When my husband repairs holes in vintage clothes, he sometimes takes out treads from the hem and uses them to fix the holes. When the fabric has a printing/pattern, he uses multiple treads colors and reproduces the original printing/pattern. He has around 150 tread colors. I'm always amazed by what he does.
The other day I read a novel from the 1880s (by Fontane, who describes life in Prussia in the 1800s very vividly): The female protagonist was a darning champion. Her skills were prized for their perfection - the repairs were almost invisible. Apparently, there were official competitions for women to show off their darning skills. Thanks to this video, I now have a better idea what this was all about. :)
“It dances today, my heart, like a peacock it dances / it dances. It sports a mosaic of passions / like a peacock’s tail / It soars to the sky with delight, it quests, Oh wildly / it dances today, my heart, like a peacock it dances” Rabindranath Tagore
Now i know where the phase "gosh Darn" comes from. People were cussing at their darning project xD Lovely video Kathy, this is just the thing i need to patch up my vintage dress
Cathy and Bernardette are always adressing the important questions in life... or at least the ones that me, a millennial that had not teaching of sewing growing up, have about the most basic stuff no one ever address and I love them for it
Very relatable for an experienced person to think they get the idea of something from reading the beginning of the instructions, then completely missing the instructions telling you to practice on something easy first.
I made the same mistake when I decided to try nalbinding! I've been knitting and crocheting for over a decade, so surely I can just jump into a completely new craft without reading any beginners' material. (Nevermind that most modern-day nalbinding beginners are probably knitters like myself.)
Darning is fun, and I've surprisingly done it a lot for my age(almost 30). We learned it in university for arts, a whole week for patching and darning. Because of that week I can now darn my clothes near to invisibly, even with holes in them, it's an artform that's luckily coming back to life when people want to keep their clothes longer and buy less. The trick to making it look neater is to use more rows than you think you'll need, darn a bit further out from the hole or the worn out fabric. You can also darn in some fun shapes or even make it look like an embroidery(I saw someone darn an entire lighthouse onto a pair of pants once). Use your imagination, and take the time to do it right.
I remember my sister in law once asking, "Would you like to see how I darn socks?" She held her sock over the trash can and said "Darn it" as she dropped it in.
Yeah after putting a patch on my husband's cricket trouser knee I cut 2 more for his other pair and preemptively patched the knees, much easier than dealing with the wounds later.
I love that I am not alone, when reading something that my head has a hard time understanding, I have to read it out loud several times in different "voices" until it starts to "click".😊🤣🤣
Best way to do it! One of the other voices might be the Voice of Reason that'll tell you how to do it right even though it's just reading the book instructions over and over. We live in hope!
Totally works. Also aids in memorizing stuff. Best way, to really make something 'stick', is to repeat it (preferably in your own words) out loud. Much more effective, than silently reading. Bonus points, if you pace up and down, gesticulating, while you do it. Perfect 'mad professor' impersonation.
@@raraavis7782 , I used to make tapes to help me revise for exams while I was at school. The only problem was though, that I hate to hear my voice on play-back! 😂
I love the end result! And this was a very funny video because you are speaking about "the children must do that...and that..." and then talking about "that is utter shite....and bloody hell"...🤣 🤭
Oh my, I love how the book guides you on how to teach this to young kids. Many people love to do crafts with their kids but are left to muddle along on how to teach their kids by trail and error because they have no training on teaching. Edit: upon re-watching I now realize this book is meant as a teachers guide, still a wonderful thing.
"A stitch in time saves nine." Never truer than in getting the heels of your socks done up properly *before* the giant hole sets in. Also, I was jealous of that book till you started reading it. I want it, still, but I'd much rather enjoy the instructions coming from a real person. And, they keep saying "children" but I wonder if they only mean little girls. Lastly, sometimes we look at our own work and criticize it as "not being as good as those people that lived so long ago T_T", but when you pull out those "so long ago" garments then darning looks almost exactly the same!
I think boys were shown some amount of sewing. Even today in the armed forces, it's a must. My dad (barely 60 now) learned to iron clothes and darn his own socks in the Army.
Sewing being a "girls only" activity is a modern notion. Back then sewing was a esential skill for everyone and absolutely everyone knew the basic stitches and repair methods. Most people made the majority of their own cloths unless they were wealthy and with methods of travel being so slow men did not have the option to go running back to their mom's or wives if they were out traveling and a seam riped.
I just did a project about this sort of thing during WWI and little boys and girls around that time were shown the same things. There are some great pictures of boys knitting.
ACTUALLY - this is exactly what I need. I try to darn, but I am terrible and end up with a lump. SO - the lump is from not leaving a loop at the end and it shrinking - THANK YOU...!!!
As someone studying to be a teacher it’s really interesting to see a lesson plan from over a century ago and to see what has changed (and what has not). Surprisingly, this one was pretty good.
I would have dragged out my darning egg (I don’t own a darning mushroom) to start with. You did a lovely job on your flannels, but your work on the coarser fabric was a piece of art. I would have loved to see the gal who darned your chemise while she was darning. I hated embroidery when I was learning it as a young girl, but love handwork over machine sewing now I am in my sixties. I’d love to do any sort of sewing today as I’m nursing a shattered elbow I managed in a fall. Really enjoyed your departure from the peacock dress. Tiny snippets with different sewing content can be quite refreshing.
