It is impossible within reasonable limits to give a comprehensive treatise on all the various forms of useful and ornamental needlework. Moreover, so many changes take place in fashions that no book can keep pace with them, and the best information is to be found in the newspapers specially devoted to women’s wants, notably the Queen. To this journal readers are referred for the many developments of fancy needlework, and to it is due the credit of the following brief notes on some of the most widely useful methods of effecting darns, patches, and repairs.

Patching

Patching.—When a large hole or thin place makes its appearance, it must be mended by a patch, matching exactly in texture and pattern. The fresh piece should, if possible, be slightly worn, to prevent a too great strain on the old, causing the tear to start afresh. Hence the importance of storing up odds and ends. A careful housewife has always a good stock in her piece-bags, one of which she reserves for white, the other for coloured scraps. In repair, and with a plain material, patching is comparatively an easy matter; but stripes, checks, and brocades call for some ingenuity in arranging the design so well that no break is perceived. When the fabric is cut on the bias, the renovating piece must correspond, though as a rule patches are either square or rectangular in form. Squaring corners constitutes the chief difficulty of patching. To manage these perfectly, they need mitreing or nicking as the case may be, and both piece and hole have to be sewn even to a thread. Garments, specially children’s, occasionally require mending at the elbows and under the arms. To prevent an unsightly repair, it is necessary to rip up the seams, and, having sewn the patch in neatly on either side of them, to join the sleeves or armholes again. In articles too shabby to be worth very careful doing up, the added piece may be slip-stitched on, provided it follows and never breaks the seam. Judgment is likewise requisite in the choice of cotton and needles, both as to colour and size. If too coarse, they draw up the threads, and the cotton if too fine breaks away from the stuff altogether. The easiest way of patching is to fix the fresh piece on the right side before removing the old. There are three different methods of doing this, viz. counter-hemming, slip-stitching, and sewing and felling. These are by some considered best for new materials.

Counter-hemmed Patch.—This could be utilised for almost any repairing, except that it takes such wide turnings. For its execution, cut out a piece of material considerably larger than the hole or worn part, and turn it down all round about ¼ in. Place it smoothly over the decayed fabric, taking care not to strain too much, or the stuff underneath will set in rucks. Tack and hem down neatly on each side, letting the stitches be extremely close at the corners. Turn the work on the wrong side, cut out the worn part, and make a hem on the patch itself.

Slip-stitched Patch.—Proceed as before, but, instead of hemming, slip-stitch neatly on the right side. The result will be a very tidy patch, specially suitable for cashmere, silk, merino, and other fine materials that do not wash. Slip-stitching also answers remarkably well in home contrivances, such as recovering ball shoes when faded, and thus utilising scraps of silk, &c., to harmonise with the toilette.

Sewn and Felled Patch (Fig. 161).—Crease the material on the right side at about 2 in. beyond the thin place. Cut a suitable patch straight to a thread, allowing ¼ in. turning all round for the wrong side. Tack or pin it upon the fabric, and sew regularly; flatten the seam, and turn the work. Lastly, remove the worn place, and finish off the patch by a narrow hem on the under surface. If necessary, make a tiny slit at each corner to keep the fresh piece square. More experienced menders prefer to cut away the threadbare portion first, and then let in the patch. This is decidedly the best way, though it makes the management of the corners more tiresome; however, a little practice soon overcomes the difficulty.

The Sewn Patch (Fig. 162).—Remove the worn part entirely, and nick the corners of the hole for the turnings. Cut out the patch ¼ in. wider all round. Crease the edges of both hole and patch, and tack them together on the wrong side. Mitre the corners of the piece to make the repair set well. Sew the four sides neatly and closely, taking the stitches only one or two threads into the stuff, and fasten off securely. Fell down the turnings, or only overcast them if mending a woollen, silken, or extremely stout fabric, such as coutil, &c. When completed, flatten the seams by the thumb-nail or thimble or, if necessary, press with a hot iron.

The Run Patch (Fig. 163).—Prepare the hole exactly as for the sewn patch, and crease down a turning as a guide to the stitches. Cut out a fresh piece to fit, allowing ¼ in. on each side. Fix it in place, and run carefully on the wrong side, taking care not to pucker in the least, and letting the stitches be closer together at the corners. Make the seam neat by felling which will set without mitreing the corners.

The Darned Patch is frequently employed, when short of scraps, for mending or strengthening play-room knickerbockers, carpets, or any rough fabrics. The small bit, or even a piece of another material, matching as nearly as possible in colour, may be placed under the hole, then secured, and almost concealed, by rows of neat darning.

