View source for Darning

{{Short description|Sewing technique for repairing holes or worn areas in fabric or knitting using needle and thread}}
{{Redirect|Darning needle|the insect|Dragonfly#In_culture{{!}}devil's darning needle}}
[[Image:Enc cashmere darning.jpg|thumb|"Cashmere darn", a fine darning technique for [[twill]] fabric<ref name=NeedleworkDictionary_v2/>{{rp|142}}]]
[[Image:Enc swiss darning.jpg|thumb|"Swiss darning" to repair knits<ref name=NeedleworkDictionary_v2/>{{rp|145}}]]

'''Darning''' is a [[sewing]] technique for repairing holes or worn areas in [[textile|fabric]] or [[knitting]] using [[sewing needle|needle]] and [[sewing thread|thread]] alone. It is often done by hand, but  using a [[sewing machine]] is also possible. Hand darning employs the '''darning stitch''', a simple [[running stitch]] in which the thread is "woven" in rows along the [[Glossary of sewing terms#grain|grain]] of the fabric, with the stitcher reversing direction at the end of each row, and then filling in the framework thus created, as if weaving. Darning is a traditional method for repairing fabric damage or holes that do not run along a seam, and where patching is impractical or would create discomfort for the wearer, such as on the heel of a sock.

Darning also refers to any of several [[needlework]] techniques that are worked using darning stitches:

*'''Pattern darning''' is a type of [[embroidery]] that uses [[parallel (geometry)|parallel]] rows of [[straight stitch]]es of different lengths to create a geometric design.<ref name=RD>{{cite book |editor-first=Virginia |editor-last=Colton |title=Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Needlework |date=1979 |isbn=0-89577-059-8 |publisher=Reader's Digest Association |location=Pleasantville, NY |oclc=5676532 |url={{google books|943WWJVygZ8C|plainurl=yes}} |pages=[{{google books|943WWJVygZ8C|page=46|plainurl=yes}} 46]–[{{google books|943WWJVygZ8C|page=47|plainurl=yes}} 47], [{{google books|943WWJVygZ8C|page=57|plainurl=yes}} 57] |via=Google Books }}</ref>
*'''Net darning''', also called [[filet lace]], is a 19th-century technique using stitching on a mesh foundation fabric to imitate [[lace]].  
*'''Needle weaving''' is a [[drawn thread work]] embroidery technique that involves darning patterns into bare laid warp or weft thread.

== Darning cloth ==
In its simplest form, darning consists of anchoring the thread in the fabric on the edge of the hole and carrying it across the gap. It is then anchored on the other side, usually with a [[running stitch]] or two. If enough threads are criss-crossed over the hole, the hole will eventually be covered with a mass of thread.<ref name=NeedleworkDictionary_v2>{{cite encyclopedia |last1=Caulfeild |first1=S.F.A. |last2=Saward |first2=Blanche C. |title=The dictionary of needlework : An encyclopaedia of artistic, plain, and fancy needlework. Dealing fully with the details of all the stitches employed, the method of working, the materials used, the meaning of technical terms, and, where necessary, tracing the origin and history of the various works described. Illustrated with upwards of 800 wood engravings, and coloured plates. Plain sewing, textiles, dressmaking, appliances, and terms |date=1885 |entry=Darn |pages=142–145 |section-url=https://archive.org/stream/dictionaryofneed02caul#page/142/mode/2up |encyclopedia=The Dictionary of Needlework: An Encyclopaedia of Artistic, Plain, and Fancy Needlework |edition=2nd |volume=2 |publisher=L. Upcott Gill |location=London |url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofneed02caul |via=Internet Archive }}</ref>{{rp|[https://archive.org/stream/dictionaryofneed02caul#page/142/mode/1up 142]}}

Fine darning, sometimes known as ''Belgian darning'', attempts to make the repair as invisible and neat as possible. Often the hole is cut into a square or darn blends into the fabric.

There are many varieties of fine darning. Simple over-and-under weaving of threads can be replaced by various fancy weaves, such as [[twill]]s, [[Chevron (insignia)|chevron]]s, etc., achieved by skipping threads in regular patterns.

Invisible darning is the epitome of this attempt at restoring the fabric to its original integrity. Threads from the original weaving are unraveled from a hem or seam and used to effect the repair. Invisible darning is appropriate for extremely expensive fabrics and items of apparel.

