Repairing Table Linen.
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Fig. 1. | Fig. 2. | Fig. 3. Darning |
Now more than ever is it absolutely necessary to preserve our linen household napery, for the price asked for new linen is enormous, owing to its scarcity, and it is said that in the near future it will be almost impossible to obtain it at any price.
It may not be generally known that linen is liable to the attack of minute insects, which bore through it, just as the moth does through wood, and so weaken it that it soon wears into holes, if precaution is not taken to prevent them. When storing linen, camphor, lavender, cedar wood, etc., are just as necessary for its preservation as they are for woollen goods, and it is said that an apple, hung up till quite dry, then studded all over with cloves, stuck in up to the head, is very potent when attached to the top of the drawer of the chest, or hung on the inside of the door, if the chest be made in this way. All linen should be well aired before putting away. The repairs should be made before sending the linen to the laundry, and if it has been stiffened and glazed, the part requiring mending should be steeped in warm water to take out the starch, and then dried.
When a part becomes threadbare, the best method of repairing is to darn it neatly with fine linen thread, obtained by ravelling a piece of the material. In the case of a table cloth this thread can be got by ripping the hem at one end and unravelling the edge for a few rows. Wind the thread on a reel and keep for the repairing of this cloth, then remake the hem.
Fig. 1 shows the method of doing plain darning, and Fig. 2 shows the twill darning or plain damask stitch.
Insert the part to be darned in the embroidery tambour with the wrong side turned towards you, as all darning must be done on this side of the material. The darning should go well up into the sound part of the surrounding material, and the stitches should be small and even.
Repairing Table Linen.
Run in the lengthwise stitches first, taking care to have them a little loose, as they will shrink when washed, and leave a small loop of the thread at each turning, to allow for the taking up of these threads when working across them. Run the stitches according to the thread of the material in perfectly straight lines, taking up only two or three threads and skipping the same number. In alternate rows take up those threads skipped in the preceding rows.
When the weak portion is covered with the lengthwise stitches and about half an inch beyond it at each end, work across in the same way, taking up and leaving alternate stitches, and having the same space between the rows as at first.
These specimens show some of the patterns that are to be met with in damask.
Darning and Patching.
When there is a hole in the linen, it is necessary to cut away the worn edges and make the sides even, then darn as in the preceding case, but have the threads much closer together, continue each lengthwise thread across the hole and darn down below it, leave the loop at the end when turning. (See Fig. 1). The darn when finished should have the threads so close together as to replace the original piece.
For twilled linen fabric Fig. 2 shows the method of proceeding. Begin by working the darning stitch lengthwise across the hole in the same manner as before, then study the material to see how many threads of the fabric are crossed over to form the twill, and proceed to make the crossing stitches, passing over two or three threads and taking up one or two according to the pattern. In each succeeding row advance one or two threads in the same direction.
Even coloured borders can be very successfully repaired, and a correct copy of the original design be obtained in this way, using thread matching in colour with those of the border.
Fig. 3 shows how to repair a rent in the material, or a gash made by a knife, when the edges fit close together. Place a strip of stiff paper underneath the opening and tack securely all round. Darn across the rent, drawing the edges close together, and picking up the threads in each row which were passed over in the preceding. Leave the small loop at each turning as before.
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Fig. 5. A Top-sewn Patch. | Fig. 4. A Hemmed and Stitched Patch. |
Patching the Linen.
When the piece to be repaired is too large for darning, it must be cut out and replaced with a patch of the same material and, if possible, the patch should be cut from linen which has been in use about the same length of time as that requiring the mending. If new material must be used, then let it be somewhat thinner in texture than the other, for if the same material in a new piece be used the patch would be very conspicuous.
Repairing Table Linen.
Use fine linen thread and a fine sewing needle when patching. Cut the edges of the hole to a thread of the material, taking away the worn parts completely, cut the patch to fit over the hole and about an inch beyond it each way. Turn in the edges of the hole, making a diagonal slit at each corner, to get a perfect angle and flat seam. Turn in the edges of the patch and tack on the wrong side evenly over the hole, turn to the right side and hem the patch to the edge of the hole with neat small stitches, then backstitch on this right side to the outside edge of the patch, keeping the lines straight and the angle at each corner acute. See Fig. 4.
Fig. 5 shows the inset patch which is less noticeable than the preceding, and suitable for articles which do not have to stand very frequent use and washing. The edges of the hole are arranged as in the preceding, the patch is cut to fit it exactly, with its edges turned in a seam of the same width as that in the hole. Both edges are topsewn together on the wrong side, then the seam opened out and pressed quite flat. If neatly done and the pattern evenly matched, a patch of this kind is scarcely noticeable. The raw edges of the material should be neatly overcast to prevent ravelling.
Darning Damask Table Linen.
When darning damask linen it is quite possible to imitate the design so closely as to render the mending invisible. A close study of the design is necessary to see the number of threads taken up and passed over. In all cases the best thread to use is the ravelling obtained by picking out the threads from the edges of the material.
The illustration page shows the most common damask patterns and the method of darning them. In all cases the lengthwise stitches are worked as in Fig. 2. The pattern is worked by the crossing stitches, taking up and passing over a certain number of threads in each successive row.
The samples are worked with two coloured threads, so that the stitches forming the design can be easily copied.
When doing drawn thread work wind all the pulled threads on a reel, and keep them for mending linen of all kinds, they are the best threads for the purpose.
When Cloths are frayed at the Laundry.
Table cloths and serviettes are usually sent to the laundry, even when the bulk of the washing is done at home, as it is so difficult for the amateur to get the evenly glazed surface that the professional worker gives the cloths. The result is that tablecloths soon show signs of wear and tear, and invariably “go” first down the edges.
As soon as holes and fraying appear at the sides or ends, cut the strip right off, unless it is quite a small rent and can easily be mended. As a rule, when the edges once start to go, they do the job pretty thoroughly. And the best way is to cut off the weak part, before it tears far into the material, and turn a new hem.
If the cloth is then too narrow to use on the dining table, it can be widened or lengthened, by applying a deep hem, which can be joined with fagotting to the cloth. It will be necessary to tack both the cloth that has been cut and re-hemmed, and the new hem on stiff paper to keep it even as you work the faggoting.