for the purpose intended, and need joining to additional bands. To
accomplish this neatly, overlap the edges for about 1 in., letting
every bar lie exactly in a line with the one underneath. Tack them in
place, and cover with cross-stitch in the groundwork colour, drawing
the wool rather tightly at the join, to keep the double thickness as
flat as the rest of the work. In the same way squares for Berlin wool
carpets are united. Borders with a running or broken pattern are more
easily connected, as the scroll, spray, &c., merely require matching;
but with equidistant medallions or geometrical figures the necessary
space has often to be made up by letting in strips of canvas. The
same process can be applied to tapestry repairing, which now comes
more within the sphere of ladies’ work, thanks to the introduction of
the faded tints, so much admired. Time-worn or worm-eaten spots are
cut away, and a piece of new canvas basted outside the hole. Then,
with wool matching precisely each tint, the decayed part is copied in
again, perhaps with the alteration of a stitch here or there, to make
it meet unbrokenly the original work; if well done the replenishing
cannot be detected. In woven tapestries the woof threads, after a
lapse of years, give way, and countless slits make their appearance
between the ribs. These may be effectually mended by drawing together
the breaks, with crewels of the same colour, fastening off on the
wrong side by passing the needle in and out 2 or 3 tapestry threads.
If extremely worn a good strengthening is a backing of stout crash.
_Carpet Joining._--Felts and all light fabrics are simply seamed
by flat sewing; but in Brussels, Wilton, and thick piles the joins
to lie smooth are connected by passing the needle in and out first
one edge and then the other. Should the seam set full, dashing on
a little water will rectify it. If in case of accidental burns,
&c., the carpet has to be mended on the floor, the only available
plan consists in placing on the patch, and securing both surfaces
by darning. Repairing carpets when up gives the opportunity of
strengthening patches, hems, &c., by felling stout webbing on the
wrong side. When stair carpets require binding, the webbing matches
the predominant colour in the pattern.
_Matting Seams._--These are made in the following manner: Bring the
two edges together, take a straight stitch over both, pass the needle
slantwise under one edge, and through the adjacent one. Thus the
right side presents a row of slight sewing, the wrong a series of
sloping stitches taking in one selvedge only.
_Velvet Joining._--Faults or cuts, &c., in velvet and plush are
concealed by very careful seaming on the wrong side. The needle
enters half the thickness of the material (Fig. 165), leaving no
stitches visible on the upper surface, and the sewing is drawn till
the edges just meet and no more. Care must be taken to work in all
stray filaments that no fluffiness disturbs the smoothness of the
pile. When finished make the seam still firmer by rows of darning, 4
or 5 stitches in height, and running parallel to the sewing; leave
no loops, but pass a horizontal stitch from one darning line to the
other (Fig. 166). The preceding is also adapted to satin repairing,
though on account of the close shiny surface this cannot be quite as
satisfactorily made. Complete the mending by passing the wrong side
of the fabric over a cool iron, the steam of which raises the pile.
[Illustration: 165. 166. Velvet Joining. 167. Laced Joining.]
_Laced Joining_ (Fig. 167) consists in the uniting of torn edges of a
slit accidentally made by a thorn, knife, or scissors. In every home
it is constantly needed for the temporary repair of those well-known
three-cornered rents caused by mischievous nails, knobs, spikes,
&c. Laced joining is also the only way of stopping cracks in old
silk dresses, umbrellas, and parasols; for the latter being neatly
strengthened and concealed by a narrow galloon run on both right
and wrong sides. To execute the seam, trim the torn edges, and draw
them together, holding the work between the thumb and fourth finger
of the left hand. Imitate a kind of lacing thus: point the needle
from the chest, and pass it under the right edge; turn the needle in
the contrary direction, and slip it beneath the left edge, and so
on. Be sure to take in enough of the fabric to bear the stitches,
which are to be as close as necessary for the material. Judgment is
indispensable also for the placing of the stitches; a knife-cut in
a delicate material has a sharply defined edge, and can be drawn
together straight to a thread, but in a jagged or worn part the
stitches enter more or less deeply into the worn part, according to
the state of the piece.