I quite enjoy darning and my current repair is to my husband's favourite blanket that was his late mothers. My darning is nowhere near as neat but my husband's look of pure joy when he sees it all coming back together makes it's lack of neatness irrelevant :)
When I was a kid, you took things to a “reweaving” specialist for repairs. It was this, darning. Always wondered what they were doing… I only knew about it from signs at the dry cleaners.
ok, so far today, I have learned how the Victorian's washed their laundry and now how they darn it. Your practice looks very pretty, you did a great job repairing a non-existent hole. I used to darn my holes on my clothes but they always looked terrible, I then learned how to darn jeans on a sewing machine (not bad, holds up well), now that I've seen this I need to practice hand darning again. Doing it correctly looks beautiful!
"One big hole for the sun, one for the moon and many more for all the stars" You never met a darning artist until you can not tell the original color of the socks anymore.
i own several pairs of handknit socks that resemble this comment. i had an unfortunate moth incident a few years back while i was was severely depressed coming out of my divorce and didn't have the energy to properly battle them... darning up all the socks and other handknits instead of letting them just get tossed was a big part of healing for me.
and when there's already a hole you should work on the right side using the thread of the fabric (take it in the seam allowance) to make an invisible work .... and it's easier when you use darning needles ... they are longer than standard needles
Cathy, I understand why you don't want to tie a knot. But I wanted to share a wonderful tip I learned from embroidery... from the school that says the back should look as good as the front. So NO knots left in your work. ... Here's the tip... tie a knot and start a couple of inches away from your work. (The tail is now anchored and out of the way, so you can work without that tail flipping into your work.) When finished, cut the knot off and weave the tail into your work to hide it. 💖🌞🌵😷
@@sfong718 truth is... I usually knot and the back is messy because I'll carry my thread... less thread breaks/knots. And that's because a lot of my work is wearable and goes through the washing machine. Pieces that are hung on the wall or that will only get washed only once or twice in a hundred years... will often be beautiful on the back and have no knots. For me the knot debate is based on practicality. My granny comes from the no knot school, but all her work was meant to be hand washed. Sending lots of love 💖from sunny 🌞 Arizona 🌵😷.
@@shethra77 you are very welcome. We need to make our work less frustrating and that tail flipping into my work is frustrating, especially when my needle accidentally pierces the thread and now I have a nest in the back! Yikes! Just thinking about it raises my cortisol! Sending lots of love 💖 from sunny 🌞 Arizona 🌵😷
I was wondering what was so different about your voice and then I realized how strong and much louder it is. Huge congratulations on that giant step on the way to getting your voice back, I'm so happy! :)
flashbacks to my gran...whoah! she had the mushroom tool but i remember her doing men's socks on a wooden croquet ball. she was born in 1918 and never let a pair of socks go until darned within an inch of it's life. thank you for the memory 😘
I fell in love with darning when I saved my favourite pair of knitted socks by darning them! My darn probably would not pass muster if held up to Victorian standards, not least because the socks were black and grey and I chose to repair them with bright blue wool. But I think they look very cute. I've also found that darning can be quite a peaceful and soothing activity if you're feeling stressed. Tea, cake, a podcast, and some darning is basically the best way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon.
OMG THANK YOU CATHY!!! My grandmother used to repair some of my childhood clothing and I have spent the past 10 years wondering how she did it cause she never used a patch! I’ve been dying to know how to do it, my current clothes need some love and attention and it was my grandmother who taught me to sew, so thanks Cathy, I feel a little closer to her
the long "ohhhhhh" I made at 8:08, also i've been interested in darning and now this has inspired me to actually do it. Thank you Cathy! my textile-sewing-master-teacher-friend I never met.
I was amused straight through this, and then the last moment caught me on a sigh saying, “oh, that’s lovely”. Never thought I’d say that about darning - shows what I know. 🙃 Now I’m off to practice darning.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who cusses at their sewing and repair work. Although I usually spout foul language because I stuck myself with a needle. :)
I have a darning mushroom, a darning egg and a darning disk...but, then again, I also sew historically accurate garments and need the darning things on occasion. My great grandmother taught me how to darn many decades ago. Mine never did look as good as her's did.
Just a few days ago I was explaining to my father how most people I know hear the word Darn and think it’s a childish censor of a curse word, and how I know what it is, but lacked the knowledge to do it. Here comes Cathy with the best way for me to learn how all the while giggling and swearing along
I feel quite convicted by the "never wait for a hole" part of this. Thank you for the fantastic video, Cathy! I've tried quite a number of times to follow similar Victorian darning guides, and I've always ended up with something that looks distinctly wrong. This actually really helps me to better see what they're teaching!
@@tulsiclarity3228, Some people use today's video's technique on socks as it is usually hidden in shoes, but the swiss method (if you use matching yarn) is invisible, whilst darning on knits is very noticeable even with matching yarns because of the different textures. 💖🌞🌵😷
One more thing regarding darning knits using this method: in order to stop runs, you have to stitch through each of the loops left by the broken thread. Otherwise, the loops will continue to unravel. 💖🌞🌵😷
Thank you for translating the instructions for those of the left handed variety. I appreciate the altered instructions much more as I sew with my left.
My grandmother was not Victorian (Italian, from way up in the hills of Tuscany), but she taught me how to darn using those same rules (and I still have, and use, her darning egg). My better darns are nearly invisible - but I am happy with sturdy. Since most of what I use is pre-shrunk, I don't worry about the little loops. My (grown) girls both know how to darn, as well, and get many admiring (and unbelieving!) comments from friends on their skills. It can be a lot of fun to be a skill-dinosaur! Good for you, Cathy. If the point is to keep a favorite item functional and whole, in the end a bit of a messy darn is not an issue. Over time, they tend to nestle their way into the underlying structure and become increasingly hard to find.
