Darn Free Motion

I used my free motion quilting skills the other day to go old-school. You've seen the free motion foot referred to as a darning foot in many places and that's exactly what I did.

 I had a small hole by the zipper of a pair of my jeans. I slipped a small piece of fabric behind the hole then free motion stitched around the hole. After I had circled the hole, I began stitching back and forth across the hole to basically create new fabric and hold the worn spot together.

I should have chosen a better blue thread to blend in better. If this had been in an area other than between the biggest part of my stomach and my crotch, I might have chosen a decorative thread color and made it more of an embellishment. A great idea for a hole in the knee!

Since the darning is done in free motion, you don't have to worry about moving the garment around so much. That's a big plus if patching down in a leg or sleeve of a garment.

Did you know you can also use the free motion/darning foot for long basting stitches? Depending on your skill level, they might not be as even as a machine basting stitch, but it you need a longer basting stitch than what your machine will give you, it's a great method.