Category: Mending

Apr 15

Strictly Come Darning!

 

If you’ve been wanting to learn the basics of darning in a tidy and structured way, come along to my new class: Strictly Come Darning!

You’ll try your hand at stockinet darning, Swiss darning, and linen darning. This will be mostly a hand-work class, but we’ll take a look at how you’d go about darning by machine too.

Swiss darning

Swiss darning

 

The first scheduled Strictly Come Darning! class will be at Jumble Jelly, 10 Silver Street, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, BA15 1JY on Friday 3rd May, 10am to 1pm. To book your place, phone the shop on 01225 866033.

 

NB If I handed you a flyer yesterday (attached to a reel of vintage tacking cotton) at Bath Artisan Market, the date printed there was incorrect: please note that this class is on the 3rd May and not the 4th, as stated. Thank you! Do feast your eyes on this delicious write-up of yesterday’s Make-Do-and-Mend-themed Bath Artisan Market c/o Captured by Lucy.

 

 

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Posted in Classes, Grand days out, Mending, Thrift

Apr 10

Bath Artisan Market

 

This month’s Bath Artisan Market at Green Park Station on Sunday 14th April has a Make Do & Mend theme, and the Big Mend will be there all day with a pop-up mending workshop.

If you’re in Bath and happen to have something needing a new button attached, a seam fixed, or maybe a hole darned, come on down! We’ll show you how. And it’s FREE! More about the Big Mend mending socials over here.

This Sunday’s market also brings you the Big Bath Clothes Swap, screenprinting for the kids (c/o Happy Inkers), and plenty of local gourmet food. Now we just need the Great British spring weather to co-operate! If you aren’t coming by public transport, by bike or on foot, there’s free parking for an hour and a half in the Sainsbury’s and Homebase car parks.

Bath Artisan Market Make Do and Mend Day

 

If you’re on Twitter, follow Bath Artisan Market for latest news and updates. This market happens every second Sunday of the month. Hope to see you this Sunday!

PS I’d welcome some willing volunteers to help with the stall. If you can spare half an hour on Sunday, do get in touch. No previous darning experience necessary!

 

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Posted in Bath places, Grand days out, Mending, Thrift, vintage buttons, Vintage fabrics, Vintage sewing machines

Mar 23

Green Living Fair

 

I’ll be taking a pop-up mending workshop to the Green Living Fair in Bath tomorrow, Sunday 24th March, 10am to 4pm. If you’re within striking distance and fancy trying your hand at Swiss darning or adding some really beautiful patches to your favourite jacket or cardi, drop by the Big Mend stall any time between 10am and 4pm. You’re very welcome to bring items that need mending to get free advice on how best to repair them. 

Green Living Fair: 24th March in Green Park Station, Bath

Green Living Fair: 24th March in Green Park Station, Bath

 

You’ll also find 40 other green community organisations, local businesses and installers running activities, selling their produce and products, and sharing their expertise.

You can make your own pedal powered fruit smoothie, pet the pygmy goat (12pm-2pm), bring your bike and get it checked out for free at the Dr Bike clinic, have a go at eco arts and crafts, and much more.

There will be a marquee of topical talks running throughout the day covering home, energy and environmental themes.

You can book a 30 minute appointment to talk to an architect in the Ask the Architect Zone to discuss plans, schemes and dreams for large or small projects and The Royal Institute of British Architects’ 21st Century Living Exhibition, featuring images of fantastic local architectural achievements, will also be on show.

It’s all under cover so no need to worry about the weather!

The Green Living Fair is part of the Bath Green Homes project which features over 20 events throughout March & April including talks, activities and workshops which aim to help people make their homes warmer, greener and cheaper to run. There will be an Open Homes Weekend on 13th & 14th April showcasing inspiring examples of energy efficient homes across Bath.

To find out more you can:

Hope to see you there!

 

 

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Posted in Bath places, Grand days out, Mending

Mar 01

Sylvia’s marvelous darner

Sylvia Darning by Harold Gilman [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Sylvia Darning by Harold Gilman, 1917

 

I keep my eyes peeled for interesting images of darning. This painting by British impressionist Harold Gilman (1876-1919)  is currently my favourite. ‘Sylvia Darning’ is dated 1917. I love it’s palpable coolth (is that a word? It should be). I don’t know much at all about Gilman, other than what Wikipedia tells me, but would love to find out more. Doesn’t that vase really sing out from the middle of the table? If you’d like to see the original canvas and soak up the colours, I’m afraid you’ll have to schlep to the Yale Center for British Art. It’s a bit more of an effort for me than Rode in Somerset where Gilman was born; that’s just 21 miles away.