_Fine-drawing._--This is almost exclusively used by tailors in their
beautiful repairs, and is suitable for all kinds of cloth and thick
woollen textures. The method of working is as follows: Having, if
possible, turned the article wrong side outwards, place the rent
horizontally across the second and third fingers of the left hand.
Thread the needle with very fine sewing silk, and slip it between
the cloth nearly ¼ in. from one edge. Bring the needle out and take
a tiny stitch on the top of the cloth, slip it through the fabric
back to the edge again, then insert into the opposite side, repeat
the small stitch, and return in the same manner. Continue thus to
the end. If skilfully done the seam can scarcely be unripped, and
completely defies detection, provided all the cloth be the right way
of the grain. Fine-drawing comes in excellently for connecting stars,
&c., in cloth patchwork. For more ordinary purposes an invisible,
though not equally strong join, is by a flat sewing taken midway
through the thickness of the stuff. In either case the repair needs
careful pressing.
=Darning.=--The plain, or ordinary darn, was for a long time the only
one employed in repairing any material, whether linen or woollen;
the materials, soft darning cotton, merino, Angola worsted or Berlin
wool, and filoselle, rather finer than the fabric to be mended.
In using filoselle for darning or for embroidery, it is necessary to
feel for the right way of the thread, or the filoselle will become
rough and work against the grain. Before threading your needle,
draw the filoselle through your finger and thumb, and you will soon
learn to know the difference between the smooth and the rough way.
A great help in feeling anything is to shut the eyes. When you buy
new stockings and socks, do not wear them until you have sewed them
over heel and toe. There is an open bar in heels and toes that soon
breaks, unless secured by sewing over. To do this, stretch the heel
or toe very tightly over your left hand; this opens these little
bars, and enables you to see holes top and bottom, when you can sew
them over. You must not do it like herringboning, but straight, and
from left to right. This plan prevents many a darn.
_The Plain Darn_ is not limited to the repairing of house linen or
garments; it is also applied to carpets, curtains, tapestry hangings,
and even chair cushions and covers, which all need a close inspection
after a periodical cleaning. For all these we mostly have recourse
to the darn called _point de reprise_--the great distinction between
this and the _point de toile_ being that, instead of precisely taking
up one and leaving down one, it consists in taking up and leaving
down an irregular number of stitches, according to the value and
strength of the material. The _point de reprise_ is also used in
lace-making, embroidery, wool and guipure work; besides, on account
of its quick execution, it is generally chosen for the mending of
stockings. Materials: A darning or egg-eyed needle, and either
cotton, silk, merino, Angola, or linen thread. Method of working:
When a hole has to be mended it may be prepared in two ways, either
by drawing together all the broken threads as nearly as possible into
their original position, and securing them with a needle and fine
cotton, or by cutting off all irregularities, and carefully paring
the edges; the latter method is undoubtedly the neater. Hold the
part to be mended well stretched over the first and second fingers
of the left hand, and for the foundation proceed as follows: Point
the needle from the chest, and make an ascending row of regular
perpendicular stitches, leaving a rather long loop to allow for
stretching or shrinking in washing. For the descending row turn the
needle towards the chest, and return in the same manner, taking up
the thread left down in the preceding row, thus inverting the order
of stitches; continue to do this till the hole is well covered by
a series of long threads parallel to each other. Crossing: Place
the work so that the threads run horizontally, and darn as before,
commencing the same distance from the sides, as from the upper and
lower edge, or else a hole will soon make its unwelcome appearance
close to the new darn. A little judgment is necessary in deciding the
closeness of the stitches, as it is evident that a worn-out material
will not bear such close and heavy mending as a comparatively new
one. The best mode of covering a plain darn is that which gives it
the form of a cross; to this there are a few exceptions, such as the
diagonal darn and the double square darn shown in Fig. 169.
[Illustration: 168. Plain Darn. 169. Double Square Darn.]
