Episode 1 | Darning to Mend a Hole in a Jumper | Clothes Doctor

We invite you to join us on our zero waste journey by helping your wardrobe last longer. On today's episode, Chris and Ellie will teach you all about darning, a weaving technique to mend a hole in any garment, but used particularly for knitwear. It's perfect for mending jumpers or sweaters, cardigans, scarves, gloves, hats, jumper dresses and more. We are using a contrasting colour to make a statement repair, but if you colour match your thread, this technique can be invisible in some fabrics.
We will be on hand throughout the tutorial and afterwards to answer any questions. Please post them in the comments below and we'll respond.
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Now sit back, learn, relax and enjoy :)
#makeyourclotheslastlonger #lovedclotheslast #thehomeofclothingcare
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[@MrJeepmarine]

Thanks for filming the process continuously without cuts, it makes it easier for me to understand.

[@clothesdoctor-thehomeofclo5425]

Thanks, we're glad we can help!

[@pauleast8558]

What s simple, unshowy but very effective demonstration this is - in real-time, which lets the viewer see exactly how easy/difficult quick or slow they are likely to find the job. Authoritative without being bossy! Congratulations on teaching something genuinely useful in an approachable way.

[@technicallygeckley14]

I LOVE that you used contrasting colors for you demonstration. I'm 100% new to doing this sort of thing and I want you to know that all of this made perfect sense to me. You're a wonderful teacher!

[@clothesdoctor-thehomeofclo5425]

Thank you! Shout-out to Chris, our fabulous seamstress!

[@sirupsee4698]

Just darned the first two socks in my life with this. I'm ridiculously proud

[@clothesdoctor-thehomeofclo5425]

Well done! We're glad we could help :)

[@bigjonisback]

This lady comes across so well. The perfect presenting style, engrossing but without showing off.

[@MJ-hl1kk]

Thanks! Reminds me of all the neat darning done by my mom in the life of our family!

[@SapphireRavenmoon]

After Nanny passed my Grandad has always asked me for any sewing repairs, but I only have pretty basic skills and I've never darned anything before, this video was so helpful, you shouwed exactly how to do it real time and is just what I needed so thank you!! My Grandad will be grateful now I can fix the hole in his cardigan :D

[@benbrookes6079]

Wow, never darned before and this video allowed me to breathe life into a 30 year old jumper riddled with holes. Beautifully and simply explained thank you

[@peponwi2716]

Very calm easy-to-understand tutorial. Thank you!

[@plasma991]

The darnings I've seen so far all had perfectly close weaves with no gaps in the thread. I've darned about 5 pieces of clothing so far (mostly socks), and though I try very hard to be close, I always have some gaps in my darn (it doesn't help that I only have access to sewing thread, which is thin). I thought I was doing it wrong. This video helped me show that it is fine to have small gaps in the darn - a darn doesn't need to be a perfect consistent block of thread. This is encouraging to me. Thank you for the video!

[@LilKitLen]

If it helps any more, all a visible darn says to me is that someone at least took the time, effort, love, and care to repair something. I think it's charming!

[@clothesdoctor-thehomeofclo5425]

Thanks for the comment! We're glad we could help - keep up the darning! :D

[@bretttrafford9239]

Best darning video ive seen

[@sk1fiend]

My mum taught me how to darn socks, add a patch to jeans, sew hems. My first lesson in sewing was junior school re-sewing a puppet in backstitch. I repaired a leather (cowhide) jacket which took me 3 hours, but it outlasted my mates leather jacket by at least 5 years, when his completely fell apart and he bought it years after me. The only things I haven't attempted are mending my De Marchi lycra cycle bib (not cheap) and holes in cotton t-shirts. Also add to that moth holes in cashmere or cashmere/wool mix cardigans/jumpers.

[@alexdesa8676]

you have such a calming voice! Thank you very much for this video

[@vanguardiris3232]

Thank you so much for this. I've been crocheting for years and made some much-loved toys for some young relatives a while ago, and I'm going to be able to fix them thanks to you! My family's fibre menagerie is grateful

[@stphnmrsify]

Brilliant, no nonsense tutorial. Appreciate not cutting the video, helped hugely! Thank you

[@Gabe734]

omg the end music so groovy! Thanks for the demonstration. I always wear holes in the left elbow of my hoodies because I lean it on my chair and desk at work. I'm going to attempt repair on a few garments soon!

[@kaaprilt]

This was immensely helpful. Thank you!!

[@clothesdoctor-thehomeofclo5425]

Glad we could help :)

[@maggiealena]

Very good Ms Ellie. Thank you for the video.

[@evenlittleragass]

Thank you *so* much for this tutorial - I have a gorgeous J!gsaw cardigan in charcoal wool that has two tiny holes I’ve been wanting to mend for months and always found other demonstration too intimidating- yours made it so simple, I’ve completed both in less than 30 minutes. Massive thanks, and a new subscription from me!

