Fashion Design Drawing

CHAPTER HI

DARNING AND MENDING

NOWHERE is the maxim " A stitch in time saves nine " more applicable than In the household. Here it implies, in a general sense, the immediate repair of any and all household articles. But the proverb is more particularly associated with the thought of mending and darning the household linens and the clothing of the family. Every one will agree that a patch is better than a hole, but it is still better to postpone, and, if possible, to prevent, the hole wherever the case will permit it.

DARNING is a simple remedy for many cases of prevention as well as cure. A few general directions will apply to darning in all its various phases. Neatness and the careful selection of materials most appropriate for the work are the chief requirements for successful darning. Whether the material to be darned is cotton, silk or wool the darning thread should correspond in thickness and color to the thread in the material, and the needle should be neither coarser nor finer than required.

For Reenforcing worn places before the hole has come through, particular care should be taken to make the work as inconspicuous as possible. A thread or raveling of the material will do better than one of sewing silk, as the latter, no matter how well matched in color, will be sure to have a luster that will bring the stitches into prominence. The drawn thread need not be long; short ones can be worked in just as well.

Baste the part to be mended over a piece of medium stiff, glazed paper, or table oilcloth. Use a needle as fine as the thread will permit. Darn back and forth with as fine stitches as possible, following the grain of the goods and keeping the threads loose so that they will not draw. (Fig. 55.) The ends of the threads are not fastened, but are clipped off close to the garment Fashion Design Drawing - Darning Mending 1.jpg

when the work is finished.

A Running Darn is used when the garment is worn too thin to be mended satisfactorily by reenforcing. Insert the needle a short distance from the edge of the worn or thin part, and parallel with the thread of the weave. Run it under a few threads and over a few, to the opposite side of the worn place. Returning, run the needle over the threads that were taken up, and under those over which it passed in the first row. Con- I tinue the process until the whole thin surface has been given a new body. In Fig. 56, white thread has been used in order to show the stitches.

When the part to be mended requires still more body than can be given by the running darn, a piece of the material may be laid on the wrong side, and while applying the running darn, this piece is occasionally caught up by the needle to Fashion Design Drawing - Darning Mending 2.jpg

hold it securely in position.

A Woven Darn is necessary when a hole has been worn through the material. The threads in this case are woven both lengthwise and crosswise with the weave of the garment. First baste the part with the hole over a piece of paper or table oilcloth, taking care not to draw it out of shape nor to let it bag. Do not trim the frayed or worn edges off. The unevenness around the edge, which these frayed ends create in the process of darning, helps to make the darned place less con-

spicuous. The lengthwise threads are run in first. Starting well in from the edge of the hole at one side, take up a few small stitches, cross over to the opposite side and again run a few stitches into the edge. Keep the threads taut, but not tight enough to pull. Returning, leave a tiny loop at the turning-point, to allow for shrinkage of the darning threads. Continue back and forth till the hole has been covered. Now begin the crosswise threads in the same way; darn over and under the lengthwise stitches, alternating with each return thread. The frayed edges are caught in the weave as they happen to come, and are firmly secured between the latticed threads. (Fig. 57.) Fashion Design Drawing - Darning Mending 3.jpg