_Double Square Darn._--When a fabric wears gradually from actual
age, the hole is more generally confined to one spot, but in these
accidental slits the damage extends over a considerable portion of
the material, while the latter is still sound, hence the necessity
of specially shaped darns, in which the crossing to avoid clumsiness
merely covers the part suddenly torn. The double square darn is
principally used for sheets, tablecloths, &c., which have been blown
about by the wind while drying, and caught by an unlucky thorn or
nail. Materials: A fine darning needle and linen thread. Method of
working: With the needle bring the torn edges together, and secure
them on a piece of toile cirée, then conceal the slit with rows of
darning, which measure exactly double its width and its length;
reverse the work, and repeat the process, so that the tear forms two
sides of a square of crossed darning.
[Illustration: 170. Diagonal Darn.]
_Diagonal Darn._--This is an irregular-shaped darn, often had
recourse to by experienced housekeepers in the repair of those
unfortunate slits, constantly discovered in kitchen or nursery
tablecloths, or in linen pillow-cases, sheets, &c., when they have
seen their best days. As the tear is made on the bias, the mending
threads must of course run in a corresponding direction; this imparts
to the work the peculiar shape of a double pyramid or egg-boiler,
with a square in the centre, inclosing the slit, putting us in
mind of the star pattern familiar in knitted quilts. Materials:
Flourishing thread, and a fine darning needle. Method of working:
Commence at the extremity of the slit at the distance of its own
length above it, and terminate the first row of darning at an equal
length below it; proceed by letting each row decrease one stitch on
the upper side, and increase one stitch on the lower side in harmony
with the tear. Turn the work, and cross in exactly the same manner.
_Mottled Darn._--To mend a material woven in two shades, form the
fresh warp by a series of foundation stitches matching exactly the
texture and tint of the ground; then cross the former threads by
others of the same colour as the woof. This method will produce a
speckled darn.
_Strengthening Darn._--When upon inspection an article is found
to be wearing thin, strengthen the weak parts by a few rows of
darning, worked rather far apart, so as not to put too much strain
on the material. Both cotton and needle must be very fine, for fear
of breaking the threads. For strengthening stockings there is a
new and pretty way of doing so on the right side, which imitates a
spotted pattern, and leaves no loops. It consists in crossing the
webs with horizontal rows of stitches, passing the needle over and
under one web alternately. This style is very appropriate for heels
and toes, but in the case of frail spots here and there an invisible
strengthening may be effected by passing the needle upwards and
downwards between the webs.
_Reprise Perdue or Imperceptible Darn_ is nothing more than a skilful
execution of the linen stitch, with the exception that it is worked
with the ravellings of the material itself, and that no loops are
left, the thread being cut as each row is completed. In the days when
linen held pre-eminence in fabrics, the _reprise perdue_ was a name
which belonged exclusively to this particular darn; but, as each new
material was introduced, the need of a repair in its exact imitation
was naturally felt and met; hence the term has now extended itself to
any darn which reproduces the worn fabric so exactly that the most
practised eye can scarcely detect any difference. The imperceptible
darn is specially used to conceal an accidental tear or burn in
costly textures, such as Indian muslins, cashmeres, and fine cambric,
and in spots where the defects would be likely to attract much
notice, as the front or sides of boots and slippers made of satin or
prunella, &c. Above all, however, is this style of darn valuable to
manufacturers, for hiding either the faults or the accidental damages
done to their goods. Materials: A long fine darning or straw needle,
and ravellings of the fabric. There are one or two materials, such as
cloth and baize, which do not ravel out. For the repair of the former
it is best to use very fine silk, and for the latter ravellings of
mohair braid of the same colour. When the exact shade of the material
cannot be matched by the mending thread, the darn should be well
stretched on a board in front of the light, and completed by a few
touches of paint carefully applied with a camel’s-hair pencil. Method
of working: Draw the broken threads as nearly as possible to their
original position, and cut off the frayed parts so as to have the
edges perfectly even. When practicable, turn the stuff on the wrong
side, and mount the hole on a piece of stiff paper--not newspaper,
as the printing will dazzle the eyes. A piece of toile cirée would
here be specially valuable, as its green colour affords great relief
to the strained sight. The work being now ready, execute the darn in
the pattern of the material, letting the rows, instead of forming a
decided line, be rather irregular, and lose themselves in the fabric.