[[File:New Sacks For Old- Salvage in Wartime Britain, 1943 D16869.jpg|thumb|right|A woman using a machine to darn sacks.]]
In machine darning, lines of machine running stitch are run back and forth across the hole, then the fabric is rotated and more lines run at right angles.<ref name=NeedleworkDictionary_v2/>{{rp|[https://archive.org/stream/dictionaryofneed02caul#page/145/mode/1up 145]}}

==Tools==
{{anchor|darning egg|darning mushroom|darning gourd}}
There are special tools for darning socks or stockings:

* A '''darning egg''' is an egg-shaped tool, made of stone, [[porcelain]], wood, or similar hard material, which is inserted into the toe or heel of the sock to hold it in the proper shape and provide a foundation for repairs. A shell of the tiger cowry ''[[Cypraea tigris]]'', a popular ornament in Europe and elsewhere, was also sometimes used as a ready-made darning egg.
* A '''darning mushroom''' is a mushroom-shaped tool usually made of wood. The sock is stretched over the curved top of the mushroom, and gathered tightly around the stalk to hold it in place for darning.
* A '''darning gourd''' is a hollow dried [[gourd]] with a pronounced neck. The sock can be stretched over the full end of the gourd and held in place around the neck for darning.

Specialty tools aside, anything that is round that can stretch and secure the fabric is also effective. Other examples include lacrosse balls, light bulbs, and lemons.

{{gallery|Stëppelee.jpg|alt1=A brown and tan wooden egg that is round and used for mending clothes|Darning egg|Stopfpilz.jpg|alt2=A classic red and white mushroom, only the stem is a brown wood and the top is a painted wood. Polka dots on the top of the red. The round shape is used for mending fabric|Wooden mushroom used for darning|Mending hole with darning mushroom.JPG|alt3=mushroom wrapped in a fine knit cloth with holes in it; hand holding needle|Using a mushroom; the needle must be fine enough to pass between the threads}} {{anchor|darning needle|darning loom}}
* A '''[[bodkin needle|darning needle]]''' is typically as blunt-tipped as possible, to avoid splitting the threads as it is passed through the item being repaired. This is especially true of larger needles for darning coarse knitted cloth.

[[File:Spede+Weve+Miniature+Loom+Model+1+Instructions (cropped to illustration).jpg|thumb|alt=A tiny loom with a heddle made of rotating hooks.|Darning loom with hook [[heddle]]s and a darning needle.]]
* A '''darning loom''' is a very small hand-held loom for weaving patches into the original cloth. They have an egg portion which goes inside the cloth and is grooved; the rest of the loom goes on the outside, and the two parts are held together by an elastic band. The loom is warped and woven upon with a needle, which also serves as a [[beater (weaving)|beater batten]]. Darning looms typically have heddles made of flip-flopping rotating hooks, which raise and lower the warp, creating [[shed (weaving)|sheds]] to make weaving the patch easier. The hooks, when vertical, have the weft threads looped around them horizontally. If the hooks are flopped over one side or the other, the loop of weft twists, raising one or the other side of the loop, which creates the [[shed (weaving)|shed]] and countershed. The spacing of the hooks generally doesn't match the [[threadcount]] of the cloth.<ref>On darning loom function:
*{{cite web |title=Darning Mini Wooden Loom Machine |url=https://www.miupie.com/Darning-Mini-Wooden-Loom-Machine-p3176174.html |website=Miupie |language=en}} (commercial site, but with animation showing how it works)
*{{cite web |last1=Morley |first1=Jasmin |title=Darning Loom Instructions |url=https://purlandfriends.com/blogs/news/darning-loom-instructions |website=Purl and Friends |access-date=7 January 2023 |date=8 September 2022}}, {{cite web |first1=Allison |last1=[not given] |title=Darning loom |url=https://ontheneedles.com/tag/darning-loom/ |website=On the Needles |date=27 December 2021 |access-date=7 January 2023 |language=en}}
*{{cite web |title=How To Use A 1940s "Speed weve" Darner [repost of original 1940s instruction manual]|url=https://ragandmagpie.co.uk/blog/how-to-use-a-1940s-speede-weve |website=Rag & Magpie |date=16 April 2014 |access-date=9 December 2022}}</ref> Other devices sold as darning looms are just a darning egg and a separate comb-like piece with teeth to hook the warp over; these are used for repairing knitted garments and are like a linear [[spool knitting|knitting spool]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Katrinkles Darning Loom |url=https://aroundthetableyarns.com/katrinkles-darning-loom/ |website=Around the Table Yarns |language=en}} (darning loom without heddles, just a comb, for knits).</ref> Darning looms were sold during [[Rationing in the United Kingdom#Clothing|World War Two clothing rationing]] in the United Kingdom<ref>{{cite web |last1=Boyne |first1=Jo |title=How To Use A Speedweve Loom To Mend Clothes ⋆ A Rose Tinted World |url=https://www.arosetintedworld.co.uk/how-to-use-a-speedweve-loom-to-mend-clothes/ |website=A Rose Tinted World |access-date=9 December 2022 |date=3 October 2021}} ('''not an independent source''')</ref> and in Canada,<ref>{{cite web |title=the Swift Darning Loom from Worth Mending |url=https://worthmending.com/pages/swift |website=Worth Mending |language=en}}</ref> and some are homemade.<ref>{{cite web |title=Make Your Own Darning Looms |url=https://www.instructables.com/Make-Your-Own-Darning-Looms/ |website=Instructables |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Speedweve Style Darning Loom {{!}} Glowforge |url=https://glowforge.com/discover/t/85971/speedweve-style-darning-loom |website=glowforge.com}}</ref>

