thumb|"Cashmere darn", a fine darning technique for [[twill fabric

  • 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.

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 twills, chevrons, 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.

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. 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 knitting spool. Darning looms were sold during World War Two clothing rationing in the United Kingdom and in Canada, and some are homemade.

Pattern darning

right|thumb|Pattern darning

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 and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Mexico and Peru.

Pattern darning is also used as a filling stitch in blackwork embroidery.

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.

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.

See also

  • Mending
  • Conservation and restoration of textiles
  • Boro
  • Invisible mending

References

Further reading

  • Reader's Digest Oxford Dictionary p. 1001.CS.