Step-by-Step Shield Instructions For Days for Girls International Feminine Hygiene Kits as summarized by Team Cedar Rapids

Guidelines for ALL Cotton and Flannel 1. Choose fabrics medium to dark in color and patterned to mask stains. 2. Pick colorful patterned fabrics, preferably botanicals, geometrics (except stars), and batiks. 3. AVOID prints with people, animals, bugs, reptiles, camouflage, guns, knives, stars, culture-specific themes, and girly-glam. (Some prints are offensive or illegal in some communities.) However, butterflies are okay. 4. All fabric should be of high quality and new or “like new” to withstand 3 years of use. 5. All cotton/flannel must be pre-washed (and ironed, if needed). Do not use fabric softener or dryer sheets.

Cotton for Shields 1. Select 100% woven cotton fabric similar to quilter’s cotton. No knit, flannel, corduroy, or home décor fabrics allowed. 2. Minimum 8.25” (21 cm) width (or 8.25” x 10” cut pieces) after washing 3. Minimum 5” (12.7 cm) width strips (or 4.25” x 5” cut pieces) after washing (for pockets)

Materials and Supplies Needed to Make One Shield Cotton – 2 shield pieces and 2 pockets PUL Fabric* – 1 shield piece (polyurethane laminate fabric – any color, not furry/”minky”, not prewashed) Thread – 100% Polyester, bright colors preferred Snaps** – 1 set KamSnaps brand plastic snaps, size 20, with standard length prongs Sewing Machine Needles – “Sharps” or “Microtex” styles in size 80/12 preferred Equipment – Sewing Machine with straight stitch, Steam Iron, large sewing Scissors or Rotary Cutter/Mat, and Snapper** (device used to attach snaps) * **

No substitution for PUL is allowed. PUL is waterproof, breathable, washable, and non-toxic. If you do not have snaps/snapper, a local Days for Girls team can attach snaps.

General Notes: • All workmanship should be high-quality to last approximately 3 years. • Avoid designing kits to be made of “all matching components.” Kits and kit components come from a variety of sources and cannot be “matched” for every girl in a school or community. Therefore, to keep things equitable, all kits are made of an eclectic variety of fabrics. All fabrics should be feminine and pretty, but the kit as a whole should not be a matched set. • The shield fabric and pocket fabric may be made of matching cotton; however, matching is not essential. This information is based on specifications published by Days for Girls International as revised 5/23/15. Specifications are subject to change. For local team information, contact Kay Hertz (Central Iowa) 515-210-1089/[email protected] or Paula Blessman (Cedar Rapids) 319-560-7623/[email protected]. Additional information available at: www.daysforgirls.org and www.Facebook.com/DaysforGirls PATENT PENDING – Use patterns only for serving girls, women and communities, not for personal profit and attribute all to Days for Girls to increase awareness and outreach potential. Revised 10/16/2015

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Step-by-Step Shield Instructions Preparing Fabric for Shields Cutting Cotton Shields The shield pattern may be • • •

downloaded from the website, www.daysforgirls.org, attached to these instructions, or available as a template created by your local DfG Team

It is imperative that the shield pattern be reproduced to the exact measurements indicated. Printing a computer document can sometimes rescale pictures, so follow instructions and check dimensions carefully. Option 1: Trace and Cut 1. Fold cotton right-sides-together. 2. Trace pattern very precisely onto fabric with pen or marker. This method can be used to conserve fabric by tessellating the pattern pieces. 3. Cut pattern following the inside of the marked line, up to 2 layers at a time. Even the width of marker’s line can make aligning the pattern pieces later more difficult. Option 2: Die cut 1. Cut cotton into shapes larger than the shield pattern. (One option is to tear fabric into 9.25” strips and fold into rectangles approximately 10.5” long. Using 44” fabric, each strip produces 4 cut pieces.) 2. Place up to 6 layers of “rough-cut” cotton on die cutting machine. 3. Operate die cutting machine to precisely cut fabric. Using a die cutter produces precisely-cut pattern pieces. This dramatically simplifies and speeds the sewing of the shield. However, on the other hand, the die cutting process wastes more fabric than cutting by hand.

Cutting PUL Shields Cut PUL similarly to shield pieces. The pattern is the same except the corners of the pocket ends are clipped. If possible, adjust the pattern/template used for PUL before tracing onto fabric. This will eliminate having to clip the corners as a separate step later. Generally, only 1-2 layers can be die cut at a time. Clipping PUL pocket corners will reduce frustration and broken needles when top-stitching shields. PUL is typically cut two layers at a time.