I only use machine darning on a garment that doesn't show or under a patch. (Machine darning under a patch strengthens the fabric and I think makes it more comfortable to wear.) 💖🌞🌵😷
I started to darn my socks after reading about it in Little Women, few years back. I should have done some research because I made matters worse! Thank you for this lesson, I have a few linen trousers in need of TLC
if only my wear and holes would stick the to the heels!! gah. it's usually the ball of the foot that wears for me... and i've yet to see an afterthought soul pattern
When I was a little girl my mother told me, "this is how you darn a sock. You take it to the bin, throw it in and say oh darn! Then you go and buy another one"😁😁😂. I've used that method all my life. It works very well. 😁
After a lifetime of watching right-handed ladies teach left-handed students how to reverse engineer their instructions by using a mirror, it is sheer *Ecstasy* to watch a fellow 'sinister' work her magic! Thank you for an inspired lesson on darning.
In the 1960s my grandmother was a tailoring instructor. She also learned the fine art of Reweaving. Finer than darning she literally rewove the fabric to repair the hole or tear. She wore magnifying glasses and used specialized needles to reweave the fabrics of fine wool that were torn or had a hole ( cigarette burns were the common culprits back then) she used the threads of the sample swatch that often came with the extra button sold with most fine garments to match the threads. Other times she scavenged thread from the fabric in the seam allowance or hem. It was fascinating! She needed the magnifying glasses to match the weave pattern exactly. The repairs were flawless and invisible. Men's suits and police uniforms were her staple customers.
Your patience is truly amazing. I probably would be running from the room on my first attempt but would persevere to master the art. After all, we as a society, throw away more things than we mend. The Victorians made each piece of clothes last and then used the fabric for cleaning cloths, smaller clothes -- say a ladies dress sized or fabric used for girl's dress. Hope all is well. And the Peacock Gown developing as it should. I for one, like your approach in making it.
Rewatching so many of your videos atm. They give me such calm while trying not to listen to my mother in law. She had 1 year of "household classes" 50 years ago, hasn't held a needle or used a sewing machine since, but feels mightily superior on every level... According to her im felling my seams wrong. It will only last in the double folded sewing machine way. Switched to some English paper piecing for hand Quilting. There my seam allowances are wrong. 😑 God's above and below give me strength.
I'm a French teacher living in Turkey and I have literally nothing in common with sewing practices (and art) but I'm extremely excited when Ms. Cathy Hay uploads a new video and I'm hooked to every second of it! I've learned so much new, exciting things from her and it's sooo much fun to watch! Thank you for everything!
I know you know this, but always read directions all the way thru before beginning a piece of work. Then practice as the directions state. I do this always, which means hardly EvEr! I understand the phrase "That's utter shite" down to my soul. Bravo on the last bit.
Oh my. Do I have the 'eyes' for this? I must say your - darn the purple against the white - looks quite decorative! A lovely & neat purple diamond! "Hand-weaving" describes the process precisely. Thank you!!
I absolutely love that you left in the frustration. Apart from learning how to darn clothes (which many of mine are in dire need of), I always have such a lovely time watching you figure something out. It gives me confidence when it comes my time to give it a go! Thanks Cathy!!
I made a pair of pants and found a hole in them the 2nd or third time I wore them. I didn't realise this video was going to be useful to me upon clicking on it. And now I know why if you have something that went wrong like getting a hole in your clothes, you would say, "Darn it!"
1. I have been wanting to learn how to do this for a while and haven’t been brave enough to even look at where to begin, so thank you for doing this! 2. As a left-handed person, I did a literal happy dance when you began “translating”. While I’d love to learn how to do a lot of things that generally seem to be lost to my generation (dramatic, but you get the point), I thoroughly appreciate not having been trained out of the “evil” of my dominant hand in childhood as I would have been in the not-so-distant past…
I loved to darn and try to make it invisablely done. I mostly used embroidery floss for the variety of colors, cheaper floss has less sheen. I'm old and passed that time in my like. But I admire the skill of mending different weaves , fabric. Knits.
Omg that darning on the white fabric looked so stunning. Like embroidery! I learned to darn my favourite socks as a child from mum but they never looked so professional! I need a darning mushroom now!
I got to the end if the pyjama pants thinking "see the pro's make stuff not perfect too!" And then you came along with your beautiful practice purple diamond and I thought "showoff!" 🤣 (seriously though, that practice piece looks beautiful! And I love the green thread!)
My Grandmother was an expert clothing repairer and alterations person. Self-taught as well. She was born 0101 1901 in a small town in the United States. Her sewing machine area was in a small section of the dining room. She loved to also make crazy quilts, tat, crochet, embroider, etc. It all would seem to be learned back then. Weaving repairs is a very useful ability, especially with woolen garments. Extends their life and use.
Oh! this reminds me so much of my Mother, struggling to impart darning technique into my 9 year old head. It never did stick and I patch, and have patched merrily from preference ever since. Thank you for the nostalgic reminder.
This was remarkably timely. I just bought a lovely darning egg so I can reinforce some of my favorite socks that are irreplaceable since they were given to me and purchased in a different country.
I really like using embroidery thread for darning. You can choose how many of the 6 strands to use for the weight of fabric and if you collect them over time, you’ll have a use variety of colour!
Oh my goodness, the parentheticals were gold. I laughed so hard!!! Thank you for this utterly delightful foray into darning - and I just figured out why it's called that!! It's a nice euphemism for all the swear words you utter while doing it!!!!!