I’m also a partial to old darning implements (you would never have guessed!). Here is one I acquired recently: the “Marvel Darner”. Excuse the violent orange background but I got a little carried away.

Marvel Darner

Marvel Darner

 

The Marvel darner measures just a couple of inches across and is effectively a miniature velvet board with densely packed metal wires set into a small wooden frame. The idea is that it grips the holey sock, giving the mender a stable base on which to work. No stretching, gaping sock hole. How marvelous! At least, that’s the idea. I don’t know how well it works yet as I haven’t tested it. The instructions, on a small paper label glued to the top, read:

The “MARVEL DARNER” CORNELL’S PATENT

DIRECTIONS.

Push left hand into garment.

Place gripping surface direct on worn part.

Keeping exact size & shape, turn inside out and darn in usual way.

Never push darner into stocking or sleeve.

Pat. No. 159770.

PRICE 1/6

 

Marvel Darner label

Marvel Darner label

 

I so wanted to imagine that Sylvia was using one of these when she sat for that painting, but the painting precedes the darner by three years, so it can’t be; Edwin List Cornell filed his patent entitled Improvements in and relating to darners on 29th March 1920. Here’s how he summed up his darning innovation:

‘A darning-block is provided with a surface made up of the ends 4′ of wires or the like. The wires may be mounted upon a backing and secured in a recess cut in the head of the block. In place of recessing the block, the wires may be surrounded with a ring secured to the block.’

The patent was finally published a year later on 10th March 1921. I’ve also seen aluminium versions of the Marvel, which I assume are later than the wooden one, but that’s my conjecture, judging by the typography. One of the boxes for the aluminium version quotes the manufacturer as:

 E Cornell & Sons, 54 Lower Thames Street, London, EC5.

So what is this ominous notice from the The London Gazette of 19th May 1925?

MARVEL DARNER COMPANY Limited.

NOTICE is hereby given, pursuant to section
188 of the Companies (Consolidation) Act,
1908, that a Meeting of the creditors of the above
named Company will be held at Chancery-lane
Station Chambers, High Holborn. London, W.C. 1,
on Thursday, the 21st day of May, 1925, at
2 o’clock.
(094) J. L. GOODWIN, Liquidator.

Presumably this isn’t Cornell‘s company? Surely he was trading as ‘E Cornell & Sons’? His product explicitly includes ‘Cornell’ in the name. Could the Marvel Darner Company Ltd have been making this  ’Marvel’ darning product, a sewing machine attachment which crops up in an Australian newspaper advertisement in October of the same year? Or did Edwin have a darning company which ran into insolvency and then resumed production under another company later? Mysterious. What do you think?

I haven’t been able to discover much more about inventor Cornell, beyond the clue in that company name that he had a family. He continued to tinker with domestic equipment after he developed his darner, filing the patent Improved device for separating cream from milk (January 1932), and Improvements appertaining to domestic pans and the like (April 1935). Other than those patents, I can find no further information about him. Harold Gilman had died of Spanish flu way back in 1919, and heaven knows who Sylvia was or what ever became of her. Some days you really wish you had a time machine. Improved, of course.

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Posted in Mending, Vintage haberdashery

Feb 11

Swiss darning

 

I have to confess a new addiction. Without a couple of lines a day I start to feel cranky.

Don’t worry. It’s only Swiss darning! Yes, this mending technique is very more-ish indeed. It’s perfect for thinning areas that haven’t become properly holey yet: the sole of a sock or the elbow of a sweater. It can also be used to reinforce areas in anticipation of heavy wear. There are really wonderful decorative possibilities (Tom is the master!) but I am currently plodding along with the very basic version.

First, a few practicalities. Unlike regular darning, this can be worked from the front of the garment, which I really like as you can see exactly what you’re doing and it feels much more controlled. A darning mushroom is useful to keep your work well supported, though don’t over-stretch it. The yarn you choose should be the same weight and type of fibre as the rest of the garment; if wool, you want to aim for roughly 15-25% nylon content for improved wear. Bespoke darning yarns are ideal as they tend to have that proportion of nylon, but it’s also fun to experiment with odds and ends so it’s worth testing whatever leftover yarn you happen to have lying around  (tapestry, for example). Make sure you’re using about an arm’s length of yarn: more and it will be prone to tangle, less and you’ll be forever finishing off and restarting. Use a yarn-darning needle, meaning a blunt one; a pointed one will tend to split the fibres.

