Edit - this survey is now open to people with or without other pain conditions.

Hi, I'm a PhD student at the University of Buckingham researching chronic pelvic pain and identity. If you live with chronic pelvic pain, please consider taking part in this research.

The survey, which takes around 20 minutes to complete, asks questions about your pelvic pain and its impacts on your life, your identity, your mental health and the way that you think about your pain. Participation is voluntary, you do not have to provide any identifying information and you are free to stop the survey at any time.

To find out more or to complete the survey, please follow this link:

https://run.pavlovia.org/pavlovia/survey-2024.1.0/?surveyId=beedb9ae-7810-4906-a05e-8f0960264c4a

or use the QR code.

Thanks for reading,

Lisa

https://preview.redd.it/5xxqwa3fgcrd1.jpg?width=439&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c6ba5f4c52217fcf4e3ab473e45e3d7fb12557d

So I finished my very first cloth pad project, and I'm giving it a good wash before I wear it. I've soaked in hot water a couple of times, and each time these chunks of what look like wax come off each time. The fabric itself is 100% cotton, and inside is an old handtowel that I've repurposed. Does anyone know what it could be? This time there is less present, and I've tossed in some distilled white vinegar

So I don’t normally get my period so don’t normally need pads and I have no money however ended up getting mine today so going to try to make a pad out of old fabric I have thread and a sewing needle just no buttons so I’m wondering what I can do in place of that?

I'm making pantyliners with Zorb original. There are scraps from the rounded corners and the one-inch strips at the end after cutting out all my core pieces. They are too small to make anything with individually; can anyone think of a good use for them as a pile / collection? Thanks!

A pad I bought from a maker has a wavy stitch around the core to the topper and the core is curling around the sides of the back flare where the wavy stitch goes “in” away from the edge of the core. Any way to fix it, and will it affect the pad’s integrity over time? None of my other pads have this issue but I did get bamboo Lycra and soft shell

My sewing skill level is perfect for pantyliners (post-menopausal) :)

I tried purchased ones years ago but they shifted so badly I tossed them all and gave up. I want to try again and make my own, but I know shift is still a common problem. All the ones I see have only one snap - I'd figure some people would use two snaps. How do you make them stay all day?? Thanks!

Hi, everyone! Here is a picture of a design with removable inserts. I just traced a store-bought pad, put a layer of PUL between the flannel parts, and added the wings and the top and bottom lips to hold things together. The inserts were made with muslin cotton, cut and serged on the edges to prevent fraying. I fold these into thirds for usage, and change them often throughout the day based on the flow amount. I made a few waterproof pouches with leftover flannel and PUL to hold any bloody cloths during the day at work. I found these to be easier to wash and keep clean, personally, so thought I'd share the design for anyone looking for removable inserts. Hope this helps! (and no, I do not have a pattern, since I traced the store-bought pad)

https://www.reddit.com/r/Save3rdPartyApps/comments/13yh0jf/dont_let_reddit_kill_3rd_party_apps/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1

We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you. We will be available until the 12th and back online on the 14th. See you then!

I want to make liners, regular, heavy, and night pads. However, I'm having some trouble figuring out the logistics of everything. I don't want to make the pads super thick and bulky, but I obviously can't compromise on absorbency since I don't want to leak everywhere lol

I was thinking about using either hemp or bamboo fabric for the core, but I'm not quite sure how many layers of each I should be using.

So, for those who use either bamboo or hemp for your cores, how many layers do you do?

I have started using a menstrual cup instead of tampons, but on the days where I'm just not in the mood for messing around with my cup, I wanted to wear reusable pads. A huge factor in switching to reusable products is that I am trying to live more sustainably. However, it seems like a lot of reusable pad materials aren't super environmentally friendly. I was planning on using bamboo fleece, but after doing some research, it appears to be extremely processed and terrible for the environment. Hemp is seemingly more absorbent, durable, and environmentally friendly, so it seems like hemp would be the obvious better choice. Despite its benefits though, I haven't seen a lot of information about using hemp for pads, so I'm now wondering if it's not a great option.

Has anyone used hemp for their core fabric? Even if you haven't I would love to hear everyone's input!

I wanted to sew liners, regular pads, heavy pads, and night pads. Is this a good selection? Would you add another variety/absorbency, or, on the flip side, would you omit one of these, or add another type of pad to the mix?

