Long lost crafts

The one's on ebay start at 99p.

Although I enjoy needlework, I am not that good at it. However my sister was a superb needlewoman and when we were children we used to earn extra pocket money mending socks. She got 6d a sock for darning the big holes (beautifully). I got 3d a pair for running a thread round the small holes and gathering them up, not very well.

Darning mushrooms don't have to be expensive - www.etsy.com/listing/221451124/darning-or-sewing-mushroom-handturned?ref=market

Think I'll pass, jalima!

Now for sale for about £30 Greyduster!

My mother had one of those, jalima - pale green!

Loads of darning mushrooms on t'internet. I have darned socks but not for about 50 yrs and don't intend to start now. The wooden ones look rather attractive though.

www.google.co.uk/search?q=darning+mushroom&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b&gfe_rd=cr&ei=Q7mYWMnkBI_38Af-2qPoAQ

Years ago someone borrowed a black lacy jacket/cardigan belonging to DD and gave it back ripped. I am pleased to say that I managed to mend it most successfully and followed the lacy pattern; no-one ever noticed the mends.
I don't know if I have the patience now.

DM always sides to middled our sheets.

What I would like to find is one of those little 'beehives' - you can put your ball of knitting wool into them, there is a hole in the top and it keeps the ball from bouncing off and going on the floor. I have seen them on ebay but they are very expensive as they must be collectors' items. They don't seem to do a modern equivalent.

Like this, but I fancy a honey coloured one

Dear Lord, back to the 40s!

I haven't done any darning for years but I love doing it. Never used anything under it. My mother always did sides to middle with the sheets and I still have some of them - she died 20 years ago. I use her sheets - good Egyptian cotton - as an extra under sheet.
My mother and aunts used to unpick jumpers etc during and after the war and re-knit the wool using the sleeve yarn to make the back etc where it did not wear so much.
My mother also cut up woollen fabric into strips and stitched them onto sacking to make bedside rugs for us.

Regarding the sheet turning, I should have mentioned that I only do this when they start to wear thin. Obvious really!

Yes as a knitter of socks, sweaters etc I do some darning but can't find a mushroom anywhere. When I asked in the local small haberdashery the assistant looked at me as though I'd taken leave of my senses; she'd never heard of such a thing. I usually use an upended bottle or jar; never thought of a light bulb but I think it would be a much better alternative.

I also do a fair bit of mending on my sewing machine, especially sheets. I like cotton in summer, flannelette in winter and buy them in large sizes which I split and turn top to bottom or sides to middle using a flat seam. I get up to another five years wear out of them.

I still darn although my mushroom vanished during one of our many moves so I use a lightbulb instead

Like Auntieflo I find it very soothing. My DM learnt decorative darning at school. I happily darn my M&S wool sweaters. They tend to go on and around the seams but I am frugal by nature. I always did DH's socks in a different colour. Mainly because I had lots of different darning wools given to me by DM on my marriage- aah wifework ,wifework.

I do too. I've got a set of darning needles, inherited from my Mum. I have her little basket in which she kept her darning wool. I repair the home crocheted items made for my grandchildren.

I still have a darning mushroom and quite like darning, find it restful. Until DH has a spate of holey socks. I do tell him to cut his toenails, but it falls on deaf ears.

I recently darned two small holes in a favourite lambswool sweater (moths methinks ) and you would be hard pressed to spot them. Like you Ruby I have also darned a sock or two. No blisters yet! ?

After 44 years of marriage last week I darned a sock for the first time. They are usually thin ones and get thrown away but this was a nice woollen walking sock belonging to DH, and he did ask nicely. I didn't have a mushroom but used a flat domed light bulb which was waiting to be got rid of.

I tried many years ago but it was never anywhere as neat as mum could do.

You can darn woollen garments, but these newfangled artificial fabrics like nylon go all thin before the fibres break. So there is no edge left to attach the darning too. :-)

I remember that DH's Gran had a 'darning mushroom'.

I was never that good at darning, although I did have a go at it sometimes.
Remember when most girls at school had darned elbows in their school cardigans? Now they would just be thrown out.

I do. I knit a lot and make a lot of wellies socks. They often need darning so I use a mushroom. Not exactly invisible but alright.