I invested in three pairs of John Arbon Textiles‘ Shetland wool socks a couple of years ago, and they were so comfy I wore them to death. They all became very thin across the ball of my foot; I think this indicates the high wool (or low nylon) content of the body of the sock; the contrast toe caps and heels appear to be made of something more robust. This pattern of wear might also indicate my lack of slippers, a situation which has now been rectified.

Swiss darning completed

You can see the thinning here.

Swiss darning in progress

The method for Swiss darning is to follow the line of the knitted stitches. With stocking stitch this means going in and out two holes above, in and out two holes below. And repeat. And repeat. And repeat. You quickly get into a rhythm and learn to identify the right holes. Keeping the tension even takes a little getting used to.

Swiss darning

Shh! Darning in progress.

Swiss darning in progress

I was using up odds and ends of darning yarn, so repaired the other sock in navy blue (and it didn’t look quite so good).

And here’s my second pair, one sock down. I’ve experimented with different ways of working in the ends, and I think I’m getting generally better at it.

By the way, that green stuff is a vintage skein of Botany mending yarn. As Swiss darning consumes a lot of yarn, you do need quite a bit to complete two socks. These skeins are ideal for the job, but I haven’t found any new darning yarn available in any quantity. Just smallish cards. If you happen to know where to buy the stuff in bulk, please let me know.

IMG_3095

Next I plan to unpick the inferior darning job I did on my blue socks and rework those, still in a similarly bright colour. And then I’m looking forward to reinforcing some elbow patches. I find this such a soothing, satisfying way of mending a knitted garment; it really does feel like an authentic, robust way of rebuilding a fabric. Here’s a page from the vintage needlework book I was following: Dressmaking and Needlework by Catherine A. Place, published in 1953. I hope you’ll have a go too.

IMG_3040

 

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Posted in Mending, Thrift, Vintage books, Vintage haberdashery

Feb 04

Scrap of the week #28

 

Here’s a little pile of corduroy scraps, waiting for their moment in the spotlight.

IMG_3039

Corduroy scraps

 

When my lovely neighbour took a tumble down her stairs (thanks to that pesky balance problem) and landed with her legs tangled up in the banister rail, she thankfully suffered nothing worse than a set of spectacular bruises. And her corduroy trousers were ripped across one knee.

My neighbour is a total sweetheart, so I happily took in a pile of mending from her (Warning: anyone else, please don’t ask!). Most of it I repaired inconspicuously, even invisibly, but when it came to the trousers I thought I’d give her a talking point; she’d already told me that she considered them rag, so anything I could do would be happily received.

Time to look through my scrap pile. That kingfisher blue jumped out at me screaming “STITCH ME!”. A little subtle overcasting and the repair was done.

IMG_3029

Kingfisher patch

 

Yes, maybe it’s a little… obvious. Even a tad toddler.

Question: if you were the other side of seventy, would you be happy to wear such a conspicuous repair? I’d love to know. I’ll report back on how my neighbour is getting on – whether she is wearing her little flash of kingfisher blue beyond the confines of the house.

 

 

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Posted in Mending, Rag, Scrap of the week, Thrift

Jan 07

The Big Mend in Bradford-on-Avon

 

Mrs. Sew-and-Sew darns

I’m delighted to announce that 2013 brings with it a new monthly incarnation of the Big Mend, now in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire.

The Bradford-on-Avon mending social meets the first Tuesday of the month at Jumble Jelly in Silver Street. First meeting: Tuesday 8th January. Drop in any time from 10am till noon. As is usual for the Big Mend sessions, there’s no charge to attend – just grab your mending and turn up. The Big Mend is really about sharing skills, finding new ways to repair clothing, and having a good old natter. Mending materials will be available to purchase, if needed, but there’s no obligation to buy anything at all.

If you’re closer to Bath, our original mending social still meets at the Museum of Bath at Work in Camden Works, Julian Road, on the last Wednesday of the month, 7-9pm. Next meet-up: 30th January.

Would you be interested in setting up a mending social in your area? If so, please contact eirlysATscrapianaDOTcom for further details.

