My friend Zoë is at it again with another one of her amazing tutorials; How to Make LuoPads.
Hello bloggy friends!
Recently I posted on Instagram (@zoedawnshop) about making LuoPads for women who don’t have access to the disposable products that we do in the states. Of course Mavis took a liking to such a money-saving idea so here I am!
Quoted from my instagram post:
“Sometimes is hard not to be discouraged in this complicated world we live in but I know one thing that’s pretty simple :: I can use my spare hours to sew something for someone else and today as I prayed that I may show tangible love to someone, the little LuoPad pattern I have came to mind. This afternoon found me cutting some out and beginning to stitch them together.
Sometimes love looks like having coffee with the man down the street and listening to his story. Other times it means writing a check to an organization which feeds the hungry. Today, for me, it looked like tiny terry cloth snippets covering my sewing room floor and sweatshirt. And i pray these LuoPads help a few ladies stay clean and healthy.”
The organization that I sew these for (GAIN) uses flannel for the pads. They make a terry cloth insert that gets sewn into the inside of the pad. I’m sure you can use other fabrics but I make them as they prefer. Make these for yourself or help a lady out!
Here We Go!
Find a pattern/shape you like via the interwebs or draw up your own and then get to work!
1. Cut two pad pieces from flannel.
2. Cut two or three insert pieces from terry cloth. Two if towel is thick, three if it’s a little thinner. (I use lightly used bath or hand towels. Gotta repurpose all I can!)
3. Serge or zigzag the insert pieces together to keep them from shifting apart inside the pad.
4. With right sides of flannel together and using a scant 1/4 inch seam, sew around the outside edge of the pad, leaving a two inch opening at one end.
5. Snip the inner corners just to the seam, no further. Don’t cut the stitching!
6. Turn pad right side out, making sure to poke out corners well.
7. Stuff insert inside of pad.
8. Turn raw edge of opening in and pin shut.
9. Sew around entire edge of pad using a scant 1/8 inch seam allowance.
10. Shimmy the insert around until it is centered in the pad.
11. Sew around the edge and down the middle of the insert to hold it in place.
12. It should look like this.
13. To the flaps, attach a snap according to your snap gadget’s instructions.
14. And finished!
Thanks for following my tutorial!
Cheers to saving the earth, a bit of cash, and helping others out!
Zoë
(I also occasionally blog about food here www.zoedawn.wordpress.com and sell quilty things here www.zoedawn.etsy.com )
Tracy says
What an amazingly loving/giving thing to do. I honestly would have never thought of such a thing being so “spoiled” with disposable products all my life here in America. It’s definitely something I take for granted. Thank you for sharing the tutorial as well as the link to the organization. You’ve inspired me!
Zoë says
So glad to inspire and it’s always good to be reminded of all we have so we don’t take it for granted…something I regularly struggle with!
Tammy says
When we lived in Michigan my next door neighbor, who was in her early 80’s, got together with other women from her church and sewed these for girls in Africa. I always thought it was such an amazing thing for her to do! I had been given a lot of flannel that I didn’t have an immediate need for, so I contributed to it by giving her the fabric.
Zoë says
Three thumbs ups for you!!! Thanks for helping the ladies out 🙂
Zoë says
THANKS
Holly says
Thank you so much for sharing that. My moms group at church is always looking for ways to serve others. I will pass this on to some of our leadership group!
Zoë says
Yay!! Happy to have helped
rachel says
I love this! I think about this issue constantly as I read about the refugees and think of others around the world who just don’t have the resources or finances to have something so simple that I take for granted. I don’t sew but would love to donate money to help purchase supplies for those who do sew and would make these.
Zoë says
Go ahead and donate to GAIN! Link is in the post above 🙂
Martha says
A great group is called Days for Girls, https://www.daysforgirls.org/
Brianna says
I have a ton of snaps and materials leftover from making cloth diapers, this is a great way to use of the rest of my materials that have been sitting around a few years. Thanks for the tutorial!