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Step-by-Step Shield Instructions Preparing Cotton Pockets Option 1: Cut Individual Pocket Pieces 1. Cut 4.25” x 5” (10.8 x 12.7 cm) pieces of cotton. 2. Fold each in half with wrong sides together so that each measures 4.25” x 2.5” (10.8 x 6.35 cm). 3. Sew a ¼” (0.64 cm) seam along folded edge of each (to strengthen fold). Pocket seams do not have to be backstitched at start nor end. Option 2: Speed/Strip Method 1. Cut a strip of cotton 5” (12.7 cm) wide by any length. Using quilter’s cotton, this typically yields a strip measuring 5” by 44” (12.7 x 112 cm). 2. Fold in half lengthwise with wrong sides together. Typically, this will give you folded piece measuring 2.5” x 44” (6.35 x 112 cm). 3. Sew a ¼” (0.64 cm) seam along folded edge of each (to strengthen fold). Pocket seams do not have to be backstitched at start nor end. 4. Cut the sewn strip into 4.25” (10.8 cm) pieces (excluding selvage). Each folded piece now measures 4.25” x 2.5” (10.8 x 6.35 cm). Note – the width of finished pocket pieces is wider than the “pocket ends” of shield pieces. This is intentional to ensure that pockets are securely sewn into seams. Excess width will be trimmed away during shield construction.

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Step-by-Step Shield Instructions Clip “Sandwiches” 1) Gather 1 PUL piece, 2 cotton pockets & 2 cotton shield pieces. Pieces do not have to match. Mix colors and patterns. 2) Clip vertical corners of PUL if needed. 3) Stack items neatly in this order (bottom to top). a) PUL – Shiny Side Up b) Cotton – Right Side Up c) Pockets (2) – Align pockets with flat ends of cotton, centered between sides,

folded edges of pockets toward shield center. d) Cotton – Wrong Side Up (This will become the bottom layer of the shield, away from body. Lighter colored prints can be utilized here.)
Photo shows stack before final piece of cotton was added.

4) Secure with sewing clips, hair clips, or paper clips at pocket ends. Some teams use pins within the seam allowance, but this is very risky when working with volunteers.

Pins

5) Insert straight pins in center of each wing leaving room for ¼” seam. Waterproofness is not necessary in wings. Correctly placed, clips and pins do not have to be removed while sewing ¼” (0.64 cm) side seams.

Note: Never allow pins to puncture waterproof “pad” area! Do NOT pin through PUL except in wings. Otherwise, waterproofness is jeopardized.

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Step-by-Step Shield Instructions Stitch Sandwiches 1) Sew ¼” (0.64 cm) side seam (using stitch length 2.5 - 3 mm) along each side, leaving ends open. Keep layers flat, no bubbling between layers. Backstitch when starting and finishing each seam. 2) Verify that all layers have been caught in seam (except PUL at vertical corners).

3) Trim seam allowance from stitched areas including wing corners (not vertical openings). 4) Turn sandwich right-side-out, use fingers (or chopsticks) to gently push out wings. 5) Fold pockets away from shiny side of PUL. Using fingers, spread unstitched ends as wide open as possible. 6) Press carefully (to ensure pocket ends are as wide as possible and to give professional appearance)

7) Stitch across each end, keeping ends as wide open as possible. 8) Verify that all layers have been caught in end seams (except PUL at corners).

9) Trim seam allowances only at corners (to decrease bulk). 10) Flip both pockets to opposite side of shield (will be toward girl’s body; shiny side of PUL). 11) Press flat for a professional appearance. 12) With colorful thread (avoid light-colored thread), topstitch 1/8” (0.3 cm) from edge around entire shield, back-tacking at fold edges of each pocket. (Keep especially close to the edge around pockets. Pocket openings must be as wide as possible to accommodate multiple liners).

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Step-by-Step Shield Instructions Quality Control Check-up Use template or ruler to measure finished product. •

Shield = 9 ½” (24 cm) long x 7 ¾” (20 cm)wide

•

Pocket width = 3 ½” (8.9 cm)

•

Pocket opening = 3 ¼”(8.3 cm)

•

Distance between pockets = 5” (12.7 cm)

Note: If you begin to see measurement variances, discuss with sewists immediately!

Snap Shields 1) Mark/Poke holes for snaps ½” (1.3 cm) from wing edges centered vertically. 2) Attach matched snap set (1 stud & 1 socket) with one smooth side facing front and one facing back. 3) Test snap by snapping and unsnapping 3 times. Leave snapped for kit assembly.

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