The Nostalgic Nightingale

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

General Crafting: Engraved Snap Drying Straps

With March being craft month, I find it not only appropriate but necessary to start blogging about my passions again. I would like to begin with one of my favorite ARUMPs accessories, the snap drying strap! While these little strips may not look like much, they sure do come in handy when air drying my alternative reusable menstrual products each month! The directions to use a snap drying strap are quite simple: unfasten the strap, loop it around a rod, and snap it closed using the middle socket snap; then attach one snappable product to the last exposed socket snap and the remaining snappable products to the first, creating a chain.

What I Used:

Grosgrain Ribbon

Ruler

Scissors

BIC Lighter

Fabric Pencil

Awl

Assorted Plastic KAM Snaps Size 20

KAM Snap Installation Pliers

KAM Snap Die Size T8

What I Did:

1. Measured and cut the grosgrain ribbon in 14" - 14.5" strips.

2. Gently burned the cut edges of the grosgrain ribbon with the side of the flame from a BIC lighter.

3. Measured and marked .5" from the clipped edges and installed plastic size 20 KAM snaps.

4. Measuring 1" from the socket snap, I marked and installed another socket snap.

Now I do realize the cost of KAM installation pliers and plastic snaps may not be feasible for everyone to afford (especial to make one simple snap drying strap), so I would like to mention that I do offer engraved snap drying straps to purchase. You can check out my new Etsy shop to pick one out yourself at $2.25 plus shipping or you can take advantage of this blog post offer of a random engraved snap drying strap for only $4.25 shipped with tracking! (Offer is valid to only US residents at this time, I apologize for any inconvenience.)

Thanks for stopping by!

Saturday, October 17, 2015

PR: CJ - Wingless Panty Liner Set

This blog post is the continuation of my product review of Cloth Junkies wingless panty liner set; I'm beginning with number nine since I've already answered eight questions in the video. :)

9. How long is the average drying time (in hot and cold months)?

The overall average drying time would be around four hours. In the warmer months it only takes about two and a half hours while in the colder months it would be closer to six hours.

10. What about these panty liner and stains?

Two of the liners have stained (the liners in the center) while the other two haven't (the top and bottom liners).

11. Did the panty liner appear bulky through clothing?

No, and I couldn't even see the "corner" edges of the less circular liners.

12. Thoughts on the overall quality of stitching; any risk of lose thread?

Stitching, well we all know by now that I don't really prefer serged stitching but I am surprised that these liners have held up to the numerous uses and washes I've put them through.

13. How hard was the prep process for this panty liner?

To be honest, I didn't prep three of them (they were my first and I didn't know I was suppose to). The one panty liner I did prep was extremely quick and easy.

14. What product was used to clean and/or stain treat this panty liner recently?

Most recently I used pink Zote to clean these panty liners.

15. Thoughts on fabric print and print placement?

I'm indifferent to most of the prints and as for placement, well you couldn't really go wrong on fabric prints like those. :)

16. Did the panty liner slide, scoot, or move around while wearing it?
Not really, as I explained in the video when my panties go to the side I do end up bleeding on the side of the liners because they weren't "centered under my body".

17. Are the snaps easy to use?
Yes, I can easily fasten and unfasten the snaps on the wing base.

18. Was the panty liner overall easy to use?
Absolutely! With or without the wing base, these panty liners are a breezy to use.

19. Did the panty liner sit straight or was it slanted while wearing it?
At least one of the panty liners does sit slanted a little even after it conforms to my body, though it doesn't bother me and could easily be "fixed" by using the wing base.

20. Did the panty liner leak in any way, shape, or form?
No, only when the panty liner is off centered due to my panties will I bleed on the sides or "leak".

21. Are the snaps durable?
Yes, I haven't had any issues with them.

22. Did the panty liner absorb well (quickly, in the gusset, without leak)?
Using these panty liners for every day use and light menses, I would say they absorbed well.

23. Did the panty liner shrink after multiple uses and washes?
Yes, ever so slightly; maybe half an inch at most.

24. Did the panty liner bunch up while wearing it?
No, rather the liners conformed to my body.

25. Did the panty liner cause the panties to bunch up?
No, the liners being wingless really did prevent them from bunching up my panties; though a few pairs of my panties do bunch up when I wear the wing base.

26. Did the panty liner feel thick or bulky while wearing it?
No, even when mounted in the wing base I could barely feel these panty liners.

27. What drying method was using most recently?
Air/sun dry in the window sill overnight.

28. When and where do I feel most comfortable wearing these panty liners?
I feel most comfortable wearing these panty liners for every day use or for "my period may start soon" protection around the house or out and about visiting friends or shopping; not really for exercising or yoga mainly because I am afraid they may slide back and have other products to use when I'm working out.

