What is a darning egg?

To darn is to stitch up a small hole in a piece of clothing. There’s even a specific stitch known as a “darning stitch,” in which you first weave the thread with the grain of the fabric, and then fill in the other “woven” direction. The result is a sturdy patch made only of thread. Darn comes from the Middle French darner, “mend” (“Darn.” Vocabulary.com. https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/darn. Accessed 02 July 2023).

In Europe, the process of mending fabric was called darning. Budding homemakers learned how to repair worn-out fabric by making darning samples.

Most darning eggs will be made of wood since it is easier to work with but you will also find some that are made of stone, metal, or ceramic. Some have handles to make them easier to use.

You can use a darning egg or a darning mushroom when darning or mending. The darning mushroom is similar to the darning egg. The mushroom has a bigger and flatter working surface for larger repairs on larger pieces of clothing. Smaller repairs use the darning egg, and larger repairs use the darning mushroom.

Instead of throwing away socks, pick up a darning egg and stitch up the hole with a needle and thread. Most people associate the darning egg with socks since it makes it easier to darn or mend socks. Darning eggs can be used for other sewing projects as well. Most sewing or craft shops will have darning eggs in all shapes or sizes to sell.

My dad made me a darning egg years ago to add to my sewing basket. I love the egg. My dad can remember his mom and his grandmothers using darning eggs to darn their woolen socks. My grandmother had two darning eggs in her sewing basket, and one of them was black. Unfortunately, my grandmother’s darning egg was lost in a fire many years ago. My dad is good at making things with wood so the first darning egg he made was crafted from his childhood memory.