[@lin1038]

Thankyou for your detailed instructions. I promised my five year old granddaughter I would repair some holes in some really warm leggings…and have never done this before…lol She will be so happy to get them back mended! Thanks again 👋🇨🇦

[@vibynature]

Best tutorial i've found so far. The only error in my patch was user error lol

[@dorothykennedy9529]

Thankyou ❤

[@deliriumdoll]

Thank you! This video is instructive perfection.

[@ambivalent5842]

LOVE you!🥰

[@sueben]

Clear and concise. Very helpful!

[@barbarablake7111]

Thank you so much.

[@clothesdoctor-thehomeofclo5425]

Thanks for the comment, glad we could help!

[@julecaesara482]

4:28 there the action starts! Do you think one could embroider on top of darned spots?

[@starbaby849]

Thank you 🙏

[@helensarkisian7491]

Of course! It’s a great way to hide the repair.

[@KingfisherLtd]

That's cool and useful skill. Thanks

[@kaitlyn117]

Great video! Thank you for the help 👍🏼

[@clothesdoctor-thehomeofclo5425]

Glad we could help!

[@tfu7378]

This is awesome thank you!

[@e.matthews2884]

Best darning tutorial I ever seen Thank you!

[@fangchick93]

Thank you for this explanation, great to learn to do this

[@richpeoplereact]

Very helpful, thanks 🙂

[@quiltingmell]

Reminds me of darning socks many years ago in the U.K. ❤

[@graceokechiwilliam8087]

Love all your videos

[@Daymanoahha]

just what i needed, thanks!

[@BagenB00]

How bizarre. I just mended a cardigan of the exact same colour and weight with a very similar shade of pink. Did you secretly film me fixing it? 😂

[@olgamiller216]

I've watched several "how to darn" videos & your video is the best! It was large enough to see the stitching & what I liked best is that it did not end up looking messy!! Is your website still up?? My system could not connect... if you're still up then I know the issue is on my end. Thank you for a great video!!

[@clothesdoctor-thehomeofclo5425]

Hi Olga, We're glad to heard that you like the video! Yes, our website is still active, at www.clothes-doctor.com Thanks

[@olgamiller216]

@@clothesdoctor-thehomeofclo5425 I'm so glad it's still up. I'll have my son look at my system & figure out the issue! Thank goodness, he's one of those "techy" people!! I'll definitely be watching more videos!

[@angelavansluijs9549]

Hi, when you do this technique do you have the wrong or right side of the piece of clothing facing towards you?

[@rosemerrynmcmillan1611]

It would be the wrong side of the garment as remember she leaves her beginning and ending threads and then cuts them close and of course you will want those cut off threads on the inside of your garment , and not on the outside you are wearing so they don't show. Good point though as they didn't specify that in the beginning of the video and it left me wondering too.

[@glenysowen1882]

Thank you very useful video

[@ruqiaismat2043]

Thanks

[@fernandamontes2125]

Muito obrigada em demonstrar a sua arte. Vou praticar....

[@natashakafoteka3667]

Great tutorial! I'm new to the channel so i was confused about who Ellie was because she referred to herself in third person. I kept thinking we'd cut away to see Ellie sewing.vbut it was charming in the end!❤ I think I'll start doing that too. Lol

[@taytribe806]

It's actually one person speaking and a different person sewing! That's mentioned in the credits at the very end - super easy to miss

[@amberbrooks3052]

Does the color of the thread matter or the type or size? Thanks for the video!

[@clothesdoctor-thehomeofclo5425]

Not at all if you want a visible mend. If you want it invisible, then try to match it with the garment :)

[@hisroyalbadness9199]

Ohh, the repair weaving doesn't have to be as tightly spaced as I'd originally thought

[@debcobern312]

Need closeups of this procedure! I can't tell what she's doing very well.😞

[@graceokechiwilliam8087]

I'm from London and I just darned my first two jumpers OMG so cool right?

[@daralacampbell6171]

Nails

[@Isabel-hl1jy]

what sort of thread should you use for darning?

[@rosemerrynmcmillan1611]

Special darning wool. It's thinner than normal wool. It seems to be getting harder to procure these days though so I think it's becoming one of those specialised items now that you need to order online or find in a specialised craft or wool shop. Once upon a time everyone darned or got darned their socks, jumpers ect but with our throwaway society it has become far less common but is still just as necessary. It's also that these skills are no longer taught to the younger generation as much. Mums (and grandma's!) are too busy working outside the home I think to have the time. Also 'media' time (phones, TV, computer games ) often takes up our time now instead of mending of an evening.

[@dgf6275]

Nice

[@anaalvarez494]

Thank you. When darning cotton jersey would it be the same procedure?

[@dystom6968]

I have a heavier thicker knit cardigan with decorative vertical ribbing - similar to Arran, what technique for holes in elbows? Tom

[@petervanforsch]

Lovely fingernails!

[@rosemerrynmcmillan1611]

Yes, perfect for filming.

[@StellarSabSab]

Curious if the back of a spoon would also work?

