Friday 26 November 2010

Christmas Pads!

Given that it is snowing softly outside, this seems like the perfect time to announce a new arrival to the store - Christmas pads!


I have to admit that I previously never understood the point of holiday pads, until a couple of years ago when I received one in a trade. That year Aunt Flo arrived on Christmas day (having arrived on my birthday the previous month), and I was very glad to have a shiny new festive pad to wear. It helped take the sting out of being crampy at Christmas, and has since become one of my favourite year-round pads.

So far the Christmas pads are available in pantiliner, 8.5 inch, 9 inch, and 10.25 inch sizes. 11.75 inch Christmas pads are in progress, and I have a menstrual cup pouch waiting to be sewn up.


Speaking of Christmas, after four years of living together, my partner and I have just bought our very first Christmas tree! I can't wait to decorate it. I don't think I will be adorning it with mini pads, though... ;)

Tuesday 6 July 2010

Wider Patterns Now Available

I recently made wider versions of my pantiliner and 8.5 inch pad patterns, for a customer who wanted to make her own but needed more width than the current versions offer. The wider versions close at 2.75" - 3", depending on where you place the snaps.

Anyway, if you've purchased my pattern/tutorial set, and would like to receive the wider versions of those two patterns, I'll be happy to send them to you in PDF format at no charge. Just drop me an email at pads@lunawolf.co.uk, and don't forget to tell me whether you want the patterns to be European A4 or US letter size.

Happy sewing!

Thursday 17 June 2010

Fabric Addiction

I love that I have a job that enables me to feed my fabric addiction. Buying fabric counts as work, and is therefore justified. I don't even mind that it isn't for me, as long as I get to play with it.

Now that I've moved to Shropshire, I'm about two miles away from the most wonderful quilting shop I've ever visited. Tucked away above a dentist's surgery in a small rural village, you'd never know it was there. Discovering it is like finding hidden treasure. Two rooms are dedicaded to floor-to-ceiling shelving packed with bolts of gorgeous designer quilting fabric. These are adjacent to an enormous studio with state of the art quilting and cutting equipment, where they host workshops and events. You can even hire the studio for personal use, if sewing at home is difficult.

After we got settled in, of course one of the first things we did was visit this place. This is what I came away with:


*swoon*

Some of these beautiful new prints have already been made up into pads, and I have more cut out, so look out for them in the shop! I seem to be all about the blossoms and birds at the moment; it must be summer.


In other news, the shop got pretty well cleared out earlier this month, so my partner stepped in to help me re-stock. We've discovered that we make quite a formidable team! She's taken most of the cutting off my hands, leaving me free to concentrate on the sewing. I hadn't realised how much time the fabric cutting eats up - a lot, it turns out. With her help I've reached a record 40 products in the shop, several of them having more than one in stock. More choice for you, and less stress for me!

We don't know how long she'll be able to help me before she gets too busy again, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts. I like having a minion.

Monday 14 June 2010

Sister Hope is no longer accepting pads

Just a quick FYI: Sister Hope is no longer accepting pad donations. Instead, they have partnered up with Afri-Pads, a female run initiative in Uganda, to distribute menstrual kits to school girls. For every bag purchased from Sister Hope, a menstrual kit will be given to a girl in need. The reusable cloth pads in the kits are sewn by local women who are employed by Afri-Pads, providing much needed income for local female artisans.  I wish Sister Hope much success with their new direction.

"Sponsor A Pad" will still be available from Luna Wolf, but pads will now be sent to Project Thrive for their Days for Girls programme.

Also, I have a potential venue for a charity pad making party! I'm hoping to organise this for either late summer or early autumn. Anyone who's interested can come along and help sew pads (or just cut fabric if you don't sew!) for women in need. It's still very much in the early planning stage, so expect to hear more about it as things progress. The only definite so far is that there must be cupcakes.

Wednesday 26 May 2010

Luna Wolf HQ

I thought I'd post some photos of my new sewing room, so you can see where your Luna Wolf goodies are made. If you click on the pictures, you'll be able to roll your cursor over them and read my fascinating (ahem) annotations. Enjoy!

Sewing table, sewing machine, snap press and iron:


Desk, computer, finished pads, files:


Fabric storage, finished pads, packaging materials, tunes:


I should have taken pictures earlier in the day so you could see the view from the window. It's like being in a treehouse.