Zoë says
You’re welcome! I never even thought to make cloth diapers! Been using bought cloth for 10 years. Now we are almost finished with that stage…yahoo! 🙂
Kathleen says
Is it possible to use velcro instead of snaps?
Zoë says
I would not recommend Velcro. Just from personal experience using these, I wouldn’t want that extra bulk down there But if they are just for you, by all means try it!
Cecile says
You can sometimes find micro Velcro but it does collect lint making them difficult to close and stay closed.
judy zent says
My age is showing! What are the snaps for?
KC says
In the picture, the flaps with snaps are folded up to be “upside down” – normally you put the pad in your underwear, fold the flaps *down* on both sides of the crotch of the underwear, and snap together below. It reduces migration of the pad (there’s no adhesive like modern disposable pads have, although flannel doesn’t shift much against most fabrics – but it’s extra insurance, anyway, that the pad will not accidentally fall out of your underwear!) and the “wings” protect the sides of the crotch area of the underwear.
Linda says
I use these like poise(bladder leakage) pads. I have developed a latex allergy. All the disposable pads have latex as the leakage barrier.
If you fold the length of the pad in thirds, front over center, back over the center, then you can bring the wings up and snap them together. This makes a neat compact, discreet package to carry in a purse or whatever. Soiled pads can be folded this way too.
Patty P says
Sick of all the waste I made reusable pads for my own use last year. My pattern is very similar, but I also used a waterproof liner too (the material is found in the cloth diaper section in the fabric store). They have held up wonderfully and I haven’t had to spend gobs of money on something that I’ll just throw away. I love this idea and may need to whip some of these up to donate!
Pam K says
You could probably use a flannel backed vinyl tablecloth from the dollar store for the liner material too. Might be cheaper.
Linda says
Flannel backed vinyl tends to be stiff. The waterproof at the fabric store is usually called PUL (pronounced just like the word pull) and is very flexible and is breathable.
Zoë says
I cut up an old crib mattress protector and added that in my own pads 🙂 but for GAIN, I do as they say and just use towel.
Emily E. says
I’m so glad you mentioned the waterproof liner. I’m planning on making these for donation as well and for Operation Christmas Child for the older girls. I’ve seen patterns for a cute little case that can be sewn to hold a clean pad on one side and another zipped side that is waterproof to hold a used pad. It’s a nice idea to not only provide someone with the dignity of feminine care, but also a way to carry it safely and discreetly with you! Zoe does GAIN have a pattern for anything like that? Thanks so much for the pattern!
Zoë says
I did not see a case pattern at all. Good idea tho!
Jayne Smithth says
Could you use an old shower curtain for a waterproof layer?
Zoe says
Probably! It might leak quicker through the seam, where the needle punched it, but otherwise it should work as long as it’s not brittle from age.
Practical Parsimony says
PUL is the waterproof liner. It is also sold on the internet and can be used for diaper covers, or can be sewn as part of the diaper.
Janice says
As mentioned above the Days for Girls organization does a similar project and I can tell you they are very appreciated in Africa! I took 30 kits with me on my last trip and when I go in September (my 6th trip) I will be taking the pattern with me so the women can start small businesses and sell these to make money for their families. They were all asking for the pattern and I only took a few with me – that will be different this time. The other thing that is appreciated is girls/women’s underwear as they need something to attach the pad to and not all of them have underwear. While people donate used clothing most people do not donate personal items such as underwear. We put everything in Ziploc bags and also include soap for washing the used items. Thanks for sharing this tutorial and bringing awareness of the needs of many women.
Karin says
This is a great idea and not just for 3rd world countries without access to disposables. I purchased something similar for my own use for environmental reasons. We produce way too much waste in this country! The ones I purchased were pretty expensive so I only have a set of 3 that I have to soak and wash every day. Never thought of making my own but these look easy enough that even I can do it! Thanks so much for the tutorial!
Zoë says
So. Much. Waste. And something so small and easy can make a big difference! I hope you succeed in making a few more! Don’t hesitate to contact me (through Etsy is fine) if you have questions!