I love it when historical TH-camrs give practical sewing advice. I still like when we watch the projects they are working on, but I love this sort of thing even more. Perhaps that's just me. 😅
My Gran taught me to darn back in the old days. Is a really useful skill on sweaters at the elbows, where you follow the knit or purl with leftover yarn from the first knitting. I was taught to look for a small length of yarn and a button in a little pouch fastened inside the garment, as the sign of a quality sweater, or Jumper. She often replaced worn heels or toes in grandpa's handmade woolen socks. She showed me how sometimes, with extensive wear, it was faster and easier to just save the sock cuffs and re-knit the feet. If she had to replace one toe or heel entirely, she would do all four sections in the pair of socks in a contrasting color so the repair looked fashionable and intentional. She sometimes doubled the yarn in these areas in work socks for the inside of heavy boots as they were softer and more comfortable when thicker.
My Mother use to say, "A stitch in time saves nine." and then she'd say, "If a task is set before you, don't idly sit and view it, but go ahead and do it." it's still in my head.
I darned many, many things while growing up in the 70's and 80's. Our family just couldn't afford to replace clothes. We used a burned out light bulb since we didn't even have a darning mushroom.
Just in time. I have a stack of clothes I want to mend instead of trashing. And can’t sew so it’s been a little intimidating. This was just what I needed to help me get started.
I would like to mend more clothes as they wear out. I recently fixed my comforter, but it had such a hole in it I just added a new piece of fabric and patched it. This...this would take a bit to learn. Your work on the fabric at the end would have made the person writing the book proud, I think.
Nice! My great-grandmother tried (and failed) to teach me. Oh how I wish I had paid attention! But it was 1968, I was twelve and thought her ways were good for her but not for me. Thank you for sharing from tha lovely old book!
When my friend made me a pair of wool socks, she made me promise that I would bring her the socks before they would have gaping holes in them so she can do the darning 😆
Purely delightful I found out that I only knew part of darning I love hearing such a gentle modulated voice, in such a delightful crisp accent, reading precice archaic instructions, still immensely useful. I am aware of the awkward & disheartening struggle of you. Dear Professor, to regain your specific voice. My best wishes & hopes go out to you. Still, my selfish hope is that you will choose a soft voice for at least some of your future videos, provided that you eventually have the luxurious option to make that choice.
I love that there is a "visible mending" movement now. An invisible mend is impressive, but there is something nice about an obvious mend. The hard work involved is on display, which can start discussions about respecting and repairing garments (particularly important in an age where many people don't know what darning is). I mend my fiancé's socks using the Swiss method, and it is fun to do both invisible and playful patches. I feel pretty comfortable using the Swiss method, but darning holes (rather than thinned areas) is still intimidating. Mending is time-consuming and can be...tricky, so there is a lot of love involved. It makes me happy knowing that my fiancé is walking around on the socks that I have mended for him.
I was given my great grandma's darning mushroom for my birthday last year - it's got a fair bit of use so far, but I was making it up as I went along. Seems I was doing the right thing though, but it's little things like leaving loops that I hadn't thought of that really make a difference
I feel like we'd all benefit a lot more if instructions for things included the reason "it saves temper"
Straight up undiluted motivation, that one.
I couldn’t find temper in my sewing kit. Whoever used it before me didn’t save any, I guess.
So true
Who else has a bit of a crush on a woman who says: “That’s utter shite”, as she’s darning..?
Let's be honest : all of us
Truth.
Why do you think it's *called* darning? It makes one darn things straight to heck.
I don't think a single person who has seen her videos doesn't have a bit of a crush on her.
That really made me laugh when she said that!😅
When my husband repairs holes in vintage clothes, he sometimes takes out treads from the hem and uses them to fix the holes. When the fabric has a printing/pattern, he uses multiple treads colors and reproduces the original printing/pattern. He has around 150 tread colors. I'm always amazed by what he does.
Wow!
great idea!
Wow!
That is incredible.
I would watch videos of this, just saying
The other day I read a novel from the 1880s (by Fontane, who describes life in Prussia in the 1800s very vividly): The female protagonist was a darning champion. Her skills were prized for their perfection - the repairs were almost invisible. Apparently, there were official competitions for women to show off their darning skills. Thanks to this video, I now have a better idea what this was all about. :)
I can definitely see why invisible patches and clean work would be so prized!
and always good to keep several crochet hocks around in case you find a hole in a sweater
What was the book?
Those three rules (never wait for a hole, avoid a straight edge, use thread as like the original as possible) also work for novel revisions.
"Never wait for a hole"
Me, patching my leggings: "Hmm, yes, interesting, makes sense."
The voice is sounding much stronger. Well done with the vocal coaching!
I came here to mention this, too!!
I'm so happy to hear you reclaiming your voice
Right?? Not to mention finally finding success and progress in her Peacock Dress project. I wouldn't be surprised if that's helping as well!
“It dances today, my heart, like a peacock it dances / it dances. It sports a mosaic of passions / like a peacock’s tail / It soars to the sky with delight, it quests, Oh wildly / it dances today, my heart, like a peacock it dances”
Rabindranath Tagore
@@MrClaphamguy
How beautiful - and fitting.
@@MrClaphamguy ❤
Now i know where the phase "gosh Darn" comes from. People were cussing at their darning project xD Lovely video Kathy, this is just the thing i need to patch up my vintage dress
Cathy and Bernardette are always adressing the important questions in life... or at least the ones that me, a millennial that had not teaching of sewing growing up, have about the most basic stuff no one ever address and I love them for it
Very relatable for an experienced person to think they get the idea of something from reading the beginning of the instructions, then completely missing the instructions telling you to practice on something easy first.
