Does anybody 'darn' anymore?

Having a bit of fun yesterday so I thought I owed you all a serious post. So my question is whether or not anybody 'darns' any more?

I remember my mother and grandmother darning socks and jumpers when I was a kid. They would patch up a sock and it would feel like a lump inside of my shoe. I know that overall clothes have become much cheaper and it may not be worthwhile. I also remember my mother cutting bits of elastic and sewing the ends together and these were used to hold your socks up (and cut off your blood supply).

One other thing I remember was my mum sewing patches inside of my jeans after I wore a hole in them .. nowadays I see DW will take a stanley knife to a brand new pair of jeans to put holes in them :confused: How times have changed.

Ivan


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Comments

  • mrs_mix
    mrs_mix Posts: 1,800
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    No I don't darn socks at sportsworld are cheaper than the thread to do the darning
    I will however repair stuff that can be repaired seams hems ect have been known to put the odd patch on here and there but with clothes becoming cheaper I see if it is worth it first
    pam xx
    I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was going to blame you

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  • Gingham_Ribbon
    Gingham_Ribbon Posts: 31,520
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    I have been toying with the idea of getting a sewing machine. My toddler's trousers are always too long and have to be turned up and every single pair of my husband's trousers have large holes in the knees. I'd like to turn up trousers and patch them too but am not sure how to start.

    As for darning, I used to always repair my woollen tights back in my docs and tassly skirts days. As for socks, I just wear them with holes in till there's more hole than sock.
    May all your dots fall silently to the ground.
  • mrs_mix
    mrs_mix Posts: 1,800
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    I use an iron on web stuff to turn up trousers no sewing just a hot iron although I do own a sewing machine and it does get some use from time to time I was going to make a lot of dd clothes but I found it was more expensive to buy the material than to buy a fineshed product eg:-school trousers I paid £10 for the material thread ect to make 1 pair and I could buy them in asda for £2.50 a pair
    although there is some satisfaction in seeing someone in something you've made
    pam xx
    I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was going to blame you

    I am one of the English sexy Shelias
    I'm also a hussy
  • Topher
    Topher Posts: 640
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    Yes I darn, and as a student (12 years ago) I even darned and sewed pants to ensure a longer life. I quite enjoy darning, as I was taught not to "cobble" (the lumpy darns that you can feel) but to darn woven style with single thread or two ply. I last darned about three weeks ago.
    In my 1940s stuff I have several darning mushrooms, there is a duplicate of the bakelite one that you put batteries in so that it lights up from within the darn on E-Bay - Pretty useless.

    Topher
  • catznine
    catznine Posts: 3,192
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    I remember being taught to darn using the weaving method! I very rarely darn now though. Used to darn my thick winter tights as they were expensive!
    Our days are happier when we give people a bit of our heart rather than a piece of our mind.

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  • Becles
    Becles Posts: 13,163
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    I don't darn socks but I do mend other clothes, especially stuff that belongs to the boys. They have mended jogging bottoms etc., that are now "playing out clothes" as I'm not so bothered if they get torn again, or filthy!

    Last September my eldest got 2 new pairs of school trousers. In the first week back, he managed to break the zip on one pair and put the knee out of the second pair :mad: I patched the knee with that iron on mending fabric, and managed to put a new zip in the other pair as I was loathed to buy more.
    Here I go again on my own....
  • Emmy
    Emmy Posts: 1,929 Forumite
    I do darn!!! and I love sewing :D I get 'lost' in a world of my own and find it really relaxing :D
    :heartpuls Number 1 Aunty Gok fan :heartpuls
  • newleaf
    newleaf Posts: 3,132
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    I wish I could darn! Mr newleaf always wears holes in the elbows of his jumpers. Can you still buy those leather patches to sew on sleeves? (and if so, where?)
    Official DFW Nerd No 096 - Proud to have dealt with my debt!
  • My DS makes holes in his socks very often. I sew them up(not really darn them) unless they are thin elsewhere. As he mainly wears sports socks its easy. What I generally do to save money on socks though is to bu a pack of six identical pairs. That way, when one is past using you only throw away one sock instead of a pair as they will pair up agiain later with another od sock. In saying that he often wears odd socks-as they are all white except for a stripe or two on the yop, nobody is the wiser. I have mended trousers with iron-on and sew-on patches but its a no-no these days. Got away with allsorts of mending when they were small but not any more.
    Annual Grocery budget 2018 is £1500 pa £125 calendar month £28.84 pw for 3 adults
  • Poppy9
    Poppy9 Posts: 18,833
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    The only repairs I do are sewing hems back up and re-attaching buttons. There is an art to sewing on buttons i.e. you wind the thread around the back of the button a few times to make it stand proud and be harder wearing.

    I never learnt to darn as my mother was so darn good at it:p

    I had to relearn knitting a couple of years ago when DD decided she wanted to learn. I had to search websites to find out how to cast on and off as I had completely forgotton:o !! DD picked up knitting very quickly even though I am right handed and she is left handed. I just couldn't work out how to reverse the method so she knits right handedly no prob.

    Ivan - did your mother turn your collar and cuffs. My mother used to do that with my father and brother's shirts.
    :) ~Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.~:)
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