 

 

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Posted in Bath places, Mending, Thrift

Nov 19

Scrap of the week #26

 

This is another little something I nabbed at the Selvedge Winter Fair.

Dyeworks scrap bundle

It set me back all of a fiver: not bad for Chelsea! But just feast your eyes on the scrumptious array of naturally dyed linen and hemp scraps. They really are textile treasure, the handiwork of Polly Lyster of Dyeworks, based almost in my neck of the woods in Gloucestershire. Polly is a dyer who also sells wonderful antique textiles. You may have seen her featured in the pages of Selvedge magazine. Her wares are impeccable; even her card is simply beautiful, painstakingly printed on an old-fashioned letterpress.

Dyeworks scraps

Polly went through all the scraps with me, kindly telling me what product had been used to dye each piece. Foolishly, I didn’t write it all down at the time and forgot some of what she said in all the Selvedge excitement. but I remember that the top one is madder, the yellow has some onion skin. Most have been dyed and then over-dyed, so colours achieved are endlessly, subtly variable.

What will I use them for? Well, I may combine them patchworkily with some indigos bought last year at the quilt show in Birmingham. I’d love to embroider on them. They are so tactile that they positively cry out to be handled, so I think they’d make lovely purses or tool wraps. I’m imagining these would come in handy should I ever be called on to visibly mend an antique shepherd’s smock. Yes, a little unlikely, but you never know. Don’t you think that the next time Monty Don snags an ugly hedge tear in his favourite Old Town gardening jacket, this type of fabric would make the ideal start to an artisanal patch repair? Nothing too perfect, mind. Do keep watching Gardeners’ World and just remember that you heard it suggested here first!

 

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Posted in Grand days out, Mending, Scrap of the week

Oct 22

Scrap of the week #24

 

Gone so long and no excuse note. Sorry, the dog ate my blog posts.

I’ve been fully absorbed by a handful of projects, one of which is guiding my eldest son through the serpentine process of applying for university. If you’re doing likewise, my sympathies. I’d rather stick pins in my eyes.

I’m also having persistent difficulty getting Flickr and WordPress to communicate with each other via Safari. Anyone else had the same problem? And how did you solve it? At the moment I’m having to compose posts on other family members’ computers. Very meh.

Anyway, I finally have a Scrap of the Week to show you. It’s a piece of sweet floral barkcloth, part of a pair of curtains (complete with gathered pelmet) which a good friend spotted for me recently. Not being a textiles expert, I’m guessing 1950s, but please correct me if you are able. The set is half rotten and (one assumes) about to shred to ribbons. Therefore, I haven’t dared wash it yet, though it’s a little grotty and stained and deserves laundering. I may give it a gentle soak with something benign in the bathtub, in the same way that I washed this.

But just look at the darning! Not exactly expert but determined.

Darned barkcloth curtain

There are several areas of repair. The story they tell! Somebody really loved their floral curtains. Have made no plans for this lot yet. What would you do with it? About 4 metres in all. More pictures over on Flickr.

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Posted in Mending, Scrap of the week, Thrift, Vintage fabrics

Aug 09

The latch ladder mender

 

The Latch Ladder Mender

The Latch Ladder Mender

 

Here’s a little vintage gizmo I used for the first time at last month’s the Big Mend in Bath. Someone brought a fine-mesh knitted cardigan with a popped seam and a little ladder, so we used this old stocking-repair device to remedy the latter.

It’s a cute little tool – basically a tiny version of rug-making latch-hook – and works well, though using it requires youthfully sharp eyesight and is a little fiddly (opening and closing the latch), but not so hard. I’m sure that, as the packet firmly indicates, practice would make perfect. A small crochet hook would have done the job almost as well.

Ladder mender

Teeny weeny latch hook

 

See how tiny it is?

Quaintly, the instructions (printed on the brown paper envelope) advise to stretch your stocking repair over an egg-cup. In case you can’t see the pictures, here’s what the packet says:

 

THE LATCH LADDER MENDER.

Instructions.

1. Stretch ladder across eggcup or hand.

2. Insert hook behind end of ladder to catch up last loop.

3. Work needle up and down and pick up dropped stitches.

4. Fasten off last stitch with silk and tie inside stocking.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT.


Got any tips for repairing ladders in knitted garments? Or for mending modern stockings or tights? Have you ever seen one of these old ladder repairers? Or something similar? Do share!

 

 

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Posted in Mending, Vintage haberdashery

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