Monday 27 May 2013

Darning a Hole in a Woollen Cardigan...


I was NOT happy when I recently discovered a hole in one of my favourite, woollen garments; a Country Road cardigan. I've had this cardigan for a few years now, but good woollen garments should last a long time. I don't know if I've caught it on something or whether it's a moth hole.


I knew I wouldn't be able to mend the hole so the repair was invisible, but it was certainly worth trying to fix so the cardigan could still be worn. 


Ideally, I would have darned the hole with wool, but I couldn't find either darning wool, or wool that was thin enough. Instead, I've used ordinary sewing thread, in this case, Rasant (polyester core, covered with cotton).


Working on the wrong side of the cardigan, I've sewn small stitches in rows up and down, going in the direction of the knitting.


Then I changed directions and sewed back and forth across the first rows of stitching.


The picture above shows the darn on the wrong side of the cardigan. The picture below shows the darn on the outside.

It's certainly not an invisible mend or an example of good darning, but it has made the cardigan wearable again. Sadly, it's not a good cardigan any more. I won't be wearing it as part of a dressy outfit,  but it'll be OK as an everyday cardigan.


Due to the position of the newly mended hole, there's a few creases or folds, which make it harder to see the darn.


If you would like to learn how to darn, here are a few links to tutorials. Most suggest using a darning egg. As I don't own a darning egg, I just used my fingers. One of the tutorials also suggests that with knitted fabrics, the second rows of stitching should be diagonal to the first, instead of at 90ยบ as I've done. Maybe I'll try that method next time. 
I can most certainly improve my darning skills, but hopefully the next practice won't be on one of my favourite garments.

... Pam



11 comments:

  1. Why is it always the best clothes that get holes?! Great that you could fix it, I need to learn to darn!

    Alison
    x

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  2. Darning! Now there is a lost art :) I have a darning mushroom somewhere but it hasn't seen the light of day for years!

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  3. Well worth the bother to save a favorite piece!

    I tried darning rather than patching some corduroys a few weeks ago. Haven't done that in a LONG time! I took the easy way out and used my machine. I topped the darning stitching with a decorative stitch in the same color as the fabric that blends in well. Even if you do notice the mending, it looks much nicer than a patch.

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  4. bummer on the hole! The fix looks pretty good. I have a couple sweaters that I've set aside due to holes. I'll have to try darning...

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  5. Thankyou for your fabulous tutorial.

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  6. What a great tip. Thank you for sharing.

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  7. I can't even notice it when you're wearing it! Thanks for sharing this technique! :) Lisa

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  8. so clever Pam! I have no idea how to fix things like this!

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  10. Thanks for the tips and the links! I usually do not even try to fix the holes, wear them until the holes are just too big ... :D

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  11. Good save! Thanks for posting the links. I definitely prefer to try and salvage clothing instead of pitching it because there's a hole.:)

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