Wombyn Power!

Did you know that a common, disposable sanitary pad lives in a landfill for over 1,000,000,000 years?!??!  ("Cite your sources!' chides Nina)

Well, I heard somewhere that the majority of stuff discovered by future archaeologists will be our old disposable diapers and pads.  Who knows?  In any case, I think cotton pads are probably just better in all sorts of ways (ecological, comfortological, financialogical,) and I've been meaning to make them for a long time.  After taking it for a test-drive, I've decided I'm never going to buy pads again!

Follow these instructions if you want to make a good "light days" pad.

Cut out 2 rectangles of flannel, 10" x 4" and 1 rectangle of cotton quilt batting, same dimensions

I used a flannel shirt for my project, so I scavenged the cuff for use as the pad's wings.  (Pre-made button and button hole!)  To prepare them for sewing, DON'T place them like the above picture.  I did, and I had to rip it apart and re-sew.  The order you should put them in is illustrated below, only, unfortunately, in pad-shaped pieces instead of easier-to-sew rectangular pieces.  I'm including this picture because it would be a good way to arrange them for ease of sewing, but only if you make sure to put everything down in the right order, like so:

Layer 1: (bottom) cotton batting

Layer 2: flannel, right-side-up

Layer 3: wings (doesn't matter if they face up or down)

Layer 4: flannel (right-side-down)

Sew a big peanut shape over all layers, making sure the wings don't shift around too much.  I narrowed to about 2" in the center.  Before turning it right-side-out, cut notches in the curves so it doesn't get too bunchy.  Turn it right-side out by carefully pinching up only the top layer of flannel.  You have to make sure you turn it so that the two layers of flannel become the outsides.  This takes a little finagling, but I believe in you!

I chose to sew a little inner-peanut, but it's probably not necessary.

Here I am, with Nina.  She's watching me blog in my bed!