I made the same mistake when I decided to try nalbinding! I've been knitting and crocheting for over a decade, so surely I can just jump into a completely new craft without reading any beginners' material. (Nevermind that most modern-day nalbinding beginners are probably knitters like myself.)
Darning is fun, and I've surprisingly done it a lot for my age(almost 30). We learned it in university for arts, a whole week for patching and darning. Because of that week I can now darn my clothes near to invisibly, even with holes in them, it's an artform that's luckily coming back to life when people want to keep their clothes longer and buy less.
The trick to making it look neater is to use more rows than you think you'll need, darn a bit further out from the hole or the worn out fabric. You can also darn in some fun shapes or even make it look like an embroidery(I saw someone darn an entire lighthouse onto a pair of pants once). Use your imagination, and take the time to do it right.
When I read How to Darn, I seriously imagined a book teaching people to properly understand all the ways to say Darn it. In all different emotions.
I remember my sister in law once asking, "Would you like to see how I darn socks?" She held her sock over the trash can and said "Darn it" as she dropped it in.
I would read it.
"Never wait for a hole!" Sound advice. Thanks for this!
Yeah after putting a patch on my husband's cricket trouser knee I cut 2 more for his other pair and preemptively patched the knees, much easier than dealing with the wounds later.
I love that I am not alone, when reading something that my head has a hard time understanding, I have to read it out loud several times in different "voices" until it starts to "click".😊🤣🤣
Best way to do it! One of the other voices might be the Voice of Reason that'll tell you how to do it right even though it's just reading the book instructions over and over. We live in hope!
Totally works. Also aids in memorizing stuff. Best way, to really make something 'stick', is to repeat it (preferably in your own words) out loud. Much more effective, than silently reading.
Bonus points, if you pace up and down, gesticulating, while you do it. Perfect 'mad professor' impersonation.
@@raraavis7782 , I used to make tapes to help me revise for exams while I was at school. The only problem was though, that I hate to hear my voice on play-back! 😂
I love the end result! And this was a very funny video because you are speaking about "the children must do that...and that..." and then talking about "that is utter shite....and bloody hell"...🤣 🤭
Oh my, I love how the book guides you on how to teach this to young kids. Many people love to do crafts with their kids but are left to muddle along on how to teach their kids by trail and error because they have no training on teaching. Edit: upon re-watching I now realize this book is meant as a teachers guide, still a wonderful thing.
"A stitch in time saves nine." Never truer than in getting the heels of your socks done up properly *before* the giant hole sets in. Also, I was jealous of that book till you started reading it. I want it, still, but I'd much rather enjoy the instructions coming from a real person. And, they keep saying "children" but I wonder if they only mean little girls. Lastly, sometimes we look at our own work and criticize it as "not being as good as those people that lived so long ago T_T", but when you pull out those "so long ago" garments then darning looks almost exactly the same!
I think boys were shown some amount of sewing. Even today in the armed forces, it's a must. My dad (barely 60 now) learned to iron clothes and darn his own socks in the Army.
Sewing being a "girls only" activity is a modern notion. Back then sewing was a esential skill for everyone and absolutely everyone knew the basic stitches and repair methods. Most people made the majority of their own cloths unless they were wealthy and with methods of travel being so slow men did not have the option to go running back to their mom's or wives if they were out traveling and a seam riped.
I just did a project about this sort of thing during WWI and little boys and girls around that time were shown the same things. There are some great pictures of boys knitting.
@@mparis130 My daddy (81) made extra money in the army for sewing on patches for the ones who couldn’t sew
@@mparis130 we were even issued a sewing kit. I still have my Navy issue sewing kit, aka "housewife".
"Never wait for a hole!" This will be my new mantra which works for my general tendency to procrastinate on tasks I'm not confident about :)
ACTUALLY - this is exactly what I need.
I try to darn, but I am terrible and end up with a lump. SO - the lump is from not leaving a loop at the end and it shrinking - THANK YOU...!!!
I love watching the various stages of Cathy’s fury at a book.🤣
As someone studying to be a teacher it’s really interesting to see a lesson plan from over a century ago and to see what has changed (and what has not). Surprisingly, this one was pretty good.
I would have dragged out my darning egg (I don’t own a darning mushroom) to start with. You did a lovely job on your flannels, but your work on the coarser fabric was a piece of art. I would have loved to see the gal who darned your chemise while she was darning. I hated embroidery when I was learning it as a young girl, but love handwork over machine sewing now I am in my sixties. I’d love to do any sort of sewing today as I’m nursing a shattered elbow I managed in a fall. Really enjoyed your departure from the peacock dress. Tiny snippets with different sewing content can be quite refreshing.
Never Wait for a Hole: the next great meme
YES!!!!
Aww yes my favorite, British cursing ASMR. Thank you for the wonderful video as always.
Seeing the darning on the chemise made me smile and feel so much better about some of my quick mending!
That piece you did on white looked amazing it would make a really pretty embellishment
I quite enjoy darning and my current repair is to my husband's favourite blanket that was his late mothers. My darning is nowhere near as neat but my husband's look of pure joy when he sees it all coming back together makes it's lack of neatness irrelevant :)
When I was a kid, you took things to a “reweaving” specialist for repairs. It was this, darning. Always wondered what they were doing… I only knew about it from signs at the dry cleaners.
ok, so far today, I have learned how the Victorian's washed their laundry and now how they darn it. Your practice looks very pretty, you did a great job repairing a non-existent hole. I used to darn my holes on my clothes but they always looked terrible, I then learned how to darn jeans on a sewing machine (not bad, holds up well), now that I've seen this I need to practice hand darning again. Doing it correctly looks beautiful!
