Though SNAP doesn’t cover menstruation products, now that many are without it, there is even less money for period care products. The good news is homemade pads are easy to make and comfortable to use. So comfortable, you may never go back to plastic. I never did. The pads I’m going to show you how to make are going to be very simple and basic, but they’re going to be comfy and free.
Seeking a cuter look? See the Free Pad Tutorial here.
What you need
- An old t shirt. 100% cotton is best. If you have it, flannel works great too.
- An old pair of jeans or similar thicker material.
- Needle and thread
- Safety pin
Assess your pad needs
Start with enough for a day or two, and then wash them as needed. Do what you can now, and add to your supply as you have time.
Your pad pattern
Cut and measure rectangles on paper or thin cardboard (like a cereal box) in the following proportions to use as a guide.
Light: 2.5″ x 8″
Regular: 3″ x 9″
Overnight: 3.5″ x 10″
How to Assemble Your DIY Pad
Quarter your shirt
Rather than cut out each layer, just cut the shirt into sections and fold them to the width you want. I start at one end and measure the first fold, then I keep folding that over until I reach the end. This photo shows a top quarter section of a t-shirt. See the shirt neck? Instead of trimming the excess, I turn it over when I lay it on the denim.
For light pads, layer 2 or 3 layers of t shirt on top of 1 or 2 denim layers. For regular, layer 4 or 5 over denim. For overnight, as many as you think you might need. I went with 12 individual shirt layers for my overnight pads.
The denim makes up the bottom layers. It can absorb, but not as easily as the t shirt fabric, allowing it to also act as both absorption and barrier. Here, I fold my denim in half, pocket and all. I used denim from a well loved pair of cutoffs. Next, I set my shirt layers on top and secure.
How to Combine your Pad layers
No Sew
If you’re in a hurry, and you can’t sew them, hold them together with safety pins. Pin from the underside toward the front of the pad and the back.
Needle and Thread
Simple over and under all along the edge is fine, but I prefer the whip stitch. It’s like over and under, but instead of over, you go around. See the far right pad. Once you have your fabric laid out, sewing takes 2-5 minutes.
Sewing machine
If you have a machine, you can used the zigzag stitch to “serge” the edges like I did for the far left liner. Or just sew a normal stitch near the edge, like the middle pad. It doesn’t have to be pretty. It’s a pad. If you want to make it pretty, you can.
How to Secure
These pads are secured in place with a safety pin. From the underside of your underwear, pin through a few layers of the pad cloth. You don’t need to pin through all the layers, but you do want to run almost the full length of the safety pin through before bringing back out. I’m not saying to push it through more layers- but to use the full length of the pin. Looking at the underside of your underwear, you should not see the metal between the head of the pin to the tail- only cloth. I find a good sized safety pin is the most effective way to keep pads in place. It is much more secure than cutely made pad wings that wrap around the underwear and snap. When I use winged pads, I still use a safety pin to keep them from sliding around. I don’t bother to make them with wings anymore. Pinning takes me the same amount of time as it does to snap (or peel the backing off) wings.
Transporting DIY Pads
Cloth diaper moms carry a wet bag when they go out. When you don’t throw the diaper away, you need something to transport it in. There are really cute bags for this, called wet bags, usually made with oilcloth and a zipper at the top. For used pad transport you can just reuse a plastic bag. Fold the pad in half when you put it inside and twist the top of the bag well, and perhaps secure with a rubber band.
Washing Cloth pads
There are many ways to approach this. It’s all about what you’re comfortable with. The most economical option is to be rinse your pads and toss them in with the day’s laundry, but you can also wash them by hand individually and sun dry, or store them and wash them all together (just don’t store them too long). My advice is to focus on cleanliness, not stain treatment. I mean, they’re pads. And don’t forget the power of a good pre launder soaking. Also, you’ll want to stop using dryer sheets and fabric softener. These make fabrics less absorbent.
In the future, you can find some pretty fabric and sew some cute flannel pads with my free pad pattern download. But for now, you have what you needs to manage your own period yourself. Kind of empowering, isn’t it?