29. Would I have purchased these panty liner knowing what I know now?
Yes, though I would like to custom order them next time so I can choose my prints. While I truly don't mind the prints I received, I would love to have a matching set of them. To be honest I would love to have a Monday through Sunday liner set, ya know, to match the panty sets. :)

30. Would I recommend these panty liner?
If you need every day, light menses, or cup back up protection and don't want a lot of extra material wrapping around your panties and rubbing against your thighs, then I would highly recommend these panty liners.

31. How was the customer service?

Top notch, Amy Iverson is extremely easy to work with, responds quickly, and is always professional on her Facebook pages/groups.

32. Would I purchase from Cloth Junkies again?
Absolutely; with budget friendly prices, nice quality, a lot of fabric print options, and top notch customer service, I'll definitely be returning to Cloth Junkies.

I think that wraps up my review of Cloth Junkies wingless panty liner set. Please let me know if you have any comments, questions, concerns, suggestions, or objections by leaving a comment.
Thanks for reading!

*UPDATE: After sharing my review in Cloth Junkies' Facebook group, I received an update on the shape of the liners. Since I can insert photos here, I'll do just that. :)

To check out the product review video, please visit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MONU0efzV94

To check out Cloth Junkies on Facebook, please visit:

https://www.facebook.com/SomeAThisSomeAThat

To browse Cloth Junkies Shop, please visit:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ClothJunkies

To join TNN on Facebook, please visit:

https://www.facebook.com/thenostalgicnightingaleblog

PR: CJ - Vintage Floral Panty Liner

This blog post is the continuation of my product review of Cloth Junkies vintage floral panty liner; I'm beginning with number nine since I've already answered eight questions in the video. :)

9. How long is the average drying time (in hot and cold months)?

The average drying time would about around 4 hours. During the cold months it tends to be closer to 6 hours but during the hotter months it only takes about 2 hours if left to dry in the sun.

10. What about this panty liner and stains?

Having used the liner for about 6 times for menses, I've noticed very little staining. Also I do think the red and pink floral print help hid any stains that may have set over the past year.

11. Did the panty liner appear bulky through clothing?

Not at all, I wear some pretty tight boy shorts under my leggings when I exercise.

12. Thoughts on the overall quality of stitching; any risk of lose thread?

While I don't personally enjoy serged or overlocked stitching, this panty liner has held up extremely well with very few stitches coming undone and causing hang offs.

13. How hard was the prep process for this panty liner?

Prep process was rather easy, with my only annoyance being that the topper, core, and backing shift a bit when I try to really rub the soap stick on it.

14. What product was used to clean and/or stain treat this panty liner recently?

I used Dr. Bronners' liquid soap in rose scent to hand wash.

15. Thoughts on fabric print and print placement?

I just adore the fabric print, but I must admit that the placement could be a bit "better" by having the fabric turned at about a 90 degree angle so the print faces the way the liner would lay against the body.

16. Did the panty liner slide, scoot, or move around while wearing it?
Yes, after the panty liner conformed to my body it did minutely slide to the back of my panties every now and then.

17. Are the snaps easy to use?
Yes, I haven't had any issues when trying to snap or un-snap the panty liner.

18. Was the panty liner overall easy to use?
Yes, the panty liner was extremely easy to use and clean.

19. Did the panty liner sit straight or was it slanted while wearing it?
The panty liner stayed rather straight, though it did form to my body since the gusset is a little wide for me.

20. Did the panty liner leak in any way, shape, or form?
No, using the panty liner for light menses and everyday use I did not experience any leaking.

21. Are the snaps durable?
Yes, the snaps haven't fallen off, loosened, or warped.

22. Did the panty liner absorb well (quickly, in the gusset, without leak)?
I've found the panty liner doesn't exactly absorb daily cervical mucus discharge but rather "catches and lets dry"; as for light menses, yes, the panty liner absorbed the fluids well.

23. Did the panty liner shrink after multiple uses and washes?
The panty liner may have shrunk ever so slightly, though it's not noticeable if it has.

24. Did the panty liner bunch up while wearing it?
Yes, the panty liner bunches up and folds a bit to conform to my body.

25. Did the panty liner cause the panties to bunch up?
No, the gusset of the panty liner is wide enough for all of my panties so I never experience bunched up panties when wearing this panty liner.

26. Did the panty liner feel thick or bulky while wearing it?
No, the panty liner feels thin and is barely noticeable to me even when I wear my tight workout shorts or legging.

27. What drying method was using most recently?
Air/sun dried on a towel in the window sill.

28. When and where do I feel most comfortable wearing this panty liner?
I feel most comfortable wearing this panty liner for every day discharge, light menses, and even as a cup back up; I prefer to wear this panty liner.

29. Would I have purchased this panty liner knowing what I know now?
No, I wouldn't purchase this exact panty liner because I really dislike the width of the gusset. I would rather have custom ordered a light absorb pad in the same vintage floral print with a smaller gusset.

30. Would I recommend this panty liner?
Yes, this panty liner is wonderful for those who need light absorb protection and prefer a bit more gusset coverage from wing to wing.