"One big hole for the sun, one for the moon and many more for all the stars" You never met a darning artist until you can not tell the original color of the socks anymore.
i own several pairs of handknit socks that resemble this comment. i had an unfortunate moth incident a few years back while i was was severely depressed coming out of my divorce and didn't have the energy to properly battle them... darning up all the socks and other handknits instead of letting them just get tossed was a big part of healing for me.
and when there's already a hole you should work on the right side using the thread of the fabric (take it in the seam allowance) to make an invisible work .... and it's easier when you use darning needles ... they are longer than standard needles
Cathy, I understand why you don't want to tie a knot. But I wanted to share a wonderful tip I learned from embroidery... from the school that says the back should look as good as the front. So NO knots left in your work. ... Here's the tip... tie a knot and start a couple of inches away from your work. (The tail is now anchored and out of the way, so you can work without that tail flipping into your work.) When finished, cut the knot off and weave the tail into your work to hide it. 💖🌞🌵😷
Great tip--thank you for this.
Exactly right. I am horrified to see some published embroidery books instruct beginners to KNOT their thread. Augh!
@@sfong718 truth is... I usually knot and the back is messy because I'll carry my thread... less thread breaks/knots. And that's because a lot of my work is wearable and goes through the washing machine. Pieces that are hung on the wall or that will only get washed only once or twice in a hundred years... will often be beautiful on the back and have no knots. For me the knot debate is based on practicality. My granny comes from the no knot school, but all her work was meant to be hand washed. Sending lots of love 💖from sunny 🌞 Arizona 🌵😷.
@@shethra77 you are very welcome. We need to make our work less frustrating and that tail flipping into my work is frustrating, especially when my needle accidentally pierces the thread and now I have a nest in the back! Yikes! Just thinking about it raises my cortisol! Sending lots of love 💖 from sunny 🌞 Arizona 🌵😷
I always watch youtube with the captions on because I love the little details. "Plinky Plonky Music" tickled me
the darning at the very end looks so beautiful, its decoration!
Again, I can't tell you how much I love watching left-handed work from your perspective! Makes me feel at home ♥️
Sincerely, a fellow southpaw
I was wondering what was so different about your voice and then I realized how strong and much louder it is. Huge congratulations on that giant step on the way to getting your voice back, I'm so happy! :)
flashbacks to my gran...whoah! she had the mushroom tool but i remember her doing men's socks on a wooden croquet ball. she was born in 1918 and never let a pair of socks go until darned within an inch of it's life. thank you for the memory 😘
I fell in love with darning when I saved my favourite pair of knitted socks by darning them! My darn probably would not pass muster if held up to Victorian standards, not least because the socks were black and grey and I chose to repair them with bright blue wool. But I think they look very cute. I've also found that darning can be quite a peaceful and soothing activity if you're feeling stressed. Tea, cake, a podcast, and some darning is basically the best way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon.
OMG Cathy I just love your facial expressions during this video. OMG you made my day with this video
Perfect musical choices 👌😅 also that patch on the courser weave looks pretty ..darn.. perfect to me 😂
OMG THANK YOU CATHY!!! My grandmother used to repair some of my childhood clothing and I have spent the past 10 years wondering how she did it cause she never used a patch! I’ve been dying to know how to do it, my current clothes need some love and attention and it was my grandmother who taught me to sew, so thanks Cathy, I feel a little closer to her
I did my first ever darning a few months ago following this very book and these exact instructions. x)
the long "ohhhhhh" I made at 8:08, also i've been interested in darning and now this has inspired me to actually do it. Thank you Cathy! my textile-sewing-master-teacher-friend I never met.
I was amused straight through this, and then the last moment caught me on a sigh saying, “oh, that’s lovely”. Never thought I’d say that about darning - shows what I know. 🙃
Now I’m off to practice darning.
The only kind of ASMR I care to watch: Cathy Hay cursing while she darns
I'm glad I'm not the only one who cusses at their sewing and repair work. Although I usually spout foul language because I stuck myself with a needle. :)
This learning curve was a delight to watch.
Always wondered how darned worked and the close-ups and commentary were great, as per usual
Goodness, not seen a darning mushroom since the 70s. My Nan had one for darning socks. Vintage books like that are wonderful though.
I have a darning mushroom, a darning egg and a darning disk...but, then again, I also sew historically accurate garments and need the darning things on occasion.
My great grandmother taught me how to darn many decades ago. Mine never did look as good as her's did.
Oh, you have caressed my little weaver's heart so sweetly!
Just a few days ago I was explaining to my father how most people I know hear the word Darn and think it’s a childish censor of a curse word, and how I know what it is, but lacked the knowledge to do it. Here comes Cathy with the best way for me to learn how all the while giggling and swearing along
I feel quite convicted by the "never wait for a hole" part of this. Thank you for the fantastic video, Cathy! I've tried quite a number of times to follow similar Victorian darning guides, and I've always ended up with something that looks distinctly wrong. This actually really helps me to better see what they're teaching!
P.s. this technique should only be used on fabrics. Knits (sweaters, scarves and mittens) get a different technique that mimics the V-pattern. 💖🌞🌵😷
i was wondering about that, thanks for the info!
@@tulsiclarity3228, Some people use today's video's technique on socks as it is usually hidden in shoes, but the swiss method (if you use matching yarn) is invisible, whilst darning on knits is very noticeable even with matching yarns because of the different textures. 💖🌞🌵😷
@@suzisaintjames ahh okay! i will definitely check that method out next time i have to darn socks, thanks again!