Now for the materials:

Liners (top to bottom): 1 layer Cotton, 2 layers bamboo fleece, 1 layer PUL, 1 layer cotton

Regular pads (top to bottom): 1 layer cotton, 1 layer bamboo fleece, 1 layer Zorb, 1 layer bamboo fleece, 1 layer PUL, 1 layer cotton

Heavy Pads (Top to bottom): 1 layer cotton, 2 layers bamboo fleece, 2 layers Zorb, 2 layers bamboo fleece, 1 layer PUL, 1 layer cotton

Night Pads (Top to bottom): 1 layer cotton, 2 layers bamboo fleece, 3 layers Zorb, 2 layers bamboo fleece, 1 layer PUL, 1 layer cotton

For securing the pads, I was planning on using KAM snaps.

Would you sandwich the Zorb between layers of bamboo fleece, or would you go:

1.) Bamboo fleece

2.) Zorb

Or vice versa, or even neither?

Would you replace any of my materials with something else? Or maybe you would get rid of some of materials altogether, or even add in something I didn't mention?

I'm sure a lot of my materials and layouts are wonky, as I have no experience with making my own pads and very little sewing experience. Please don't be afraid to make suggestions- I want to get this correct early on in the game!

Thanks in advance!

I’m seriously having so much fun making these! Seeing the improvement is so nice too! This is a giant overnight pad with a core of Zorb and two layers of flannel. There is also a hidden PUL layer. The topper is a super soft flannel.

I think this might be my best one so far. I did tear the fabric a small bit when turning it out but I think my topstitch has secured it pretty well. This one has a cotton topper, a Zorb core, hidden PUL layer, and a fleece backer.

Hi all! I’ve had a great time practicing and learning about different ways to make cloth pads. One thing I’m struggling with is how to make a pad with an exposed core and PUL. I’ve not been able to find a tutorial for how to do this. Does anyone have a resource that might help me out? I’d ideally like to add a hidden layer of PUL with a fleece backer but I don’t know how that would work with an exposed core.

A couple months ago I saw a pattern for a basic cloth pad where the pattern pieces fit together in a way that you can cut out multiples with no waste/scraps. But I can’t remember if I was here, on Etsy, in Pinterest or where and I can’t find it now that I’m ready to sew. Please help!

Do you prewash fabric before sewing cloth pads? Specifically PUL and Zorb.

After the success I had with cotton and cotton flannel making cloth liners, I am going to make some pads with a proper waterproof layer and some more absorbency so I bought some PUL and Zorb to play with but I'm not sure whether to prewash them before sewing.

Hi! I'm just starting making cloth pads out of leftover fabric from sewing projects, and I'm trying to find a pad wing style that works well for me. I've seen very thin wings up to wings that extend from top to bottom of the pad. Does anyone know where I can find more information on wing types?

I made a pad from the luna wolf pattern, and it's nice, but the edge where the top of the wings meet the pad can rub a lot during wear and be uncomfortable. Does anyone have any ideas for how to mitigate this? I think a different wing style might help (though thin wings won't work for me), or maybe using soft bias tape to cover that area would work better?

I want to start sewing more, but I'm a little bit perfectionistic, in an anxious way. Like, it takes me forever to even start a project because my anxiety is like "if I make a mistake, it will cost me 5€, that's how much the materials cost!" So I don't do anything, because you can't make mistakes if you aren't trying.

It's not based on logic, after all, I'm not getting the money back from the materials sitting in a box. But it's holding me back, and I need to build up confidence somehow.

So, I thought to make something out of old clothes that no one wants and that I would need to throw in the trash. Using materials like that are basically free. Mistakes are a lot "safer" to do, because the material would've gone to trash anyway, so I'm not loosing anything. All I can do is gain! :D

One idea of what to make out of them was cloth pads. I don't really need any, as I already have enough them for my needs. But I thought that having extra in my bag would be great, because if someone asks for a pad or tampons, I could give them the extra pads I made, instead the cloth pad I keep there, just in case I would need it

But when it comes to old clothes, which ones are good? Which ones should I use for the absorbing part? Should I use something to waterproof it?

Please give me advice, any tips, all your wisdom, mistakes you've made... anything at all :)

I love this liner. It reminds me of Untitled Goose Game (without the rabbits, i don't recall any of those in the game) https://goose.game/

8" Topper: cotton woven Core: flannel Backer: flannel

https://imgur.com/a/a2xXzN5

Also, is anyone else not able to amend the edit flair? I am on mobile, so maybe that has something to do with it. I would love to have a 'WIP' or 'Completed DIY' flair.

Do you own any? Have you made any? Do you reserve them just for Christmas time, or do you use them all year round?

I don't have any. But I made about 5 for decorative purposes, to show at work (women's health). Now I feel like I should've kept one!

https://imgur.com/a/hMW6Ph7