rainbowmagic Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 My daughter has recently fulfilled her dreams and been fitted for her first pair of pointe shoes. Of course - now I have to darn them. I have everything I need and have been shown how to darn them. The issue I am having is that I am struggling to get the needle through the satin! My patience is being tested! Anyone have any tips they would like to share? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guesty Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Have you tried a half circle needle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieW Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I managed to get away without darning any shoes - we stuck to suede patches or cutting the satin off - especially while my daughter was growing out of sites so fast - just didn't feel worth the effort!! But I'm sure you'll get lots of advice on here :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheila Beelam Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I find leather needles are good for the edges as they have a chiseled point and curved needle for the platform itself Oh and thimble! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainbowmagic Posted April 9, 2014 Author Share Posted April 9, 2014 Thank you everyone. Curved needle, leather thimble and we're off! Next dilemma will be whether I'm doing it properly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I didn't start darning pointes straight away - dd hardly used her first pair before she grew out of them, and probably didn't kill a pair for about 6 months as her feet kept growing! We used the stick-on suede patches and they were fine for beginner pointework. Edited to add: We were posting at the same time! Good luck with the darning. :-) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBallerina Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I'm darning the whole tip of the shoe, and it works with a curved needle for me. I believe capezios and freeds are worse than bloch to darn. The satin is all glued to the box .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheila Beelam Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 And Gaynors are hideous to darn and sew ribbons on to as the satin is bonded to the lining ... But they're now available with suede toe tips sewn on to the platform, so no darning! Incidentally, I darned my first few pairs as a teen, then used rosin....and never darned DDs shoes. (Bad dance mum!) Neither of us have used suede patches, but they are popular in the shop. There have been a few threads on darning shoes - if you search for these you'll find more info. YouTube is good for instructions, or we have a word document explaining how to do it - send me your email address if you'd like a copy. Sx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Welcome to the Forum, Rainbowmagic. There is some useful advice on this thread and it may be worth your doing a search on pointe shoes in the Doing Dance forum too. Do let us know how you get on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osmum Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 We have never darned Pointe shoes seemed to be too much effort. Early on we glued the suede patches but as now dd at 16 just trims off the satin as it gets messy. She didn't like the feel of the suede. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletqs Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 (edited) Hee hee wicked fairy teacher here. I'm v strict with our students re darning. I've never seen an RB/BRB company pair undarned and I expect the same. I do advise them to wear them once or twice without to loosen the satin then darn them. Heaven forbid we had undarned shoes at US and the sticky patches can get worn after a while and go very slippy. Plus as a first pair it looks so pretty hanging on the wall. I had all my favourite pairs and my first pair hanging up at our wedding tied around my hubby's wheat sheafs and they still looked so ''preserved' Edited April 10, 2014 by balletqs 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 They are much easier to darn if they are worn a couple of times first, it loosens up the satin a bit. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Do teachers/schools teach the kids how to do this? Just thinking about dds appalling attempts to sew cross over elastics onto her ballet shoes & dreading the thought of darning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munchkin16 Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Definitely get her to wear them a couple of times first, it loosens the satin and makes it a lot easier to darn! Also, don't worry about it being neat, as long as the surface is covered well it will give more grip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swanprincess Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Use a small pair of pliers to shove the needle through, may be easier than a thimble Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletqs Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Yes don't worry about neatness just get them done chain or blanket stitch are easiest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2dancersmum Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Pictures - my DDs both found darning pointe shoes easier than sewing on fiddly elastics or ribbons onto shoes. I did the first pair for each of them (my first time too for elder DDs first pair) and the second pair we did together. Bloch shoes though so did not find getting the needle through that difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhatter Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 I've never darned pointe shoes either, I wouldn't know where to start, DD now 16, wears shoes made with suede tips. Before she grew out of them so fast it wasn't worth it. I think that it would be a very good idea for a ballet class to be dedicated to teaching them to sew their own ribbons, elastics and tips, especially when they go on pointe and start vocational schools. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osmum Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Those of you that are experienced in darning, how long does it take you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjuli_Bai Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 I darned every pair I ever wore. It took me about 20 minutes. I used a thimble and three strands of matching embroidery thread. I used blanket and X stitch. The object is NOT neatness or smoothness - the object is to create traction. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VBee Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 I found needle grabbers very useful, they're round little bits of rubber that help you grip the needle, which was particularly useful for forcing the needle throught the satin. I bought some from John Lewis. Stopped me from sticking the needle through my finger tips and they are more flexible than thimbles. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyTwiglet Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 I've never actually tried darning (never had time) so can't give much advice on that but I use suede tips on my Grishkos instead and find that they're really good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBallerina Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 I spend a whole day darning to finish a pair - but as I've said; I darn the whole tip of the box with tiny stitches close together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainbowmagic Posted April 11, 2014 Author Share Posted April 11, 2014 Well - we're at the halfway point! It has become easier as I've gone on, but it feels very hard to be doing it to a beautiful pair of shoes, especially when the needle pulls small holes in the satin. Although having seen some of the videos on you tube showing what some of the principal danders do to their shoes before they dance in them, it's a small pride to pay! My daughter was shown how to darn the shoes by her teacher and then came home and explained it to me. They are expected to darn their shoes - no suede tips or patches for us and in a funny kind of way I've really quite enjoyed doing it. My daughter has been dancing since she was 2, so it's almost been like another rite of passage for me. Thank you for all the tips. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 I found needle grabbers very useful, they're round little bits of rubber that help you grip the needle, which was particularly useful for forcing the needle throught the satin. I bought some from John Lewis. Stopped me from sticking the needle through my finger tips and they are more flexible than thimbles. Never seen these before, but what a brilliant idea! I'm going to invest in a pack; thank you. :-) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy19 Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 Well done for having a go!! You're braver than me. A mum offers the darning and stitching on ribbons service at our school for £15. Bargain as I'm hopeless at it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 I would definatly pay £15. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieW Posted April 12, 2014 Share Posted April 12, 2014 One of our forum members (Frangipani) will darn shoes for you for a fee. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletqs Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 (edited) Can I just say as well White Lodge girls are expected to darn their own shoes from age 11 and the best in the class gets a commendation. I feel all students should be encouraged to do their own. Edited spelling Edited April 13, 2014 by balletqs 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieW Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 And despite me teaching my son how to sew on elastics he got the girls at WL to do it for him! 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilac Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 We are obviously very spoilt. DD's current dance teacher sews them personally and for no fee. Doesn't like suede patches. Did the ribbon in with this also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie4dancin Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 (edited) One of our forum members (Frangipani) will darn shoes for you for a fee. :-) and an amazing job she makes and very swift too x Edited April 18, 2014 by charlie4dancin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orchidblue Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 I have been darning pointe shoes for my dd & her friends for 6 years now. For my dd I view it as a labour of love, for her friends I charged £10 but have recently decided not to do theirs anymore as it takes around 3 hours to darn a pair. Grishko & Bloch are fine but Gaynor Mindens are horrendous (thankfully only ever did one pair of these). I love seeing a finished pair as I have to admit to being a bit of a perfectionist & they are always very neat. It definitely preserves the life of the shoe & I think looks so much nicer than ripped off satin. For anyone wanting advice feel free to ask. x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now