One more thing regarding darning knits using this method: in order to stop runs, you have to stitch through each of the loops left by the broken thread. Otherwise, the loops will continue to unravel. 💖🌞🌵😷
Thank you for translating the instructions for those of the left handed variety. I appreciate the altered instructions much more as I sew with my left.
Hearing Cathy’s voice get stronger and stronger is the exact kind of therapy I needed
My grandmother was not Victorian (Italian, from way up in the hills of Tuscany), but she taught me how to darn using those same rules (and I still have, and use, her darning egg). My better darns are nearly invisible - but I am happy with sturdy. Since most of what I use is pre-shrunk, I don't worry about the little loops. My (grown) girls both know how to darn, as well, and get many admiring (and unbelieving!) comments from friends on their skills. It can be a lot of fun to be a skill-dinosaur! Good for you, Cathy. If the point is to keep a favorite item functional and whole, in the end a bit of a messy darn is not an issue. Over time, they tend to nestle their way into the underlying structure and become increasingly hard to find.
Now I understand why vintage sewing machines have a darning plate and foot.
I only use machine darning on a garment that doesn't show or under a patch. (Machine darning under a patch strengthens the fabric and I think makes it more comfortable to wear.) 💖🌞🌵😷
That was worth a giggle observing Kathys' facial responses. Do wish she would do more instructionals.
Cathy's voice is getting so much better and it sounds wonderful.
5:28 Although that is good advice, I like to make mine heart shaped. 💖🌞🌵😷
I started to darn my socks after reading about it in Little Women, few years back. I should have done some research because I made matters worse! Thank you for this lesson, I have a few linen trousers in need of TLC
This is why I knit my stockings with afterthought heels, when they need darning I can just rip out the heel and reknit it! (I really hate darning.)
"Afterthought heels" is an awesome phrase
Oh - I think I would like to learn that!!! I have a pair or two of hand knit socks - i just can’t bear to throw away with all of that lovely lace!!
if only my wear and holes would stick the to the heels!! gah. it's usually the ball of the foot that wears for me... and i've yet to see an afterthought soul pattern
When I was a little girl my mother told me, "this is how you darn a sock. You take it to the bin, throw it in and say oh darn! Then you go and buy another one"😁😁😂. I've used that method all my life. It works very well. 😁
Ha! Cathy...when you said "B.H.!" ...I was left wondering if there was more to the origin of the name "DARNing" than one may first suspect.
After a lifetime of watching right-handed ladies teach left-handed students how to reverse engineer their instructions by using a mirror, it is sheer *Ecstasy* to watch a fellow 'sinister' work her magic! Thank you for an inspired lesson on darning.
LOVE this! Let’s all save our clothes! Also, the shot at the end is sooooooo satisfying!
Excellent video! Something I’ve always wanted to learn to do but didn’t have anyone to teach me. Thank you Cathy!
In the 1960s my grandmother was a tailoring instructor. She also learned the fine art of Reweaving. Finer than darning she literally rewove the fabric to repair the hole or tear. She wore magnifying glasses and used specialized needles to reweave the fabrics of fine wool that were torn or had a hole ( cigarette burns were the common culprits back then) she used the threads of the sample swatch that often came with the extra button sold with most fine garments to match the threads. Other times she scavenged thread from the fabric in the seam allowance or hem. It was fascinating! She needed the magnifying glasses to match the weave pattern exactly. The repairs were flawless and invisible. Men's suits and police uniforms were her staple customers.
Your patience is truly amazing. I probably would be running from the room on my first attempt but would persevere to master the art. After all, we as a society, throw away more things than we mend. The Victorians made each piece of clothes last and then used the fabric for cleaning cloths, smaller clothes -- say a ladies dress sized or fabric used for girl's dress. Hope all is well. And the Peacock Gown developing as it should. I for one, like your approach in making it.
Rewatching so many of your videos atm. They give me such calm while trying not to listen to my mother in law.
She had 1 year of "household classes" 50 years ago, hasn't held a needle or used a sewing machine since, but feels mightily superior on every level...
According to her im felling my seams wrong. It will only last in the double folded sewing machine way.
Switched to some English paper piecing for hand Quilting. There my seam allowances are wrong.
😑
God's above and below give me strength.
I'm a French teacher living in Turkey and I have literally nothing in common with sewing practices (and art) but I'm extremely excited when Ms. Cathy Hay uploads a new video and I'm hooked to every second of it! I've learned so much new, exciting things from her and it's sooo much fun to watch! Thank you for everything!
I know you know this, but always read directions all the way thru before beginning a piece of work. Then practice as the directions state. I do this always, which means hardly EvEr!
I understand the phrase "That's utter shite" down to my soul. Bravo on the last bit.
Oh my. Do I have the 'eyes' for this? I must say your - darn the purple against the white - looks quite decorative! A lovely & neat purple diamond! "Hand-weaving" describes the process precisely. Thank you!!
I’ve only ever darned socks, and never had a moment of teaching as to how to do it ‘properly’ yet this is eerily similar.
This came out just as I was about to experiment on my only work dress. I am *tremendously* grateful for this fortuitous timing. 🙏🏻
I'm actually rather excited because I do this with modern garments with non-shrinking thread and it has saved many of my favorite garments.
I absolutely love that you left in the frustration. Apart from learning how to darn clothes (which many of mine are in dire need of), I always have such a lovely time watching you figure something out. It gives me confidence when it comes my time to give it a go! Thanks Cathy!!
I made a pair of pants and found a hole in them the 2nd or third time I wore them. I didn't realise this video was going to be useful to me upon clicking on it.
And now I know why if you have something that went wrong like getting a hole in your clothes, you would say, "Darn it!"