[Illustration: 171. Rep Darn.]
_The Rep Darn_, as its name implies, is employed in the repairing
of rep, as well as poplin, Brussels carpeting, and, in fact, any
ribbed material. This darn generally consists merely in replacing
the surface by covering each rib with a perpendicular row of sewing
stitches, slanting one thread downwards. If by chance the warp
threads be also much worn, they will require strengthening by one
or two threads passed across vertically, and secured to the back
by a few run stitches. Materials: Worsted, wool, or twist to match
precisely the colours of the fabric, and a darning needle.
_Lace Patch or Darn._--This circular patch is a light and pretty
way of mending a hole caused by the accidental fall of a spark or
cigar-ash on tablecloths, napkins, &c. It may be executed in any of
the open stitches so much used in guipure work, though the feston
stitch, being the one generally adopted, is illustrated in Fig.
172. The same stitch can also be applied to lessening the width of
stretched-out buttonholes, making an openwork gusset between the
fore-finger and thumb of a kid glove, widening the sides of fingers,
or filling in a hole that has split near the welt, to which is then
added an elastic loop.
[Illustration: 172. Lace Patch. 173. Lace Patch.]
_Detail of Lace Patch._--Materials: Embroidery cotton or flourishing
thread, which, being soft and flat, fills up the little interstices
after washing, and renders the patch almost invisible even in damask;
in this case, therefore, twisted cotton or silk should never be
employed. Egg-eyed needle.--Shape the circle carefully, then overcast
the edge of the hole by buttonhole stitches placed rather far apart,
and taken in more or less deeply, according to the texture of the
stuff. Fill in the space by working rows of feston or buttonhole
stitches round and round, keeping the thread all the time under the
needle, and gradually decreasing in circumference till the centre is
reached, when draw the thread closely, and secure it safely on the
wrong side. Before attempting this patch on the article itself, it
is well to practise it upon a piece of coarse material, in order to
acquire dexterity in the work, and thus avoid either puckering or
tightening. For a triangular patch such as the one used in gloves,
lay the foundation on the widest side, letting the stitches be more
or less apart, according to the size of the silk or the openness of
the work. Form the patch by rows of buttonhole stitches, going from
left to right and from right to left, without breaking off the silk,
putting the needle in the centre of every loop, and slipping a stitch
at each row, until at the angle there is but one left.
[Illustration: 174. Swiss Darn.]
_Swiss or German Darn._--More appropriately called web stitch, as
it imitates exactly the web itself, and is, therefore, the true
stitch for mending all hosiery and knitted articles. By the web is
understood the texture of threads woven in a loom, forming a tissue
of threads interwoven with each other, those extending in length
being called the warp, and those stretched across, the weft or woof.
The origin of this stitch is comparatively of recent date, for it
can only have been known since the introduction of stocking knitting
in the reign of Elizabeth. The method comprehends the plain web, the
rib, Jacob’s ladder, and grafting. Materials: A sewing needle, rather
finer than the loop through which it has to pass, smooth darning, or,
still better, embroidery cotton, wool or silk matching to a shade, a
wooden or indiarubber ball, and a piece of stiff brown paper or toile
cirée. Method of working: Cut the hole even, ravel out the edges of
the horizontal sides, leaving at each a row of open loops, clear and
distinct as if prepared for picking up dropped stitches in knitting.