In other news, a fellow pad maker is starting an online free magazine for women, featuring articles on menstrual related topics and other women's issues. The focus is on empowering women, discussing alternative menstrual products, sharing help and advice, and more. It's called Vermilion Magazine, and the first issue will be available for download on June 1st.

As Vermilion Mag is just starting out, it needs your help to keep it going! Can you contribute a positive article on menstruation, a photo of your cloth pad stash and/or favourite pad, or menstrual related art or poetry? Even a favourite recipe? If so, please contact Vermilion Mag. The editor would be delighted to hear from you.

Monday 10 May 2010

New home, and donation pads on the way!

Greetings from our new home - a beautiful village near Oswestry in Shropshire! My sewing room/office was one of the first things I set up, and it's a pleasure to work in. A huge double window gives me great lighting for sewing, and shows off a view of towering oak trees. It's a lovely setting for being creative.

The move itself did not go smoothly; in fact it was a bit of a disaster. The movers told us they could move us in one load, and we foolishly believed them. When they realised they couldn't, they left half of our furniture behind, just sitting outside in the rain. Including the bed! My poor partner had to make a 2 hour drive in the early hours of the morning to rescue everything, while I spent the first night in our new home curled up with the dog.

A lot of our stuff is damaged/broken, but nothing that impedes Luna Wolf. Fortunately I had taken precautions and sent my sewing machine, overlocker, snap press, and artwork over with my parents.

I'm delighted to say that while I was engaged in this fiasco, almost all of my donation pads and pad sets sold. This is fantastic! I've been really touched by people's generosity, and I know the pads will make a huge difference to women living in poverty. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who purchased donation pads/sets. The pads are on their way to Sister Hope, who will distribute them in Uganda later this month.


Tuesday 27 April 2010

Vicarious Sewing

Packing for Saturday's move has gone way beyond the fun stage, and is now at the awkward, difficult and inconvenient stage. You know, the stage where you can't walk two feet without tripping over a box, and where you keep needing things that are already packed - usually in a box at the very bottom of a towering pile.


I've held off packing my sewing machine and fabric as long as possible, but today I decided it was time to box them up. Good grief, I have a lot of fabric! I guess when it's all folded away in cupboards I don't really notice how much of it there is, but I've filled several large boxes, and still have to find room for several metres of flannel and microfleece, and two 25m rolls of PUL and bamboo fleece! I had a similar revelation with my yarn stash - how did half of my local yarn store end up in the spare bedroom?!

I feel completely lost without my sewing equipment, and am itching to get back to making pads. In the meantime, I'm enjoying crafting vicariously through other people. It's been great to hear about your pad making projects, such as this one by Sarah in California:

Sarah made this fabulous pad using the 9" pattern in my pattern and tutorial set. Having always had a soft spot for owls, I love her choice of fabric! This is actually a pantiliner weight - one of the best things about making your own pads is that you can customise them to get exactly the size and absorbency you want.

The pattern and tutorial set is currently 15% off, along with everything else in store, until Friday 29th. Happy sewing!

Thursday 22 April 2010

Earth Day Giveaway!

It's Earth Day today! In honour of this, a very generous customer is raising awareness of reusable alternatives by running a giveaway on her blog. The winner, who will be randomly selected on Sunday, will receive three Luna Wolf pads - one pantiliner, one medium (9") pad, and one large (10.25") pad. This would be a lovely starter set if you're new to cloth!


To enter, simply leave a comment on this post before 6pm BST Sunday, 25th April. Good luck, and special thanks to Cayt for organising it!

Wednesday 21 April 2010

Surprise 15% off sale until 30th April!

Luna Wolf is moving! As of the first week in May, my partner and I will based in a quaint little village near Oswestry in Shropshire. We'll be close to my family and friends, and surrounded by lots of green space - which will undoubtedly delight Freya, our lurcher:


How does this affect you? Well, not much, really. Luna Wolf goes wherever I go, so there won't be any changes in the site, the pads, or the ordering process. There may be short delays in dispatching orders, and it will probably take a couple of weeks to get back into the swing of sewing. Oh, and I'll be just up the road from my favourite quilting shop ever - gorgeous prints here I come!

