When disaster strikes and you find a hole in your favourite piece of clothing, don't throw it away! With the help of a darning egg and a few basic sewing skills, you can fix that hole and keep wearing your treasured jumper.
Read on to find out all about darning eggs and why you need one, then skip over to our darning guide for essential advice on mending your clothes.
What is a darning egg?
A darning egg is a small egg-shaped object used to add tension to a piece of fabric while you're darning it. The egg helps to hold the fabric taut, stabilise any holes, and make it easier for you to create a neat, even darn.
If you're darning on knitted fabric, or anything else that has a bit of stretch, a darning egg is essential! Adding tension to the fabric also enables you to identify any areas that may be thinning and need darning before a hole develops.
When you're using a woven darn (rather than a knitted-on patch or Swiss darning) your new stitches will be less stretchy than the fabric, so you need to pay extra attention to your tension to avoid puckering. The darning egg helps with this by keeping the underlying fabric taut and flat.
Working over the curved surface of the egg also allows you to follow and preserve the curves of the item you're darning, which is important if you're fixing something like the heel of a sock.
For the darning egg to do its job properly it needs to be made from something rigid. Anything soft will catch your needle and won't provide the necessary stability. The most popular option is wood, but you may also find darning eggs made from plastic, metal or even stone. If you want a more sustainable option than buying new, check Etsy for vintage darning eggs.
Some darning eggs have handles, which can make them easier to hold for tricky-to-reach holes in socks, for example. Look for a removable handle for the best of both worlds!
Darning egg vs darning mushroom
An alternative to the darning egg is the darning mushroom – these are mushroom shaped, as the name suggests, and provide a wider surface for darning. They're useful for repairs on larger pieces of fabric, such as the elbows of jumpers, while darning eggs are better for small areas such as sock toes.
Some darning mushrooms have a groove around the cap to allow you to secure your fabric in place with an elastic band or hairband. When you're working with a slippery fabric, a mushroom like this will help prevent too much movement.
Alternatives to darning eggs
If you need to fix that hole right now, there are plenty of household objects that can be used as makeshift darning eggs. Try a lightbulb, a ladle or a tennis ball, or have a look in the kitchen for suitable fruits and veggies such as an apple or a squash.
You could also use a decorative egg from Easter, or even a real egg – just make sure you boil it first!
Save your socks!
Don't throw your holey socks away – save them from the bin with our tips on darning socks.
How to use a darning egg
Before you begin, decide whether you're going to darn on the inside or the outside of your item. This will depend on the type of darn you're using and what finished look you want – whether you'd prefer to hide the stitching or make a feature of it with visible mending.
Next, insert the darning egg into the item, so that it's underneath the area you want to darn. The worn area or hole should sit flat against the egg, without any folds or puckers. You might want to hold the fabric in place with an elastic band or some sewing clips.
Now you're ready to start darning. If you have an egg with a handle you can hold the handle while you work, otherwise you may want to place the egg in the palm of your non-dominant hand. The egg will give you a nice stable surface to sew against as you work the darn. When you're finished, simply remove it and admire your handiwork!
Darning eggs for mending clothes
Choose from a range of darning eggs, including eggs with and without handles, for your next mending project. We round up our favourites below.
1. Prym darning egg
Kick-start your sustainable fashion journey with this traditional wooden darning egg. Measuring 7cm (2.8in) long, it's ideal for repairing smaller holes in clothing and other homewares.
Once you've got the mending bug you'll be patching up everything you can find!
- Buy a Prym darning egg from Amazon
2. Wooden darning egg
Made using natural beech wood with no oil finish, this 7cm egg fits nicely in your hand for mending smaller holes in garments and accessories. Look out for the darning needles and yarn from the same brand.
- Buy the wooden darning egg from Etsy
3. Dritz darning egg
This clever two-piece darning egg can be used with or without the handle, giving you extra control over how you hold your fabric. The handle is contoured for a comfortable grip, while threading at the top provides stability.
If you're looking to mend a wide range of garments, this is the egg for you!
- Buy a Dritz darning egg from Amazon
4. Socko darning egg
Hand-turned in Berkshire from 100% reclaimed beech wood, the Socko darning egg is a tool and a work of art.
Each 8cm (3in) egg comes with everything you need to start darning, including a needle and threader, a swatch of darning yarn and instructions.
- Buy the Socko darning egg from Tribe Yarns
5. Speedweve darning egg and loom
Get hooked on visible mending with this egg and loom kit from Speedweve. The darning egg is made from strong linseed-coated wood and has a recess at the top of the handle so you can secure your fabric with an elastic band.
Use it with the loom to create beautiful woven patches and bring your old, worn-out clothes back to life.
- Buy the Speedweve darning egg from Etsy
Make do and mend
Learn how to darn a hole with our guide to the traditional stocking darn.
Start mending with a darning egg
A darning egg is an essential part of your mending toolkit. Whether you make your own clothes or want to be able to fix shop-bought items, you need this handy tool to help you darn holes with ease.
Use it with a darning needle and good-quality thread to ensure your mends stand the test of time.
Choose a darning needle with Gathered
Make sure you have the best tools for every mending job with our guide to darning needles.