Emily E. says
I love the idea of doing it as a whole kit!
Janice says
The kits are truly a wonderful gift. We gave them the pads, soap and underwear all packaged in Ziploc bags and then in another cotton drawstring bag so they just looked like school book bags. They all left with huge smiles.
Emily E. says
Karin a lot of people have started using washable feminine products for environmental reasons like you and due to allergies. I had no idea how many women have allergic type reactions and irritations due to some of the chemicals and materials used to make disposable. I think in the US there is still a bit of a stigma in using washable pads and I hope that changes! Everyone used to use cloth diapers and I don’t see a big difference.
Sandy says
Little Dresses for Africa has a similar need. Sometimes we take a lot for granted in our daily lives.
Deborah says
How do these wash up and how would you dry them? I’m interested in making some for inconvenience. Any suggestions?
Jen says
Though I don’t use them (just yet) I’ve read that they can be placed in a wash bin or whatever that has a solution of water with a touch of bleach, and then they could be washed in a load themselves or by hand. I would probably rinse the day’s used pads by hand with some gentle soap, wring out, and just hang them to dry overnight. They would do fine in the dryer, too, if the fabric has been preshrunk.
Zoë says
Last year is the first I used them myself. I wasn’t careful about immediately rinsing them and they stained. But this year I have them another try. Immediately upon removing one, I rinse well in cold water until water is clear. Then I put it in a (unsealed…don’t need mold!) bucket under sink and it waits until I do a load of laundry. I haven’t had staining problems since. Once washed in laundry, I just hang them to dry either outside on line or inside on drying rack.
Cecile says
Just a suggestion for those interested in sewing these, if you bar tack the insert to the seam allowance on either end before you flip the fabric inside out, it will be easier to get the liner inside.
Zoë says
What?! Such a good idea. Thank you!
Rebecca says
I would love to make some of these to send to whoever needs them. How can I find out how to get them distributed to those in need?
Zoë says
Try http://www.gain.org. And look under the volunteer page.
Hilaria says
I work at a Correctional Facility for women.I am thinking of teaching the female offenders how to make them,however we might experience shortage of materials.I do not know how to go about these but surely i would like to introduce the idea to my superiors for approval.Any advise on the matter will be highly appreciated.
Thank you
Kathy says
Is your pattern available?
Zoë says
For this tutorial I used the pattern found at http://www.gainusa.org, under the volunteer tab.
Megan says
Your pattern and tutorial is wonderful! The only thing I would change, is stitching the core to the topper first instead of stitching through all layers which can lead to leaking. But your pads are soooo cute! I’ve been making my own and I am quite addicted to them!
Zoe says
Thank you! And yes, I have since changed that 🙂
Andrea says
The ladies in our church are making them to take on mission trips to Uganda. Recently, we learned there is a real need here in poverty stricken areas in the US also. A high percentage of students in schools across the country (80 percent in some schools) miss school because of not having money to pay for pads.
Donna Jantzer says
I love this, too. Our church’s women’s organization makes these for Days for Girls as humanitarian service. It really helps girls be able stay in school and get an education, but I think it would also help reduce waste if everyone used them! Days for Girls web site may be helpful to interested people as they have worked hard to make the best product that is the most useful.
https://www.daysforgirls.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA6t6ABhDMARIsAONIYyxamlaqGgo8a0HjgE_xRXhjbuB3HjBzTxVINCthEyXhBj9gMFd4I8oaAo74EALw_wcB
Kelly says
GAiN went through a name change last year and the new link for the LuoPad mission is
https://unto.com/get-involved/volunteer-for-humanitarian-projects/volunteer-resources/
The links in your article no longer get you there 🙂 Thanks for posting this!
DJ says
I made some of these several years ago. I didn’t need them as I’m
past that age. I haven’t needed them since I was 24 and had to have a hysterectomy.
Beth says
Thank you so much for this! I am trying to cut spending these days and we are trying make unusable as much as possible I am going to give these a try