How to Darn Holes

Save money by fixing holes in your clothes.

When holes occur in fabrics -- often in places where friction wears through the fabric fibers -- you have several options. You can throw the item away, you can live with the hole or you sew on a patch. Another option that may seem old-fashioned involves darning the hole. When you darn holes, you hand sew stitches over the hole to fill it in.

Things You'll Need

• Hand sewing needle
• Darning cotton (in a color to match the fabric)
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Cut a 36-inch length of the darning cotton and thread the needle with the length of cotton. Pull the cotton through the needle so equal lengths of cotton extend out from the eye of the needle.

2. Insert the needle up through the fabric from the underside on the outside edge of the hole -- approximately 1/2-inch away from the hole. Pull the needle through until about 3 inches of cotton remains on the underside of the fabric.

3. Make a stitch across the hole to the other side and insert the needle back down through the fabric 1/2 inch away from the hole.

4. Repeat the same process to make parallel stitches across the entire hole, spacing the stitches about 1/8-inch apart. Stop making these stitches when you cover the entire hole with parallel stitches.

5. Stitch perpendicular stitches across the first stitches. Weave each stitch under and over the first stitches you made until you reach the fabric on the other side of the hole. Make another set of parallel stitches, perpendicular to the first set of stitches, weaving each stitch over and under. This weaving process fills in the hole with new stitching.

6. Clip the end of the cotton to leave a 3-inch tail. Tie the ending and beginning tails together in a knot on the underside of the fabric. Cut off the excess cotton on the other side of the knot.

Tips & Warnings

• If you run out of cotton on the needle, leave a tail and thread the needle with another length of cotton to continue sewing the darning stitches. Tie the ending tail to the beginning tail before you begin stitching again.

References

• Colorado State University: Repairing Clothing