Paragraph 153. Oftentimes a tear in a garment can be darned more satisfactorily than it can be patched. No. 1, Figure 62, shows a three-cornered and a diagonal tear in a piece of woolen goods. No. 2, Figure 62, shows the same piece with the holes repaired by darning. In this kind of work a tear may be darned with thread raveled from the edge of a piece of the material (if it is strong enough) or with silk thread to match.

To darn a straight tear, begin about 1/2 away and sew across it with fine running stitches (Par. 106) concealed in the cloth as much as possible; continue to sew about 1/2" on the opposite edge following the weave of the cloth (sew over one edge and under the other). Inserting the needle very close to the last stitch, make a second row of running stitches very close to, and parallel with, the first row, going over the edge of the tear where you went under the first time. Continue in this manner until the tear is mended. Be careful not to draw the thread tight, as this will give a puckered appearance in the darn. If this work is carefully done it will be almost impossible to detect the darn. As a rule it is advisable to lay a piece of material (the same as the goods in the garment) on the under side of the tear before darning; it may be caught in place with the darning stitches thus making the darn more substantial. The raw edges of the patch may be catch stitched (Par. 120) in place or trimmed close to the darning.