How to make Reusable Sanitary Pads
Reusable Sanitary Pads are cloth pads to absorb menstrual blood that can be washed and reused. Made of several layers of material, they absorb the menstrual blood and the pad can stay in use for about 4-5 hours depending on the heaviness and strength of your flow. When it gets saturated, wash out the cloth really well to remove blood, hang it up to dry in the sun to sanitise the fabric, and then you can keep reusing the pads for your period.
The product consists of a top layer that comes in direct contact with the body, a transfer layer followed by an absorbent material whth absorb menstrual blood and other fluids, a leakproof layer at the bottom, and an adhesive coating at the back of leakproof layer for fixing to the panties, which prevents dislocation when worn.
The pad has wings so that it can be attached to the panties. The upper layer (top layer) is a woven or non-woven material with sufficient porosity to meet the absorbency requirements. The materials for the top layer may include polyester, polyethylene or polypropylene or their blend, cotton, viscose/rayon etc. The middle absorbent layer is made of cellulosic material and the outer layers are made of plastic.
The absorbent layer can be mixed with super-absorbent polymers to enhance absorption and thin the pad. The lower leakproof layer including the wings is made of plastic such as polyethylene/ polypropylene
- They offer women and girls an affordable and environmentally friendly alternative
- To provide employment to women seamstresses who manufacture the product.
- Equipping the participants with skills in making sanitary pads using locally available materials.
- Scissors - sharp enough to cut through fabric
- Measuring tap
- Sewing Machine
- Pins/clips
- Chalk or water-soluble marker pen/ pen
- Thread
- Table
- A ruler
- Fly wood/box
- Needles
- Pencil and a paper
- A button /Snaps
- A piece of light, flexible plastic, like a plastic bag
- A piece of clean, absorbent material, like cotton
- A piece of fabric
Identify and select the tools and materials required.
Make your pad template, you can use paper, box, or fly wood for making the template/pad cutting guide.
Make one to help cutting the piece of cotton into a long shape with rounded edges like in the pictures below 15cm X 29cm.
Template for the pad
Output:
First outcome
Make the second one to help cutting the plastic piece. It should be slightly larger than the cotton piece, 16cm X 30cm.
Second template for the fabric
Make the third one to help cutting the fabric. Make sure it’s longer than the previously one and with wings on the edges of the long sides.
Third template for the fabric
Output
The template for the fabric
Use the soluble pen/marker to make drawings/sketches of the templates (cutting guides) on the fabric, plastic, and the cotton piece.
Repeat for as many pads you want to create.
Draw and cut
Output
Fabric ready to cut
Now cut the piece of cotton using the smallest long shape with rounded ends.
Then cut the plastic piece which is slightly larger than the cotton piece.
Cut the small shapes
Women cutting the fabrics
Lastly, cut the pieces with wings on the edges of the long sides.
Draw and cut the shape with wings
Output
Drawing and cuting the shape with wings
Put the cotton piece and the plastic piece together evenly. Secure it with pins/clips. Thread your needle and sew the cotton piece to the plastic piece all around.
Sawing the cotton and the plastic piece together
Output
Women sawing
Sew that combined piece to the fabric piece, the cotton side facing outward and the plastic side between the fabric and cotton.
On the edge of one of the wings, sew the button on and on the opposite wing of the edge, cut a small, narrow hole for the button to fit through. Or sew Velcro on the wings instead of buttons
Button location
Output
Pad with Velcro
Pad with button
To wear the reusable sanitary pad, place it in your underwear, wrap the wings under, and use the button to secure in place.
Use the pad like displayed
Max. Participants: 30
Min. Trainers: 2
Title: How to make reusable menstrual pads URL: https://youtu.be/cZtPLyj_EiA