1. I have been wanting to learn how to do this for a while and haven’t been brave enough to even look at where to begin, so thank you for doing this!
2. As a left-handed person, I did a literal happy dance when you began “translating”. While I’d love to learn how to do a lot of things that generally seem to be lost to my generation (dramatic, but you get the point), I thoroughly appreciate not having been trained out of the “evil” of my dominant hand in childhood as I would have been in the not-so-distant past…
I loved to darn and try to make it invisablely done. I mostly used embroidery floss for the variety of colors, cheaper floss has less sheen. I'm old and passed that time in my like. But I admire the skill of mending different weaves , fabric. Knits.
Omg that darning on the white fabric looked so stunning. Like embroidery! I learned to darn my favourite socks as a child from mum but they never looked so professional! I need a darning mushroom now!
I feel that general '???' energy so strongly
New techniques always start somewhere!
I got to the end if the pyjama pants thinking "see the pro's make stuff not perfect too!" And then you came along with your beautiful practice purple diamond and I thought "showoff!" 🤣 (seriously though, that practice piece looks beautiful! And I love the green thread!)
My Grandmother was an expert clothing repairer and alterations person. Self-taught as well. She was born 0101 1901 in a small town in the United States. Her sewing machine area was in a small section of the dining room. She loved to also make crazy quilts, tat, crochet, embroider, etc. It all would seem to be learned back then. Weaving repairs is a very useful ability, especially with woolen garments. Extends their life and use.
Oh! this reminds me so much of my Mother, struggling to impart darning technique into my 9 year old head. It never did stick and I patch, and have patched merrily from preference ever since. Thank you for the nostalgic reminder.
Just as I was wondering how to fix my favourite top and prevent a hole that is about to start in my favourite dress. Perfect timing!
This was remarkably timely. I just bought a lovely darning egg so I can reinforce some of my favorite socks that are irreplaceable since they were given to me and purchased in a different country.
I really like using embroidery thread for darning. You can choose how many of the 6 strands to use for the weight of fabric and if you collect them over time, you’ll have a use variety of colour!
Oh my goodness, the parentheticals were gold. I laughed so hard!!! Thank you for this utterly delightful foray into darning - and I just figured out why it's called that!! It's a nice euphemism for all the swear words you utter while doing it!!!!!
I love it when historical TH-camrs give practical sewing advice. I still like when we watch the projects they are working on, but I love this sort of thing even more. Perhaps that's just me. 😅
So wonderful to listen to this as hand quilt! Thank you for sharing and your energy!
My Gran taught me to darn back in the old days. Is a really useful skill on sweaters at the elbows, where you follow the knit or purl with leftover yarn from the first knitting. I was taught to look for a small length of yarn and a button in a little pouch fastened inside the garment, as the sign of a quality sweater, or Jumper. She often replaced worn heels or toes in grandpa's handmade woolen socks. She showed me how sometimes, with extensive wear, it was faster and easier to just save the sock cuffs and re-knit the feet. If she had to replace one toe or heel entirely, she would do all four sections in the pair of socks in a contrasting color so the repair looked fashionable and intentional. She sometimes doubled the yarn in these areas in work socks for the inside of heavy boots as they were softer and more comfortable when thicker.
My Mother use to say, "A stitch in time saves nine." and then she'd say, "If a task is set before you, don't idly sit and view it, but go ahead and do it."
it's still in my head.
I darned many, many things while growing up in the 70's and 80's. Our family just couldn't afford to replace clothes. We used a burned out light bulb since we didn't even have a darning mushroom.
@twheels Pro tip. Don't squeeze too tightly. Picking glass out of fingers and fabric is not fun. Just use common sense and you should be OK.
Just in time. I have a stack of clothes I want to mend instead of trashing. And can’t sew so it’s been a little intimidating. This was just what I needed to help me get started.
I would like to mend more clothes as they wear out. I recently fixed my comforter, but it had such a hole in it I just added a new piece of fabric and patched it. This...this would take a bit to learn. Your work on the fabric at the end would have made the person writing the book proud, I think.
Nice! My great-grandmother tried (and failed) to teach me. Oh how I wish I had paid attention! But it was 1968, I was twelve and thought her ways were good for her but not for me. Thank you for sharing from tha lovely old book!
When my friend made me a pair of wool socks, she made me promise that I would bring her the socks before they would have gaping holes in them so she can do the darning 😆
Purely delightful
I found out that I only knew part of darning
I love hearing such a gentle modulated voice, in such a delightful crisp accent, reading precice archaic instructions, still immensely useful.
I am aware of the awkward & disheartening struggle of you. Dear Professor, to regain your specific voice. My best wishes & hopes go out to you. Still, my selfish hope is that you will choose a soft voice for at least some of your future videos, provided that you eventually have the luxurious option to make that choice.
I love that there is a "visible mending" movement now. An invisible mend is impressive, but there is something nice about an obvious mend. The hard work involved is on display, which can start discussions about respecting and repairing garments (particularly important in an age where many people don't know what darning is). I mend my fiancé's socks using the Swiss method, and it is fun to do both invisible and playful patches. I feel pretty comfortable using the Swiss method, but darning holes (rather than thinned areas) is still intimidating. Mending is time-consuming and can be...tricky, so there is a lot of love involved. It makes me happy knowing that my fiancé is walking around on the socks that I have mended for him.
I was given my great grandma's darning mushroom for my birthday last year - it's got a fair bit of use so far, but I was making it up as I went along. Seems I was doing the right thing though, but it's little things like leaving loops that I hadn't thought of that really make a difference