The Seamless Patch is very similar to the preceding, but the darning, instead of covering the weak part, merely surrounds the edge. The repair often appears in sheets, towels, &c., wherever, from scarcity or frailty of stuff, a seam is undesirable. Cut a piece of the same material a little wider than the hole itself; tack it upon the wrong side of the fabric, letting the edges of piece and hole overlap. When both have been pared, secure the patch to the stuff on the right side by darning backwards and forwards about 6 stitches in height. Leave regular loops, and see that the needle takes in both upper and under surfaces. The darning crosses at the corners, thereby giving them additional strength. With the exception of the corners, neither rows nor stitches should be as close together as in ordinary mending.

The Buttonhole Patch surpasses the seamless patch in neatness and flatness, and is reserved for the best linen in cases of accidental burns, stains, &c., where the damage cannot well be rectified by darning. The patch is very valuable in stockings, and has recently suggested an excellent plan for seaming petticoat bodices without the slightest ridge, thus facilitating the perfect fit of the fashionable corsages. To make it, cut out the worn part and prepare a piece, identical in material, and of the exact dimensions of the hole; work separately the edges of patch and hole in close buttonhole stitch, with embroidery or flourishing thread. Secure the piece to the fabric by 2 or 4 pins at the corners, and sew it on by passing the needle from the loop of each stitch over the opposite one.

The Flannel Patch.—There are three ways of mending flannel. In the first fix the piece exactly like the seamless patch, then herringbone all round on the right and wrong side, letting the upper row of stitches exactly cover the under one. For the second process, commence as for the run patch, but, instead of felling, herringbone the turnings. In the third and lightest method, crease the 4 sides; manage the corners as already described; set in the patch so that the former exactly correspond with those of the material; then herringbone the edges of the renewed part and hole together. Flannel patches are equally well adapted to the repairing of old quilts.

Flannel Strengthening Patch (Fig. 164).—This repair, as shown by the illustration, is in frequent requisition for thin places round the armholes, &c. Cut out a piece of fresh flannel the desired shape, tack it upon the material, and herringbone all round. The stuff, being so apt to stretch, needs the hand to be held rather loosely in working.

Joining

Joining.—In the alteration as well as the mending of garments, joining is in constant requisition; hence a neat and imperceptible mode is invaluable for all kinds of needlework. To this department belong herringboning, matting seams, net mending, laced and fine drawing, besides various ways of joining fur, canvas, carpets, and velvets.

The well-known herringboning is a most useful method of uniting two hemmed or stitched edges of flannel, list, or woven underclothing. It also replaces drawn-work insertion, in antimacassars composed of linen or embroidered strips, as well as in coloured handkerchief borders, where it unites squares, &c., of lawn or cambric. The lacey stitch adds to the ornament of the handkerchief, besides suggesting a pretty way of using up scraps. When not utilised for the join itself, herringbone stitches are often made on the right side of the material to conceal the seam. These are sometimes caught down with stitches in a contrasting tint, and at others worked over a braid.

Fur Joining.—When a piece of fur has to be divided into narrower bands, say about 4 in. in width, no scissors must be used. To separate it, lay the fur lightly on the table, hair downwards, and with a ruler and red chalk pencil mark out the divisions boldly on the skin. Take a sharp-pointed penknife, or, still better, a chisel, and, holding it quite perpendicularly, cut by the red chalk lines, resting the penknife against the ruler, in case of slips. Bear slightly when cutting, just enough to let the knife pierce quite through the pelt without touching the hairs. If this operation be successfully performed the skin will separate into bands with smooth, even edges, and the fur remain untouched. Before joining, two things have to be considered—the right way of the fur, and its various shadings. Some specimens, such as the skunk, chinchilla, and squirrel, graduate very much in tint; therefore a little contrivance is required for the ends to match as nearly as possible, and not to place a dark hue close to a light one. If this, however, cannot be avoided, let it be done regularly, in order that the colour shades off at equal distances and the fur has no patched-up appearance. With regard to the right way of the fur, the joining offers no difficulty in straight bands, but calls for some management in corners, &c., especially when the pieces in hand, being already worn, have slits or shabby spots that need replacing. Now the fur is quite ready for joining. Take a fine needle and smooth cotton or silk, bring the two edges of the pelt together, and unite them by a flat sewing, pushing back meanwhile any stray hairs. Do not pull the cotton too tightly, for fear of spoiling the skin.

Transferring.—In applying old or new woolwork to satin, cloth, or velvet, cut about ¼ in. beyond the design, turn under the edge and tack firmly on the foundation. Conceal the join by a silk cord, chenille, or rows of gold thread. AppliquÉ work suggests many good ways of utilising ancient needlework, that has lasted intact long after the ground is threadbare. The embroidery is cut out with sharp scissors, and lightly tacked to a fresh foundation; then secured with a kind of running, taken invisibly—a buttonhole, cord on net, herringbone, or any stitch employed in appliquÉ. Washing fabrics obviously require the firmest sewing. By such means, the well-known Swiss muslin embroidery is transposed, and antiquated collars, handkerchiefs, &c., are adapted to the reigning styles.

Canvas Joining.—Strips of Berlin woolwork frequently run too short 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

171. Rep Darn.