional waterproof pieces that can be put in to reduce leaking.

the layers are:
outer 'envelope: soft flannel top, rough flannel bottom
oval pad and 'winged' pad inserts: 2 layers rough flannel with a layer of terry sandwiched in the middle
(the 'winged' insert is my own idea, because, you know, sometimes a girl needs a little extra protection!)

I also tried This pattern, but only made a couple to try them out. it is designed to be done with a serger and sewing machine, or just a sewing machine. they provide less padding, and no extra protection in the 'wings' however they are all one piece.
 

 lots of handkerchiefs and wipes..

For my materials, i was able to recycle some flannel recieving blankets, and some heavy  rough flannel sheets i'd recieved to use for making cloth diapers. i purchased 3 packages of snaps, and 3 meters of flannel, as i had limited numbers of recieving blankets. i used an old towel for the terrycloth in the pad liners.


this made me  about 8 envelope-style pads with fillers, 4 folding-style pads,  and about 12 panti-liners, plus handkerchiefs and wipes, with LOTS of left over fabric

total cost to me: less than $20 time spent: about 7 evenings, on and off
estimate cost of all new materials: less than $100.
worth it? oh yeah.


if you decide you want to try it out yourself, but don't have access to a serger, here are a couple links for similar sewn pads:
This one is almost identical to the 'envelope' style i made  however the inner pad pattern is different
This one also has a very similar pad  and includes cutting patterns and layered inner pad inserts


This site is a wealth of information with lots of patterns and other good stuff


one cycle later: opinions and thoughts:

well, i like the pads. they are soft and comfortable, if a little bulky (though they don't hold a candle to the disposables of 30 or 40 years ago. thanks for the horror stories, mom!) I think i'll have to find/adapt a pattern for night-time use (a longer design), but otherwise no complaints in the design department.
In practice, using a cold water bucket is slightly icky, but i think definitely keeps staining to a minimum. i had to toss a  drained bucketful of pads in with my washing pretty much once a day, (i threw them in my regular warm wash with darks.... i find a hot wash roughens the nice soft flannel)

I think that if these last even two years, i'll have gotten so used to them i won't want to change back! i'll just have to make more.
thanks for following along, and if anyone has any questions/comments, or (if you're a local) wants some help sewing their own, just shout!

imbolc, spring cleaning, and going green

happy belated Imbolc / candlemas / groundhog day to all!

you may have noticed that i'm a nature worshiper in my profile. well, to be more specific, i'm essentially a non-practicing wiccan. a what? yeah. non-practicing. i'm afraid i've pretty much let my religious side slide badly since my kids have been born. i intend to do.... well, things... rituals and the like... but i quite simply don't have then energy for it. (couldn't have anything to do with the 13 mo old sucking the life ... er.. milk.. out of me, could it?!?!)

so this spring, my intent is to  increase the energy i put towards my religious/ faith-based self, and begin making an effort to practice with my pendulum and possibly start doing some energy-work again on at least a weekly basis.
i had hoped to do something for imbolc, but again, a lack of energy prevented more than the thought. i think i'm going to put one thing on my 'to do' table, though, and make myself a bratach brid, or healing blanket, to be blessed next imbolc (for more info, and pronunciation help, try this link for lots of imbolc traditions )

as for spring cleaning? well... i'm not a neat, tidy person. i never have been. and my darling hubby is worse than i, which makes it HARD to make progress in the mess... but i will be trying to make headway in making my home more friendly and mess-free. hopefully in part by sending bags full of stuff to a local thrift shop. that might help a bit!

as part of my cleaning, i'm hoping to begin switching to more 'green' and 'eco-friendly' products..  for me,. this is a 'baby steps' kind of thing. i'm not going to go out and spend a huge chunk of change on a crate of cleaning products that either work poorly, or aren't quite as green as they proclaim to be. i change one thing at a time, and test to see if it works.

so yes, happy thoughts of a waning winter and groundhog-sized shadows to all!