DIY Reusable Cotton Rounds

These DIY Reusable Cotton Rounds are a great way to use fabric scraps and perfect to use on face or as reusable nursing pads, too!

Last fall, just  before Christmas, my 12-year-old started sewing zippered pouches to sell at a local craft fair. After doing over 140 of them.. she moved on to baby blankets, then chapstick holders.

What started with piles of fabric paved the way for fabric scraps all over the house. Piled up on tables, scattered in tubs, and taking over my closet shelves.  She is always looking for ways to use up scraps. In efforts to reduce our waste consumption at home, she decided to make reusable cotton rounds.

These reusable cotton rounds can be used for face, or as reusable nursing pads. They are super easy to make and a wonderful gift idea. If you have a young teen learning how to sew this would be a fabulous DIY item.

Here’s how you can make your own:

DIY Reusable Cotton Rounds

Making these reusable cotton rounds is as easy as obtaining cotton flannel (snuggle fabric) and machining thread. It helps to pre-wash and dry your fabric so that it softens before you start working with it.

JoAnn fabric frequently has the cotton flannel on sale for $2.49/yard – sometimes even less. You can even find remnants in the fabric section for cheap, too.

You’ll need:

• 1/2 yard cotton flannel (snuggle) fabric – remnants work well too
• matching thread
• sewing machine
• optional: cotton batting (not required!)

Step 1:  Wash and dry your fabric.  A half yard of fabric will make anywhere from 25-30 rounds. Washing it helps soften the fabric before you start working with it.

Step 2: Use a regular mouth canning jar (for facial rounds) or a wide mouth canning jar (for nursing rounds), trace the rounds on the wrong side of the fabric with a pencil.  

Tip:  Fold the half yard of fabric with the good sides “in”, then trace your circle on the wrong side. When you cut, you’ll cut two pieces at once.

If you are using batting (not required), trace circles on those too – 1 piece of batting for every 2 cotton rounds.

Step 3:  Sew the circles together with the wrong sides facing each other. If you don’t have a serger, use a zig  zag stitch and stitch right around the circle as close to the edge as you can. This will prevent them from unraveling when you wash them.

If you are using batting (again – it’s not required), place the piece in between the two cotton rounds like a sandwich.

That’s it!

And just like that, you’re done!  Put these reusable cotton rounds in your bathroom and use them in place of your disposable pads.

• Use them to remove makeup or cleanse your face each morning/night
• Place 5-10 in a gift bag as a gift to a friend or family member
• Or use them as nursing pads

Just toss in the wash once or twice a week (a mesh bag would be great for this).

These DIY reusable cotton rounds are quite a simple project for a beginner sewer. .. but if you find this too challenging, don’t worry. There are plenty of Etsy shops you can purchase them from. Mitch N Stitch is one of my favorites — she even makes handmade cloth pads too.