The Art of Darning: Lessons in Frugality by Fritz Vohr, Guest Author
A good lesson from our neighbors
. . . and here he writes again another homespun story
Darn ahh the word . . .
>> to sew in the manner of a weave
>> to mend a hole in a sock
Our neighbors—the five Tracy sisters—taught us kids to darn using a wood darning egg, sewing needle, and appropriate thread or yarn.
Magdalene, the only one who drove, taught 7th and 8th grade in Middle School.
Elizabeth, the oldest, stayed home managing the kitchen and big coal stove.
Mamie was a telephone operator over J T Owens clothing store
Grete (Margaret) worked at Lee Marble Quarry, while
Josephine helped at their church.
We loved the Tracy sisters.
They were organized. As if they had a choreographer, their days had a rhythm, a pattern in step of breakfast, church, work, household chores, washing, ironing, cooking, cleaning, rest.
Washed clothes were hung on the line to dry (some unmentionables covered so as not to be seen by neighbors), ironed, always folded and sometimes mended including worn sheets and towels.
Even Christmas wrapping paper was ironed, folded, and saved for next year.
Frugality was the operative word, and nothing was wasted . . .
There was little plastic to discard. Glass bottles were washed and saved or recycled. Why even tin cans were saved for the war efforts.
Clothing too worn to repair went in the rag bag. Every few weeks, Mr. Perrini came with his horse and wagon to pick up the minimal remaining trash. Climbing down from his wagon, he would place a small stone anchor on the ground to remind his horse that they were parked.
And sometimes he would let my brother Tom and I climb up and hold the reins and drive a few feet up the driveway. What a thrill!
Back to darning( from Professor Pincushion)
This was the drill: a wood egg-shaped ball (the darning egg), came in many sizes and styles, some quite artistic. It was inserted into the sock with the to-be-mended hole neatly stretched over the top. The darner started by weaving an interlacing cross-stitch. Anything that needed darning was piled on the table and attacked in order.
Imagine, we were kids, and we learned the art of darning. Moreso, we learned the art of prudence. And parsimony. It was a necessary skill engrained forever.
Frugality at its best. There was no waste in the Tracy house.
Nor ours.
Do you have a frugality story to share. We’d love to hear it.
© 2026
From friend, Dr. Reid. "I kid you NOT! I was sitting here mending a hole in one of my favorite pairs of socks, when your Email arrived! Absolute truth!
And the reason I spelled "not" as "knot" in the subject heading, is because the toughest part of the job for me is tying a knot at the end of the job, to keep the thread from coming loose. However, no excuses allowed at 88 1/2 years of age! LOL! / Reid
Do you remember the children's jeans that Sears sold with a guarantee to replace any that had holes in the knees? WELL! our Sears jeans went down the line from three sons to a daughter, and Sears honored their guarantee every time! When those jeans finally served the last of our children, I knew I had gotten every cent's worth! I don't think they make those anymore... as for MY childhood and teen years, I remember bridesmaid's gowns that had second lives as prom dresses, Easter coats handed down from older cousins, bicycles outgrown from those same cousins, delicious soups made from all the week's leftovers, and on and on. How about Halloween costumes that we put together ourselves, using mostly our imaginations? We had lots of fun creating and re-creating!