(Fig. 174).--Foundation. Secure the thread on the wrong side by 3 or
4 perpendicular stitches of common darning. Turn the work, stretching
it over the first and second fingers of the left hand; keep it in
place by the third finger and thumb. Cover the gap by a succession of
vertical threads, commencing, one or two webs from the edge. Bring
the needle out at the top between two webs, pass the thread alongside
the hole, and insert the needle at the lower part, in the centre of
the right-hand web, and draw it through the centre of the left-hand
web. Carry the thread upward to the same point from which it started,
that is, by putting the needle in the same hole, and take up a
complete web. The result will be an elongated V, with the angle
uppermost. Form a second V in the same manner, and there will then
remain half a web only from the hole. Pick up, on the needle, this
half web and the first loop, and pass the thread upwards to form the
point of the V, by meeting the thread on the last bar; that is, put
the needle in the hole from which the previous thread has emerged,
and again take up two loops. Continue thus till the gap is covered,
letting the needle point always towards the left, and passing it back
one loop to the right at each stitch. This fresh ground will then
represent a series of long narrow vandykes. Finish by fastening the
thread on the wrong side, in the same manner as at the beginning.
[Illustration: 175. Crossing.]
_Crossing._--Conceal the foundation by working backwards and forwards
rows parallel to each loop in identical imitation of the web. For
the first line attach the thread to the work, and bring the needle
out between two webs, precisely as for the first process. Take up
the two bars on either side of the thread, entering where the woven
stitch is indented, and emerging where it comes out; then insert
the needle above, and one bar to the right, picking up again two
bars or stitches (Fig. 175). Next enter one bar below, and to the
right raise two bars, and so on to the end of the row; each web thus
forms a V shape. Special care is needed for the 1st row, as on it
depends the arrangement of the webs. This line completed, bring the
needle out one bar perpendicularly downwards, in readiness for the
second, and work from left to right instead of from right to left,
putting the needle above every accompanying purl of the wrong side,
or the stitches will be disconnected. The beauty of the work consists
entirely in its evenness and flatness, hence the utility of the toile
cirée or wooden ball, as it keeps the work well stretched. When a
ball is used, the stocking is strained over it and held in place by
the left hand, the thumb meanwhile resting on the top of the ball.
[Illustration: 176. Web Stitch. 177. Foundation of Single Web.]
_Single Web._--Having now thoroughly explained the ordinary or
double web stitch we will just mention the single one, a lighter and
consequently less durable mode of repairing, often employed in silk
and Lisle thread stockings. Its execution is very similar to that
of the former stitch. For the foundation, bring the needle out in
the centre of a web, pass the thread across, along the side of the
hole, insert the needle again in the centre of a web and the first
loop. Then continue to take up alternately two loops on the upper and
lower edge, letting the last loop of one stitch be the first of the
next. The foundation will then have the appearance of a succession
of elongated U’s in contrast with the series of V’s formed by
the double web stitch (Fig. 176). The crossing follows the same
rule as the foundation (Fig. 177). Another single web, more rapid,
but not so neat, is executed as follows: Make the whole perfectly
even, and holding the stocking lengthwise towards you, fill up the
gap with common darning, taking up the edge web on either side, not
placing the rows too closely. Now for the imitation of the web,
turn the work so that the darning lines are horizontal, commencing
at the lower part of the hole, and ascend to the top by twisting the
thread under each bar, to resemble a kind of cord stitch. Descend by
stitches in the reverse direction, and thus complete an exact web.
_The Rib_ is a variety of Swiss darning scarcely known, and
will doubtless be highly appreciated by mothers in particular.
This stitch, though apparently showing the wrong and right side
alternately, is really completely executed on the right side alone.
Method of working: Lay the foundation, as for a simple web; then
cover by an equal number of pearl and plain stitches. The change
from plain to pearl is executed thus: instead of putting the needle
straight under two threads, pass it beneath the second bar of the
raised web, and over the first bar of the adjoining one; point the
needle downwards and bring it out one bar to the right, cross over
two bars and slant it upwards one thread to the left, so that it
emerges from the identical hole the first stitch entered. Continue
to slip the needle over two bars, sloping it alternately upwards and
downwards, till the hollowed web or purl stitches are completed. Then
reverse the work by crossing over the last bar, and passing under the
first bar of the raised web or garter stitches, in readiness for the
next plain one. The wider the rib, the more easy its imitation.