[@tqmnini]

I could see a ladle working

[@costurasinsecretos6399]

Muy bueno🌻🌹🌼🌻🌹🌼

[@paulabirchman2140]

I have a loosely knit sweater, perhaps a ladder stitch? In any case, it's much looser than the sweaters I see on these tutorials. Will this work satisfactorily on that kind of sweater?

[@zakaria_chana]

For woven fabrics, do you make securing knots at the start and the end or is it also not required? Thanks for the video, very well explained.

[@jolienvsndijk]

it's not required if the ends are woven through enough of the fabric. (This doesn't apply if it's either a very loosely woven fabric or a very thin+smooth thread)

[@clothesdoctor-thehomeofclo5425]

We would never make securing knots at the start and the end of a darn as it causes puckering. It can be a bit tricky at the start but it's best to let the threads stay loose and then trim at the end. Good luck! :)

[@lp-gv1fc]

hello, what is the best thread to use for fine knitted commercial garment ?

[@curiouslynn]

I have a a polyester blend sweater that my dog chewed a hole in. I have never darned before, but would love to give it a try now thanks to your video. I have two questions.. do I trim the loose yarn around the hole before I begin? Can I use thread or is it best to use yarn to darn with? Thank you in advance :)

[@SportsRx]

Me too, my dog chewed a hole in my fleece jacket pocket as it had treats in 🙈 I’m going to try this technique. Hope it works for you too 🙂

[@clothesdoctor-thehomeofclo5425]

We would say not to trim if possible till the end of the darn, to avoid the loose threads unravelling further. Try to match the thickness of the thread to the sweater if you can - sometimes we use cotton threads on a fine wool sweater, but more often we use embroidery thread or wool yarn. Good luck! :)

[@babatwofive5727]

I have a ❓ How do you determine how much thread/yarn to use?

[@PatientFarmer]

Excellent video. Question though is does the mushroom/ egg have to be this shape? Can I use a square? Something flat?

[@rcc3574]

Just read a comment saying that they use a lightbulb 💡This shape helps to hold garment in place as demonstrated in video. Good luck 👍

[@leylauysal_]

Стоило ли тратить время на такую штопку.. Есть хорошие мастер классы, по которым можно научиться качественно заделать такие прорехи

[@solb101]

What is the size and type of needle please?

[@PatientFarmer]

What is the best thread to use for mending? I tend to use sewing thread but it takes forever ....

[@rosemerrynmcmillan1611]

See answer above re what thread or wool to use. Its 'darning wool' which the video doesn't specify either. Its a video made in England where there is still an abundance of 'darning wool' but its getting hard to get here in Australia. Notice she says 'Haberdashery' store? These were once common here as separate shops but are now usually just a section of say Spotlight or K-Mart or other big stores.

[@maiconjz3527]

10.

[@Axel230]

Did anyone get really tense, deep down knowing that she would probably do it right but still wondering if she would get the right side of the darning weaving?

[@grazynasienkiewicz8562]

Na podobnym grzybku cerowała moja mama,ja również umiem.

[@mlikogito1954]

Ja też ,,wieki temu" cerowałem na grzybku, ale dużo lepiej cerować na nakrętce twist od słoiczka, na wewnętrznej stronie - nie rozciąga się wówczas dziury na wypukłości, jak w przypadku grzybka.

[@daralacampbell6171]

Too long..

[@Grau_boden]

das ist nicht euer Ernst?

[@mishakolomoicev9701]

Oh Gawd! I had to listen to 4& half minutes of blah blah blah B4 she actually shows how to DARN it!

[@owaisjaan23]

I think I can solve it better. Contact me if you can.I'll make you a video

[@claramendez7514]

HORRRRRRRRRRIBLE !!!!! TERRRRRRRRRIBLE. !!!!!!! ESPANTOSO !!!!!

[@JOJO-ug9ei]

I'm glad I am not the only one. I think it looks awful and not very fine work.

[@claramendez7514]

???????????????

[@earlrussell1026]

You must love Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. You must love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus the Anointed is Lord! Repent and be baptized and believe the gospel.

[@rosemerrynmcmillan1611]

AMEN!, thankyou for this reminder! All whose names are not found in the Lambs Book of Life will be cast into the Lake of Fire on the Day of Judgement at the RESURRECTION to be eternally destroyed, Revelations, Chap 20 verses 10 to 15. This is the SECOND DEATH the Bible says in verse 15. The Resurrection is the return of the Lord Jesus Christ at the end of this age and the raising of all the dead to be judged and the receiving of new immortal bodies to all true believers ) It is by simple FAITH in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and his sacrifice on the cross for our sins that we are SAVED and our names written in the Lambs Book of Life. Man is mortal and death is certain (since sin and death entered our world through Adam n Eve at the beginning 6000 yrs ago) and there is ONLY ONE HOPE OF IMMORTALITY and that is BELIEF AND FAITH in the LORD JESUS CHRIST the SON OF GOD. "For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life" John 3:16. Get yourself a King James Version bible and start reading the New Testament. Talk n pray to God in Jesus name. God thru Jesus will fill your heart with his LOVE and his HOLY SPIRIT so you will be LED by his SPIRIT. JESUS SAVES!