However, the real reason for this update is that I'd like to clear out as much stock as possible before we move, so I'm holding a surprise 15% off sale until 30th April! Everything in store is reduced for the next ten days, including fabric, patterns, PUL boosters, charity pads, and the Femmecup! This is a great chance to stock up on discounted pads, but you'll need to get in quickly - my sewing time is limited at the moment (packing, argh!), so once they're gone, they're gone.

Enjoy! I'm off to put more things in boxes...

Friday 16 April 2010

Sister Hope: Empowering Women in Developing Countries

In "developed" countries, we tend to take our access to menstrual products for granted. Whether we use cloth pads, disposable pads, tampons, a cup, or any of the other many options available, the menstrual protection of our choice is just a trip to the shops or mouse click away.

But what about developing countries? According to nonprofit organisation Sister Hope: "Not only are most young girls and women unable to afford proper sanitary napkins, many do not even have access to such products. As a result, young women are using unhealthy materials such as tree bark and leaves, as well as rolled up pieces of newspaper to manage their period. This lack of protection leads many girls and women to miss up to five days of school and work each month, with many forced to quit their jobs or drop out of school entirely. Even more, the use of these unhealthy materials leads to infections and even cervical cancer."

Within the last couple of years, this largely ignored issue has received some attention. There have been drives by major disposable pad companies to send shipments of their products to women in need. However, leaving women dependent on regular foreign aid for their menstrual needs is hardly a permanent solution.

Sister Hope is a nonprofit organisation based in the USA that is dedicated to creating sustainable change. They provide hygeine kits to young girls and women living in poverty, consisting of reusable menstrual pads, underwear, soap, wetbags, and other hygeine products. As well as having less environmental impact, providing reusable pads instead of disposables means that a woman's stash will last for years. She will always have soft, comfortable, absorbent pads to hand, and will be able to handle her period safely and with dignity.

Here at Luna Wolf, I have been busy working on a foldable all-in-one design to offer in donation sets for Sister Hope.


The foldable design has several advantages:

  • All parts of the pad can be reached, making it easier to clean thoroughly by hand;

  • The fold-out design dries fast, so that after washing, each pad will be ready to use again quickly;

  • If only lightly soiled, the pad can be re-folded so that a clean part of the fabric is against the skin;

  • Cotton flannel fabric is natural, quick drying and cool against the skin, ideal for warmer climates.

  • PUL backing is 100% waterproof, providing complete protection against leaks and helping the pad to last longer.


These donation sets are available at Cloth Pad Shop Europe. The cost only covers the materials and some of the shipping fees - I do not make a profit from them. I realise money is tight for most people at the moment, myself included. However, if you do have a little spare cash, please consider helping out women in need by buying a donation set. It really does make a huge difference. Alternatively, why not make some pads yourself?

Sister Hope's next shipment of pads is headed to Mbale, Uganda. Next in line are Cameroon and Haiti. Their goal is 500 pads by May 15th; at the time of posting, they still need 190. Let's help them reach their goal!

Thursday 15 April 2010

A few Tidbits

In celebration of the beautiful sunshine we've been having here, I've been filling the store with spring-like prints. Flowers, blossoms, birds, and cheerful colours all feature heavily, thanks in part to Amy Butler's gorgeous "Daisychain" and discontinued "Charm" collections.


I also have some new stock up at Cloth Pad Shop Europe, including a whopping great night/post-partum pad topped with luscious cotton sherpa. At 14" long, this pad is for when you need to bring in the big guns:


Finally, if you've purchased my patterns/tutorial set but aren't sure which kind of fastening to use, I've written an article about the pros and cons of various types of pad closures. I hope you find it useful!

Tuesday 9 February 2010

Valentine's Day Lottery!


It's lottery time again at Luna Wolf - this time in honour of St Valentine's day! Whether you love or loathe February 14th, what better way to celebrate than bagging some shiny new underwear in the mail? (Yes, cloth pads totally count as underwear!)

The lucky winner of the draw will receive this beautiful 9" pad with additional PUL booster:


The pad can be used alone for light/medium flow days, or teamed up with the booster for moderate flow days. It's like having two pads in one!

To enter, please click here and follow the instructions. International entries welcome as always. Good luck!

Edit: Congratulations to winner Becky. I hope you enjoy your new pad and booster!