Thursday, June 1, 2017

Creating Our Own Reusable Cloth Pads


As you may recall I recently purchased a sewing machine at a yard sale and mentioned that I had several projects that I wanted to make. 

One of the last things I was making when my old sewing machine broke down was reusable cloth pads. 

In the interim we've been buying them from the Hand Sewn By Me Etsy shop. We love her cloth pads, but they cost $17.50 plus shipping in the style we like and I knew I could make them cheaper at home. 

This is a picture of one of my daughter's pads sewn by Hand Sewn By Me. 




I researched many web pages and YouTube videos on how to make these the best way possible. 

The first thing I needed to buy was some PUL fabric, which is short for polyurethane laminate, which is waterproof, so the liquid in the pads will not leak onto your clothing. I bought this fabric at Hobby Lobby using a 40% off coupon. The fabric is $12.99 per yard, but with the coupon only cost $7.99.

The next item I wanted to buy was some Zorb material, which is a material that quickly absorbs liquid and is created and sold by Wazoodle.com. The Zorb that I wanted sells for $7.99 a yard, but after taking a short online survey I received a 20% discount and was able save $1.60 off that price and only paid $6.39 for the fabric. 

We've also been buying flannel as I want to use this material inside the pad as a liner above and below the Zorb. We have found multiple items at yard sales. Like the stack of receiving blankets here my daughter found last week for 50¢ each:


We also needed to have some type of snap press in order to attach the snaps to her pads. My Mom has been wanting to get me something for my birthday back in May, so I suggested a snap press and she agreed. 

So, she bought me the following Kamsnaps press from Amazon for $28.97.

Kamsnaps
We've also been picking up material as we find good deals on it when we are out and about. 

Here is some fabric we picked up at the Samaritan Center thrift store for 75¢. This is the material I made  her first pad out of today and there is still plenty more to make more pads. 



The pads my daughter likes are called exposed core pads and there are plenty of YouTube tutorials on how to make these. I started out this project by making the top part of the pad or the core. Here is a picture of it when it was done.



After I was done making the core I made and attached it to the bottom of the pad and also attached the snaps. 

Here is a picture of the front and back of it when it was finished. Now it's not a perfect sewing job, but from what I've read and seen on YouTube, you get better with each one you make. 



And here is a picture of it folded up and snapped, which makes it easy to store in her bag or purse. 


I did a rough calculation on this pad and I figured I made it for less than $3.00, which definitely saves me money over buying them from Hand Sewn By Me on Etsy. 

Now don't get me wrong, I love the cloth pads made by Hand Sewn by Me, but I'm a single mom on a low income and I have to watch how I spend my money. This is something I can easily do myself to save money, so I will be making these myself from here on out.  

Making more cloth pads for my daughter will be one of my summer projects this year. I'm definitely looking forward to the end result and saving money on something we need.  :)

Belinda
~ Living within our Means ~

12 comments:

  1. A very frugal alternative to store bought or disposable paper type Belinda. I'm past the age of needing these but I wonder if my daughter would(she's funny sometimes about what she will or won't do/use). I could crank these out too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You could definitely crank these out too, Sluggy.

      We were spending way too much money on disposables a few years ago, but made some changes and it is much better now.

      It only took me a couple of hours to crank these out, mistakes and all, lol.

      There are all kinds of varieties to choose from too. YouTube is a great resource for these.

      Delete
  2. I don't think my comment posted. If there are two comments I am sorry. My ISP is having issues right now. Craftster.org has great tutorials on how to make the pads. They were a popular item on the swap board when I use to swap. Craftster is a frugal crafting site.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for sharing the information about Craftster.org, Aiyana. I will be sure to check it out. I hope you have a good weekend! :)

      Delete
  3. This is a great idea! We buy organic because of all the nasty chemicals in store bought girl items. this would be a great alternative. :)
    Thanks,
    Patti

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome, Patti. My daughter loves them and would never go back to store bought ones again.

      Delete
  4. Wow, that's hardcore frugality! (Said the woman who washed her baby's diapers on a scrub-board because she was too broke for the laundromat.)

    When she has to change while away from home does she carry a Ziploc-type bag to put them in? Or a small plastic container?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She folds them over and snaps them closed and has a separate bag for them in her purse. Her purse if BIG. LOL

      I still use disposables as I have not made the switch yet, but I do buy them with coupons. LOL

      Delete
  5. Replies
    1. I don't have one of mine online, but there are several to choose from if you do a Google search for them. There are also multiple Facebook groups with free patterns as well. Here is a link to the Google search for free patterns:

      https://www.google.com/search?q=free+cloth+pad+patterns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjkl4m_wvLUAhVC6yYKHWG7C40Q_AUICygC&biw=1366&bih=638

      Delete
  6. What is the best way to go about cleaning them? Do you just launder as usually or do you soak first? I don't use many stain-removers, just a few tablespoons of blue dawn dish soap added to a spray bottle of hydrogen peroxide, I have found, gets out most stains my kids bring home.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just like you we use the hydrogen peroxide too. My daughter puts a little hydrogen peroxide on hers, which releases any fluids and then launders with her other clothing items.

      Delete

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