What Thread to Sew Seam on a Sock

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Aside from scullery maids who actually made their living by darning socks, the average person may not know how to properly darn a sock. What if one of the socks in your favorite pair has developed a hole and you simply can't part with them? Well, then, you had better read this wikiHow.

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   Choose a thread. You will need to pick a thread that is close to the color and thickness of the existing sock yarn. You can also use a dark color for horizontal stitching and a lighter color for vertical stitching. If you have a dark sock, using white thread will help you to see what you're doing more easily. Same goes for a white sock and dark thread. It doesn't have to match exactly; unless you are a foot model, not too many people will see your sock-covered feet.

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   Thread the darning needle. This article says darning needle, but really it can just be a regular old needle. You will want to thread the needle with one or two strands of thread, depending on the weight of the sock. As you may have guessed, if it is a thicker sock you will want to use a thicker thread (or two pieces of thread.) Tie a knot in the end of the thread. You will begin by sewing from the inside of the sock, out, so that your knot is on the inside of your sock.

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   Pull the sock over the darning egg. These little darning eggs are wooden ovals that help to push the toe of the sock out so that you can see where the hole is. You can buy them at any craft store.^[1]

   • If you don't have a darning egg or don't want to buy one, you can pretty much use anything that is round. A tennis ball works well, as does a lightbulb, so long as you are very careful. You can also just use your other hand; stick it in the sock like you would your foot. This last option will make darning your sock a bit more difficult.

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   Trim away any ragged edges. Use little sewing scissors to snip away any threads or flyaway string that are hanging from the hole. Just make sure that you don't actually snip one too many times and make your hole even larger.

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   Push the needle through one end of the hole. You are now going to make a large running stitch to the other side of the hole. A running stitch is the most basic of sewing stitches. All it involves is running your needle and thread up through the inside of the sock and out, then making a stitch to the right, and then pulling your needle back up and out of the sock again.

   • You can also choose to sew a running stitch for a few rows above and to either side of the hole. Doing this reinforces the sewing you will be doing to close the hole up and supports the thread around the hole (which is probably pretty thin and on the verge of forming a hole itself.)

     

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   Repeat your stitches. You will want to run your stitches up and over the hole, going back and forth until the hole is blocked up with parallel stitches.

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   Sew stitches perpendicular to the parallel stitches (optional.) Creating stitches that go perpendicular to your previously made stitches will reinforce the patch you have essentially created out of thread. Weave your stitches in and out of the previous stitches.^[2]

Add New Question

• Question

  What's the best kind of thread to use?

  

  Chloée Ohayon-Crosby is a Costume Designer and Wardrobe Specialist in Los Angeles, California. With over eight years of experience in fashion consulting, Chloée specializes in personal, film, theater, and commercial styling as well as image consulting and costume design. Chloée has worked as an assistant designer for the distinguished fashion house Chloée and as a freelance stylist with Glamour Italia. Chloée studied Fine/Studio Arts at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts and Fashion Design and Merchandising at the world renowned ESMOD École Supérieure des Arts in Paris, France.

  

  Costume Designer & Wardrobe Specialist

  Expert Answer

  

  Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

  Match the color of the thread to the fabric as close as possible. Also, use a thread that is more on the cotton side or a strong synthetic thread as opposed to something that has more stretch to it.

• Question

  What size needle should I use?

  

  Chloée Ohayon-Crosby is a Costume Designer and Wardrobe Specialist in Los Angeles, California. With over eight years of experience in fashion consulting, Chloée specializes in personal, film, theater, and commercial styling as well as image consulting and costume design. Chloée has worked as an assistant designer for the distinguished fashion house Chloée and as a freelance stylist with Glamour Italia. Chloée studied Fine/Studio Arts at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts and Fashion Design and Merchandising at the world renowned ESMOD École Supérieure des Arts in Paris, France.

  

  Costume Designer & Wardrobe Specialist

  Expert Answer

• Question

  I am unable to find darning thread. What can be substituted?

  

  You can use any thread. Try to choose one of a similar weight/thickness to the threads the sock is made from. You can use any thread you have on hand or even embroidery thread, but you would probably only need 1 or 2 strands of thread from embroidery thread. You can use yarn for wool socks.

• Question

  Where can I have socks repaired?

  

  Try a local tailor; they repair other clothes all the time, and I don't see why socks would be any different.

• Question

  How do I keep the thread from coming back out of the sock?

  

  You need to tie knots in the thread large enough to secure the stitches: one at the end of the thread before starting, and one at the end of your final stitch. You can also tie knots between stitches, although this might be a bit excessive for socks.

• Question

  How do I repeat stitches?

  

  Repeating stitches means doing the same stitch again and again. In the offered instructions, you are to create lines of stitches parallel to each other in one direction, say horizontally. Run thread into non-threadbare fabric that borders the sock hole on each side as your needle crosses the hole. Keeping some tension in the thread will help hold the hole together. Once covered with these horizontal stitches, change direction and cover the hole with vertical stitches. Do these in the same fashion. Repeat. This time weave the needle in and out of the lines of thread recently laid across the sock hole. Still run thread into solid fabric on border of the hole.

• Question

  How do I reinforce the edges of the darned sock?

  

  I start darning holes in socks by putting a couple rings of running stitches around the hole. These stitches are placed far enough from the edge of the hole that the new threads have something secure to hold onto. Thereafter, every horizontal and vertical stitch gets carried into (and past) this secured border stitching to form a wider weave of new thread or yarn. In the end, all the new threads are covering the former hole in the sock. Using "darning wool" this specific thread will sort of melt or blend into to nearby fabric after a few washings.

• Question

  Is it okay for me to use yarn to patch a sock?

  

  Yes, if the socks are of the same weight or thickness as the yarn you intend to stitch with.

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Video

• A stitch in nine actually refers to adding a back stick on your ninth running stitch. This is so that if the thread comes undone or breaks at anytime, it is less likely to unsubscribe all the way to the beginning of the sewing by stopping at the added backstitch, thereby saving time when it comes to to repair. Neat huh?

• Try not to wait until it is a big hole. Remember the adage: "A stitch in time saves nine," meaning, if you fix it early you will use less thread and take less time to repair.

• Be careful not to poke your thumb while threading the needle or stitching. You could wear a thimble or use a darning needle, which is blunt.

Things You'll Need

• Sock with a hole or worn patch
• Darning needle
• Thread to match the color of the sock
• A darning egg or similar object

About This Article

Article Summary X

To darn a sock, start by picking thread that's about the same color as your sock, then thread your needle and knot the end of the thread. Be sure to trim away any loose threads or ragged edges around the hole. Then make a running stitch across the hole by pushing your needle through one side of the hole, going under it, and pulling your needle back up through the other side of the hole. Keep making running stitches like that across the hole until your sock is mended. If you want to learn how to make perpendicular stitches to make your sock stronger, keep reading the article!

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What Thread to Sew Seam on a Sock

Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Darn-a-Sock

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