Need help with the patterns? Have questions about sewing or fabric choices? Check out Sewing Cloth Menstrual Pads on Facebook – a friendly group of cloth pad DIYers who will be happy to answer your questions.
FAQs
Why are the measurements off on my printouts?
Firstly, have you downloaded the right pattern for your paper size? There are two versions – A4 and US letter. The general rule of thumb is that if you’re in the USA or Canada you will need the US letter version, and if you’re anywhere else, the A4 version. If you try to print the A4 version on US letter paper, or vice versa, your printer may scale the pages by stretching or squeezing them so that they fit onto the paper, distorting the patterns.
If you have downloaded the correct pattern for your paper and you’re still having problems, check your print settings to see if your printer is scaling the pages up or down. Your printer should be printing the files at 100% (i.e. no scaling) to get the correct size.
The patterns aren’t long enough for me! Can I adjust them to make longer pads?
You certainly can! Please see this blog post on how to lengthen the pad templates.
I’m finding it difficult to maintain the correct distance from the edge of the fabric when sewing up my pad, and my pads aren’t coming out neatly. Is there a different way to do it?
Yes! Most sewing patterns will have you sew a certain distance from the edge of your fabric to create a shape. However, this can be difficult when sewing more intricate shapes such as pads. You might find it easier to sew along a pre-drawn line, and use this as your guide instead. Here is a tutorial I wrote on how to do this.
Part 2 of the 10.25 inch pad pattern is missing!
Nope, it isn’t! On the older versions of the pattern, if you look at the instructions, it says to print part 1 twice. This is because both parts are the same. I have since amended the pattern to include a separate (identical) part 2 to avoid any confusion.
I want to sell the pads I make from the Luna Wolf patterns. Can I do this, and do I need to credit Luna Wolf?
Yes, you can absolutely sell pads made from the patterns! You do not need to credit Luna Wolf, although of course you can if you want to. What you cannot do is sell the patterns themselves, as the text and images in the downloadable products on this website are copyrighted.
Can I use the Luna Wolf patterns to make pads for charity?
Of course!
Hi,
I have just found your site as I’ve been wanting to try cloth pads for awhile and can’t afford to buy them. Thank you very much for offering a free pattern 🙂 I’ve tried the link you have and when it takes me to Adobe Acrobat to view, it says that it is not a valid pdf document and won’t open. Can you please help me as I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong.
Thank you,
Leanne Leonardo
Hi Leanne, sorry you’re having trouble opening the patterns. I’ve just tested the links and they are opening fine for me, so I don’t know why your computer isn’t recognising them. You could try saving the file and then uploading it to something like http://www.pdfonlinereader.com/ If that doesn’t work, all I can suggest is Googling the problem, and hopefully someone with more computer expertise than me can step in and help you.
Good luck!
thank you so much for sharing your patter, enjoy a cuppa on me x
I hope to be well onto making my own pads soon.
Thanks so much Lindsey! <3
I hope you enjoy making your own cloth pads!
Hi Luna Wolf, I bought Luna pads years ago and when they had all finally worn out I tried to find you but you didn’t exist anymore! Glad you’re back and thank you for your free tutorial ???? I will be trying out some hand sewn Loony Laura pads very soon Lx ????
Thanks for your comment Laura! I hope you enjoy making your own pads. 🙂
I just wanted to say thank you for sharing this. Im new to cloth pads and am looking to make my own and your instructions look amazing and user friendly. I know my donation to you wasn’t much, but I wanted to say thank you. I look forward to making my own. 🙂
Thanks so much Misty for your kind words and donation! I hope you enjoy using the patterns and making your own cloth pads. 🙂
Hello Vicky!
I’m making the switch *back* to cloth pads after a bit of a (misguided) hiatus, and I’m absolutely delighted to find that you’re offering your patterns for free, though also angry on your behalf at the reason *why*.
I’m starting with daily wear panty liners, and I was wondering if you’ve ever used natural cotton batting for your core layers. If so, how did you like it?
I’m very much looking forward to making my pads, and pleased to have such a great pattern, from a fellow knitter no less! Thank you for sharing with all of us.
Thanks,
Barb
blshearer@gmail.com
Hi Barb, thank you for your comment, and welcome back to cloth! I’ve never used cotton batting for pads, as it doesn’t really have the structural integrity to hold up to repeated washing and drying. I would go for cotton flannel, cotton terry, or cotton fleece instead. I hope this helps, and that you enjoy making your own pads! 🙂
Thanks very much for your reply. =) And thank you for the good advice, as well. I have both cotton flannel and cotton fleece, so I’ll see how they work up.
Thanks again!
-Barb
Hello! I just came across your website!!! AWSOME by the way. I just have one question, I need the pad to be a little wider 3.25-4inches. Is there a way to tweek that pattern to achieve this?
Hi Timetra – yes there is! All you need to do is print out the pattern, and assemble it if it is more than one piece. Then, cut the pattern lengthwise down the center. Lay the two halves on a separate piece of paper or card, leaving an inch or so of space between them. Draw around the outside of the pattern pieces, connecting them across the gap. Do the exact same with your core piece as well. Now you will have a wider pattern that retains all the proportions of the original pattern. Hope this helps! Vicky