I’ve said it before, but I simply cannot stand to buy something that will be used once and thrown away.  It nags at my anti-waste sensibilities so much that I will obsess over it.  So with a new baby on the way, I got to thinking about those boxes of disposable nursing pads and knew I had to do something to avoid using them.  With a few minutes of research online, I undertook perhaps the easiest sewing project I have ever completed – making my own nursing pads.

Including figuring out how to do them, it took me a little over an hour to make nine pairs.  Now that I know how to do them, they can be completed in just a few minutes each.  In retrospect, I think it might have been nice to cut a slit, like slicing a pie, and re-sew it so they would contour a little better, but the flat ones I made work just fine too. 

One of the best parts about this project is that you can use thrift store flannel sheets to do it, for a cost of just a couple dollars with a ton of material left over.  I used some new material I had purchased for the outer layers because I wanted pretty and my thrift store sheets were kind of bland, but I could have made all nine pairs with two standard pillowcases.

To make them, trace a regular CD and cut four layers of flannel.  If you anticipate needing more protection, up to six layers seems to work fine.  I have two pairs with six layers in them for those heavier days.  Pin the layers together with right sides out.  Using your sewing machine, finish the edges with a zigzag stitch.  If you have a serger, it will make a more professional looking edge, but either way will create functional pads.

That’s all there is to it.  Very simple, very fun and the best part – very practical.