==Pattern darning==
[[Image:Pattern darning.jpg|right|thumb|Pattern darning<ref>{{cite book |last=Christie |first=Grace |date=September 1906 |chapter=Chapter 9: Methods of Work (continued) |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/cu31924031240017#page/n191/mode/1up |title=Embroidery and Tapestry Weaving |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924031240017 |series=The Artistic Crafts Series of Technical Handbooks |page=[https://archive.org/stream/cu31924031240017#page/n201/mode/1up 198] |publisher=Macmillan |location=New York |via=Internet Archive }}</ref>]]
'''Pattern darning''' is a simple and ancient [[embroidery]] technique in which contrasting thread is woven in and out of the ground fabric using rows of running stitches which reverse direction at the end of each row.  The length of the stitches may be varied to produce geometric designs.  Traditional embroidery using pattern darning is found in [[Africa]], [[Japan]], [[Northern Europe|Northern]] and [[Eastern Europe]], the [[Middle East]], [[Mexico]] and [[Peru]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.needlepoint.org/Archives/00-02/darning.htm |title=Pattern Darning |first=Sally |last=Simon |date=4 March 2008 |orig-year=1982 |magazine=Needle Pointers |volume=10 |issue=1 |publisher=American Needlepoint Guild |access-date=17 December 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051227090207/http://www.needlepoint.org/Archives/00-02/darning.htm |archive-date=27 December 2005 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Pattern darning is also used as a ''filling stitch'' in [[blackwork embroidery]].<ref name=RD/>

==Around the world==
<!-- insert regional/national variations in the name, techniques, historic and current status, etc. -->

=== {{anchor | Rofoogari | Rafoogar | Rafugari | Rafugar}} Iran ===
'''Rofoogari''' is an old traditional skill or technique used to fix or repair historic textiles and woven materials and fabrics in Iran. Having an old history in weaving and textile making, the culture of rofoo, or "vasleh- Pineh" arose among the poor and unwealthy communities. They used patches to cover the damaged parts and go over the space by running stitches and sometimes decorative ones. In some communities due to lack of resources, they repeated the process as they needed, which is why we find very colorful, different patterned vasleh- pineh in galleries and museums.

=== {{anchor | Rafoogari | Rafoogar | Rafugari | Rafugar}} India ===
'''Rafoogari''' is the name for the art of darning in India and neighbouring countries of the subcontinent, where this art of healing the cloth is used for practical and traditional reasons. Though wearing restored clothes is associated with poverty and thus seen as shameful, this technique has been used by highly skilled ''"[[rafoogar]]s"'' to restore some priceless clothes such as [[Pashmina]] [[shawl]]s, silks, woolen clothes, and even fine cotton. [[Kashmiris]] are considered the best rafoogars, who have imparted their knowledge to artists all over India. Rafoogars still exist across India.<ref name=darn1>[https://www.deccanherald.com/content/325696/rafoogari-art-darning.html Rafoogari: Art of darning], ''[[Deccan Herald]]'', 13 April 2013.</ref>

The ''Foundation of Indian Contemporary Art'' has been trying to preserve this art, and some artists in India still practice it as a hereditary art form, passed down for over sixteen generations.<ref name=darn2>[https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/8LxZYCbNJemRy3h1DwQGYN/New-Delhi-Mapping-a-forgotten-tradition.html New Delhi: Mapping a forgotten tradition], [[LiveMint]], 28 April 2017.</ref><ref name=darn3>[https://www.thestatesman.com/features/journey-of-a-shawl-1502624308.html Journey of a shawl ], The Statesman, 19 April 2018.</ref><ref name=darn4>[http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/art/The-fabric-of-hope/article14588954.ece The fabric of hope], [[The Hindu]], 25 Aug 2016.</ref>

==See also==
* [[Clothing#Mending|Mending]]
* [[Conservation and restoration of textiles]]
* [[Boro (textile)|Boro]]
* [[Invisible mending]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Reader's Digest Oxford Dictionary p.&nbsp;1001.CS.
* {{cite book |chapter-url={{google books|ULJCAQAAIAAJ|188|plainurl=yes}} |chapter=Chapter 11—Darning and Patching |pages=188–192 |title=American Dressmaking Step by Step |url={{google books|ULJCAQAAIAAJ|plainurl=yes}} |date=1917 |first=Lydia Trattles |last=Coates |publisher=Pictorial Review Company |location=New York |via=Google Books }}
* {{cite book |chapter-url=http://www.studioknits.com/bookpage55.htm |chapter=Embroidery or Decoration |at=Swiss darning, or duplicate stitch |title=How to Become an "Expert Knitter" |url=http://www.studioknits.com/booktoc.htm |publisher=Studio Knits |date=n.d. }}

{{embroidery}}
{{sewing}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Sewing stitches]]
[[Category:Embroidery stitches]]
[[Category:Maintenance]]